Five healthy habits that could increase your life expectancy by 14 years
“To me, the surprising outcome was how strong it was: what a big impact these simple behaviours could have on life expectancy”
Dr. Meir Stampfer, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, commenting on a study published in 2018.
Are you dreaming of a long and healthy life? Then you’ve probably read about the many different methods that are said to increase your chances without the need for scientific intervention. However, this scientific study shows that it’s our basic healthy habits that are crucial to increasing our life expectancy. In 2018, a US study published in the medical journal Circulation, showed that those included in the study increased their chances of living a longer life by 14 years for women, and 12 years for men, by following five healthy habits. The healthy habits included eating a balanced diet, taking regular exercise, maintaining a healthy body weight, not smoking, and moderating your alcohol intake. I believe that studies like this provide great inspiration for making wise and healthy choices. Personally, I can sometimes get overwhelmingly frustrated over how much time, commitment, and money is spent on things that have no lasting positive result and could have a detrimental effect. On the other hand, this study shows how significant our basic healthy habits are and that, at present, there is nothing that can compare to them. And the good thing is that these aren’t expensive or exclusive methods, but something everyone can do.
Five healthy habits to increase your quality of life and life expectancy
The analysis that could show a connection between these five common healthy habits and life expectancy consisted of two studies: “the Nurses’ Health Study” and “the Health Professionals Follow-up Study”. By analysing these, researchers gained access to detailed data of the health and lifestyles of people over the course of 34 years for some 123,000 Americans now aged between 50 and 80. The study showed that each of these five good habits contributed to increased longevity. And when looking at those who lived according to all five habits and comparing them with those who didn’t, it was seen that women lived a whole 14 years longer, and men 12 years longer. It was also found that if you followed all five habits, you had an 82 percent lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease compared to those who didn’t have the same lifestyle. At the same time, the risk of cancer was also reduced. Their figures were based on the American population, whose life expectancy is lower than the Scandinavian population. In addition, there are always inconsistencies in these types of studies as it relies on people providing information about their lifestyle that can easily be remembered wrongly. One can still draw the clear conclusion that these five habits play a significant role in our health and longevity, something which is confirmed and supported by other studies. For the individual, it isn’t just about how long you live, but also what quality of life you have. And for society as a whole, it’s about the immense cost of lifestyle diseases that could be reduced. Most importantly, we should start to focus on simple changes of habit, maintaining them, and making them a solid foundation in our lifestyle.
“The study is a fantastic example of how simple and uncomplicated habits can have huge health benefits. At present, there’s no cure or pill that can compete with this.”
The five healthy habits that were looked at and which individually proved to be very important, but above all increased the chances of a longer and healthier life were:
A healthy diet consisting of fruits and vegetables, wholegrain products, nuts and seeds, as well as less red meat, charcuterie, sugary drinks, trans fats and salt. This is the same type of diet that other studies have found to increase the chance of enjoying a healthier life.
Regular physical exercise consisting of at least 30 minutes of moderate to intense exercise every day, such as a brisk walk, bike ride, swimming, or running.
Maintain a healthy weight. Obesity increases, among other things, the risk of diabetes and certain types of cancer. By losing weight, you significantly reduce the risk of getting diabetes. A normal, healthy weight is said to be when your BMI (body mass index) is between 18.5 and 24.5.
Moderate alcohol consumption. Here, a moderate level was calculated as less than 15g of alcohol per day for women, and 30g per day for men. The Nordic recommendations for alcohol are to limit consumption to a maximum of 10g per day for women and 20g per day for men. An 150ml glass of wine contains 15g of alcohol and a bottle of strong beer of 330ml, the same.
Don’t smoke, as smoking increases the risk of cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and lung disease. Results showed that even infrequent smoking, such as 1-14 cigarettes a day, significantly increased these risks.
My advice:
Find the foundation of your healthy lifestyle in habits that are supported by science. They may not always be as exciting as various new methods, but they are effective and worth the effort. Focus on the areas you want to improve and do it in small steps. And remember, it’s never too late to adopt healthy habits and it always pays off. Preventing these poor lifestyle choices is always the most effective method, and even if you have an illness, good healthy habits are important and can make a big difference.
