We all want to live forever, folks, and in the best health possible the entire time! Although we can’t yet achieve immortality, we can do some simple things to live longer and feel better. You’ve probably heard of these lifestyle choices before, but now, we’ve got a little more research science backing them.
A massive study conducted by Harvard researchers and published in the Circulation medical journal (https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/five-healthy-lifestyle-habits/) found that five healthy lifestyle habits did have an impact on lifespan. For this study, researchers examined more than three decades of data from over 44,000 men and 78,000 women who took part in a long-term UK study. The researchers examined just how five different low-risk lifestyle factors, outlined below, impacted the participant’s lifespan.
• Not smoking
• A low body mass index, defined as a BMI between 18.5 and 24.9
• Physical activity for at least 30 minutes a day at a moderate or intense level
• Moderate alcohol intake, defined as around 5 ounces of wine each day for women and 10 ounces each day for men
• A healthy diet
What researchers found was that people who didn’t adopt any of the listed low-risk lifestyle factors had, at age 50, a life expectancy of 25.5 more years for men and 29 more years for women. However, the participants who followed all five of the above low-risk lifestyle factors had, at age 50, a life expectancy of 37.6 additional years for men and 43.1 more years for women. In short, the women who maintained all of the healthy habits gained another 14 years of life on average, and men gained another 12 years when compared to those who didn’t adopt those habits.
On top of the lifespan increase, researchers found that the men and women who had all of the healthy lifestyle habits were about 74 percent less likely than those who didn’t to die over the study period. There was also a link between the reduced risk of early death and how closely a person maintained all five healthy habits, and the combination of all five healthy habits was tied to gaining the longest lifespan.
So, if you haven’t yet adopted all five of the healthy lifestyle habits above, now is the time to start! Keep in mind that your doctor can help you with dietary changes and the creation of an exercise plan if you’re not sure where to begin.
