8 habits that could grant you 24 extra years: Study
A new study analyzed data collected from more than 700,000 United States veterans and found that making eight healthy lifestyle choices at 40 could help you live up to 24 years longer. Even if you start at age 50, you could still gain 21 extra years, and if you begin at 60, you might add nearly 18 more years to your life.
How the study was conducted
The new study was presented at the American Society for Nutrition's annual meeting on Monday in Boston, US. Researchers gathered data from medical records and questionnaires of a vast group of 719,147 individuals aged 40 to 99 years and enrolled in the Veterans Affairs Million Veteran Program between 2011 and 2019. Researchers examined how the adoption of healthy habits influenced their life expectancy.
The eight healthy habits
The study found that engaging in regular physical activity, avoiding opioid addiction, refraining from smoking, managing stress, eating a plant-based diet, abstaining from binge drinking, sleeping well, and nurturing positive social relationships, can significantly increase lifespan. Those who adopted all eight of these healthy habits enjoyed an impressive 87% relative reduction in all-cause mortality when compared to individuals who didn't make any changes.
Lifespan improves with positive lifestyle changes, even with chronic diseases
The lead study author, Xuan-Mai Nguyen, stated at the Nutrition 2023 conference, "We did an analysis to see if we eliminated people with type-2 diabetes, high cholesterol, stroke, cancer and the like, does it change the outcome? And it really didn't." This suggests that even if someone has chronic diseases, making positive lifestyle changes can still have a beneficial impact on their lifespan.
The study ranked the eight lifestyle behaviors
Exercising regularly reduces the risk of death by 46%. Avoiding opioid addiction and tobacco decreases risk by 38% and 29%, respectively. Effective stress management lowers risk by 22%. Following a plant-based diet boosts chances of a longer life by 21%. Avoiding binge drinking and ensuring a good night's sleep reduce risk by 19% and 18%, respectively. Maintaining positive social relationships decreases risk by 5%.
It's never too late
You may feel discouraged, thinking that you have missed the opportunity to embrace a healthier lifestyle due to your age or pre-existing habits. However, according to Nguyen, "It's never too late to make the changes." He also emphasized that "the earlier, the better." "But even if you only make a small change in your 40s, 50s, or 60s, it still is beneficial," Nguyen said.
