Celebrity health changers

The lifestyles of the rich and famous aren’t always the healthiest ones. Late-night parties, drug and alcohol binges, smoking and bad eating habits can all be harmful to your health and take years off your life. Here, some behaviors that are common among the stars (as well as the rest of us), and how changing them can result in dramatic health improvements and increased longevity.

According to the American Lung Association, 90 percent of lung cancer deaths can be directly linked to cigarette smoking. Cigarette addiction can also a host of other conditions — such as emphysema, heart disease, stroke, infertility, throat, stomach and pancreatic cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The good news? Kicking the habit can radically change that outcome.

Quitting at age 30 reduces your risk of dying from smoking-related diseases by a whopping amount. How much?

President Obama was declared tobacco-free at his last checkup. What did he use to help kick the habit?

President Obama was not photographed smoking in public. Check out iconic images of this war-era president and post-Watergate commander caught in the act.

Former President Bill Clinton had a legendary appetite — and a famously omnivorous diet that included extra helpings of fast food, barbecue, french fries and doughnuts. But after being diagnosed with heart disease and undergoing a quadruple bypass operation in 2004, Clinton committed to completely revamping his diet. Now he eats an essentially vegan diet — with no meat, no dairy and no eggs. And that could literally be a lifesaver for him:

Clinton and his successor George W. Bush shared a love for carnivorous dishes (what were their favorites?).

Walter Scheib, White House chef during the Clinton and Bush years, spills the beans on the two presidents’ culinary tastes in his book. Shop for it.

While celebrities with high-profile drug habits (such as Robert Downey Jr.) have their addictions — and related transgressions—tirelessly chronicled in the press, their struggles and health risks are really no different from any other drug users. Take cocaine, for example. This popular recreational drug is responsible for more visits to the ER than any other illegal drug. And that’s not surprising when you consider the drug’s effect on nervous system:

Though he’s been clean and sober since 2003, Downey nearly derailed his career after a stint in a substance abuse facility and state prison (see his mug shot).

Downey’s drug use began at an early age (how old was he?) when his father, a drug addict, offered him marijuana.

Even the notoriously golden browned stars of “Jersey Shore” have wised up to the dangers of ultraviolet (UV) rays. After a dermatologist from The Skin Cancer Foundation visited the cast, former tanning bed addict Snooki renounced her UV habit and now claims to get her glow exclusively from much-safer spray-on tans. Among the scary facts that encouraged the change:

The “Jersey Shore” star launched her own indoor tanning product line.

Watch video of Snooki taking Anderson Cooper for a spray tan.

It’s one thing when late nights are a partying celebs choice, but for some stars—as well as many regular folks — lack of sleep is due to insomnia, not after-hours clubbing. But no matter what the cause, not logging a full night of zzz’s can contribute to numerous health issues:

Read how Drew Barrymore combats her insomnia.

Check out other famous insomniacs.

Alcohol fuels many a Hollywood party, but dozens of celebs have also renounced the hard stuff—many after much-publicized trips to posh rehab facilities. And while moderate drinking (how much?) has been linked to some positive health benefits (what are these?), chronic alcohol abuse is nothing but trouble:

Ben Affleck confronted his alcoholism in 2001. What did he do?

Did he fall off the wagon in his battle with the bottle?

The pressure to be stick thin is everywhere, but no one feels it more than celebrities — whose most microscopic bulges are under the constant focus of the papparazzi’s zoom lens. But when mere dieting turns into a full-blown eating disorder, that unhealthy obsession can take a serious toll.

De Rossi’s anorexia reached its lowest point when her calorie intake and weight plummeted to starvation levels.

Read about her battle with anorexia and bulimia in her book. Shop for it.