Living in Newham could knock up to five years off your life, according to a report released by Public Health England last week.

Men in Newham have the third lowest life expectancy at birth in London and, on average, die five years before their counterparts in Kensington and Chelsea.

The Report, Understanding the Inequalities in London’s Life Expectancy and Health Life Expectancy shows that the borough’s males can expect to live to 77.5 years, one-and-half years below the national average.

Dr Zuhair Zarifa, a GP and chair of NHS Newham Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) linked the results to smoking, drinking and choice of diet. He recommended cutting down on cigarettes and alcohol and “making an effort to be active and eat a healthy, balanced diet that includes plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables” as this could help increase life expectancy.

He added: “As GPs, we’re working closely with Newham Council and other health organisations to help our residents to live longer. Newham does face significant health challenges – and it has some of the highest death rates in London for heart disease, chronic respiratory problems and cancer – but together we have made significant inroads into increasing life expectancy.”

Dr Yvonne Doyle, regional director for Public Health England in London, said:

“The evidence is clear - a person’s likelihood of dying early varies widely between boroughs due to differences in risk factors such as being overweight, lack of exercise, excessive alcohol consumption and smoking, and that these are closely linked to economic deprivation.

“People should take actions to protect themselves from a premature death by accessing screening services and free health checks.”

Females in the borough have a brighter future ahead with a life expectancy of 82 years, ranking them as fifth from the bottom for women in London.