Scientists haven’t cracked the secret of immortality yet, but if you follow their advice, you could gain up to 24 years of life. A new study has identified the 8 habits that have the biggest impact on life expectancy. Here they are.
Sometimes small lifestyle changes can dramatically improve health and mental health. A new study on the subject was presented this Monday, July 24 at the annual congress of theAmerican Society for Nutrition. The results were presented by Xuan-Mai Nguyen, the study’s lead author.
Researchers studied the correlations between 8 lifestyle habits and the state of health and well-being of nearly 720,000 military veterans. Aged between 40 and 99, the participants are part of the Million Veteran Program. Experts have found that the more healthy habits participants adopt, the longer their life expectancy increases. Separately, these 8 studied habits add years: cumulated they can reach up to 24 extra years of life.
What are the 8 habits for living longer according to researchers?
1. Exercise
It is one of the habits that has the most positive effects on general health. This change alone has reduced the risk of death by 46% compared to inactive participants. And no need to spend your days at the gym, doing physical activity on the weekends can already be enough.
2. Do not smoke
Researchers have observed that people who have never smoked are 29% less likely to die prematurely than smokers. Nevertheless, stop smokingat any time of life, has many health benefits
3. Eat healthy
The importance of a good diet to stay healthy is not negligible. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables is recommended to live longer. The Mediterranean diet is often put forward for its health benefits in particular.
4. Avoid consuming alcohol
No, drinking a glass of wine every day won’t make you live longer, it’s actually the opposite. A recent Canadian study confirmed that even low levels of alcohol consumption pose a health risk.
5. Sleep well
The effects of lack of sleep on the organization and morale are numerous. Good quality sleep is essential to live longer. Experts recommend 7-9 a.m. nights.
6. Be well surrounded
A recent study observed that loneliness and social isolation can shorten life expectancy. It is therefore important to maintain positive social relationships.
7. Know how to manage your stress
If the stress can be positive and make us more efficient in certain situations, it can be harmful to health if it sets in on a daily basis. In particular, stress can aggravate many pathologies (heart disease, ulcers).
8. Not being addicted to opioids
Opioid addiction is a real crisis in the United States, but France is also concerned, to a lesser extent.
“Although adopting all eight factors was associated with the greatest increase in longevity, our results showed that theadoption of a single factor was associated with a significant increase in longevity. And it only increased as they adopted 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 of the habits“, said Dr. Nguygen.
Overall, the study results indicate that physical inactivity, opioid use, and smoking had the greatest impact on participants’ lifespans. These bad habits increase the risk of death by approximately 30 to 40%.
Stress, excessive alcohol consumption, unbalanced diet and poor sleep quality were each associated with an increase of approximately 20% of the risk of death.
Finally, a lack of positive social relationships increases the risk of 5% according to the study. Despite a lower percentage, this contribution is not negligible: “5% may not seem like a lot, but it still represents a decrease in all-cause mortality“, explained the expert. “Every little bit countswhether it’s engaging in physical activity or ensuring you’re surrounded by positive social support“, she concludes.
“It’s never too late to adopt a healthy lifestyle”
The earlier we adopt these lifestyle habits, the more it will have a positive effect on life expectancy, but Dr. Nguygen reminds us that he “it’s never too late to adopt a healthy lifestyle. And according to the results of the study, “even at age 60, later adoption of the eight low-risk lifestyle factors was still associated with an additional life expectancy of 18 years for men and 17 years for women“, said the researcher.
Source : American Society of Nutrition