Fortune Well July 30, 2023
Lifestyle
Healthy habits like exercising, getting good sleep, and drinking in moderation could pay off not just in quality of life, but in length of life too.
That’s according to new research presented Monday at the American Society for Nutrition’s annual conference in Boston.
Researchers examined the data of nearly 720,000 military veterans ages 40–99, who were followed over time. Those who adopted eight healthy habits saw a 13% reduction in mortality compared to those who did not.
Forty-year-olds who adopt all eight healthy habits could gain between 23 (for women) and 24 (for men) years of life expectancy, according to the research team, mostly comprised of Harvard- and Department of Veterans Affairs–affiliated scientists in Boston.
The benefits of positive lifestyle tweaks were only studied among veterans, Xuan-Mai Nguyen—a medical student at the Carle Illinois College of Medicine in Champaign, Ill., and a researcher on the study—tells Fortune. But it makes sense that they would benefit civilians as well.
“These lifestyle factors are not new ideas, and for the general population to incorporate them into their lifestyle could promote general well-being,” she says.
So, just what are the eight healthy habits that apparently extended the lifespan of hundreds of thousands of veterans?
The three most impactful habits when it came to extending life span: exercising, not being addicted to opioids, and not smoking. Those who didn’t have these healthy habits were 30%–45% more likely to die during the study.
Stress, binge drinking, poor diet, and not getting good sleep were associated with around a 20% increase in death during the study. A lack of positive social relationships added a 5% increased risk of death.
While adopting all eight factors by age 40 is ideal, adopting even one—or a few—at any point in life helps, researchers say. A 60-year-old with all eight healthy habits could expect to see just under 20 years’ gain, and an 80-year-old around 10 years. A 40-year-old with just four of the healthy habits saw about a 10-year increase in life expectancy and an 80-year-old around five years.
“The earlier the better, but even if you only make a small change in your forties, fifties, or sixties, it is still beneficial,” Nguyen says.
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