Five Habits to Increase Longevity

A significant portion of studies indicate that habits such as not smoking and eating healthy food impact lifespan. According to an important study on behavioral impacts, the lifespan of individuals who maintain five healthy habits in their adult life can increase by up to a decade. Researchers at Harvard University used lifestyle questionnaires and medical records from 123,000 volunteers to understand how much these individuals could extend their lives by having a healthy diet, controlling their weight, exercising regularly, drinking alcohol in moderation, and not smoking. When scientists calculated the average life expectancy, they noticed significant effects of healthy habits. Compared to individuals who adhered to none of these habits, men and women who practiced all five habits increased their life expectancy at age 50 from 26 to 38 years and from 29 to 43 years, respectively, increasing by 12 years for men and 14 years for women. Meir Stampfer, a co-author of the study and a professor of epidemiology and nutrition at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, stated, 'When we started this study, I thought that people who adopted these habits would live longer. But what was surprising was the extent of the impact these habits had on them.' Researchers conducted this study hoping to understand why the U.S., which spends more on healthcare and wellness than any other country in the world, ranks 31st in life expectancy at birth. According to the World Health Organization, life expectancy at birth in 2015 was 76.9 years for American men and 81.6 years for American women. This study, published in the journal Circulation, shows that a poor lifestyle is a significant factor shortening Americans' lives. Only 8% of the general population followed all five healthy habits. This research focuses on the U.S. population, but Stampfer noted that the findings apply to the UK and many Western countries as well. The five healthy habits are defined as: not smoking, having a body mass index between 18.5 and 25, engaging in at least half an hour of moderate exercise each day, if drinking alcohol, consuming one 150 ml glass of wine per day for women or two glasses per day for men, and having a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains with minimal red meat, saturated fat, and sugar. Over 30 years of study, it has been shown that men and women who maintained such a healthy lifestyle were 82% less likely to die from heart disease and 65% less likely to die from cancer compared to those with less healthy lifestyles. Stampfer remarked, 'Given that healthy lifestyle habits are well-known, the big mystery is why we are so reluctant to adhere to them. Part of the problem is that many people struggle to quit smoking, and the continued consumption of unhealthy foods, along with poor urban planning that makes exercise difficult for people, also contributes to this issue.' He added, 'I think people need to take action and increase their personal responsibility, but as a society, we also need to do something to make it easier for them. People can get caught in a habit and think it’s too late to quit, but we find that when people change their habits and paths, they gain significant benefits.'