You Could Extend Your Life By Over A Dozen Years According To New Study
We all know that we should eat better, be more active, and not do those things that are bad for us – like smoking, or eating bad foods. Now there’s a new study that tells us just exactly how good it is for us to eat right, exercise, and not fall into bad habits.
According to a new report published in the journal, Circulation, American women who followed five “healthy lifestyle factors” lived about 14 years longer. For men, you could live up to an additional 12 years!
So, what are the 5 habits you should be doing to live a longer life? According to the study:
- Eat a nutritious diet
- Exercise at least 30 minutes per day
- Maintain a healthy weight
- Don’t smoke
- Drink alcohol in moderation
To really live a longer, fuller life the study suggests adhering to all five of the healthy habits. The study suggests that following any of the five habits will result in added years to your life, and the more you follow the more years you’ll add to your life.
Researchers analyzed data of 78,865 women who enrolled in the Nurses’ Health Study in 1976, and 44,354 men who joined the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study in 1980. By 2014, 42,167 of the participants died, including 10,689 who died of cardiovascular disease and 13,953 who passed away due to cancer.
The researchers had to account for age, ethnicity, vitamin use and family history of diseases in the participants. After accounting for those factors, researchers found a strong correlation between the lifestyle of those participants and whether or not they were alive in 2014.
The study is quite eye-opening. Men and women who followed all five habits were 74% less likely to die during the study period over those who followed none of the habits. Maybe the most interesting piece of the study is that those who followed all five of the habits were 65% less likely to die of cancer and 82% less likely to die of cardiovascular disease.
Researcher’s went on to say that women at age 50, who had the healthiest lifestyles, could expect to live until 93, which is 14 years longer than those women who had the least healthy lifestyles. Among men aged 50, the healthiest lifestyles could expect to live until age 87, which is 12 years longer than their counterparts.
However, researcher’s noted that only 8% of American adults were following all five criteria for a healthy lifestyle in 2006. Being overweight or obese was the primary obstacle to the low percentage of adults in the U.S.
So, now we know what we should be doing if we want to add 12-14 years on to your life!
