Experts advise exercising for 30 minutes each day and abstaining from smoking or excessive drinking can significantly extend life without chronic health conditions. Getty Images
● According to researchers, healthy lifestyle habits could add up to a decade of life expectancy.
● Researchers identified five lifestyle factors that are important. These include diet, exercise, and maintaining a healthy body weight.
● According to experts, the two things you should avoid most are smoking and obesity or being overweight.
All of us strive to maintain health and live long, fulfilling lives. A recent study concluded that lifestyle factors can improve your chances of living to an older age with no chronic health problems.
Research has shown that lifestyle choices such as drinking, smoking, physical exercise, weight control, and eating habits can affect our life expectancy and the likelihood of developing chronic diseases. Few studies have examined how these factors work together to promote a healthy life span.
“The researchers conducted this research to explore whether eating healthily combined with regular physical exercise could extend life expectancy. Not just the life expectancy, but also the life expectancy without chronic diseases such as diabetes, cancer, or cardiovascular disease.” Dr. Frank Hu, MPH, is a professor and lead author of the study at Harvard T.H. Healthline spoke with Frank Hu, MPH, a professor at the Harvard T.H.
He said, “Because not only are we looking at the life expectancy but also the health span, This means that there will be more years without chronic diseases.”
5 important health factors
Researchers analyzed data collected from approximately 73,000 female registered nurses in the United States from the Nursing Health Study. They also examined data collected from nearly 40,000 male health care professionals in the United States from the Follow-Up Study for Health Professionals. Participants in the study did not have diabetes, heart disease, or cancer when they enrolled.
Participants in the study were regularly assessed for new cancer diagnoses, deaths due to cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes over a period of more than 20 years. Researchers accounted for factors such as age, ethnicity, family medical history, and others.
Low-risk lifestyle factors that were used to calculate the score for a healthy lifestyle included:
● Never Smoke
● At least 30 minutes daily of physical activity
● moderate alcohol intake
● Maintaining a moderate weight (defined by a BMI below 25)
● A good diet
The final score for a low-risk lifestyle ranged from 0-5. A higher score indicates a healthier lifestyle. Dr. Katrina Miller Parrish is the chief information and quality executive of L.A. Care Health Plan.
Parrish, a healthline contributor, said: “A healthy lifestyle, with low-impact, tolerable exercise, a well-balanced diet, hydration, and an appropriate amount of sleep, can help maintain a positive outlook on life and a physical state.”
Increase your healthy life expectancy.
Women who did not follow any low-risk lifestyle factors at age 50 lived 24 years without cancer, heart disease, or diabetes. Women who adopt four or five factors can expect to live for 34 years. Men aged 50 who did not follow a low-risk lifestyle had a life expectancy of 24 years.
Men who have four or five healthy habits can expect to live an average of 31 years. Parrish explained that “while hypertension is the leading cause of death in the world, lifestyle changes such as better eating habits and exercising can have a varying impact on this diagnosis, especially depending on the regimen and the adherence to it.”
Diet is key.
One of the most important factors in a healthy lifestyle is to eat carefully. Healthline reported that Shelley Wood, MPH, RDN, is a clinician at the Santa Clara Valley Medical Centre, California. Wood says that these foods are all plant-based, including whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.
Furthermore, it has been proven that legumes such as lentils, beans, and peas can lower the risk of heart disease, high cholesterol levels, and high blood tension.
Wood advises those who want to maintain heart health and function that they should avoid foods high in sodium, sugar, saturated fat, and refined carbohydrates.
It’s important to avoid foods high in cholesterol. She said that if you are considering eating a high-sugar, high-salt, or high-fat food, it is best to avoid it.
Wood says that the single most important way to reduce diabetes risk is to optimize caloric intake and reach or maintain a healthy weight and waist size into middle age. This includes regular physical activity as well as avoiding smoking.
Effects of smoking and obesity
The study found that men who smoke heavily (defined as 15 cigarettes or more per day) and men and women with obesity (defined by a BMI of 30 or greater) have the lowest chances of living a disease-free 50 years.
“We examined five lifestyle factors, including a healthy eating pattern, maintaining a healthy weight, not over drinking, not smoking, and being physically fit. All of them are important. Smokers, however, should stop smoking, as it is the most important step. Hu says that obese people should lose weight to maintain a healthy weight.Parrish also agrees with the importance of not smoking.
This study shows that the single best thing anyone can do to reduce their risk of death and disease is to quit smoking. The effects appear to be greater as an ‘ever smoker’ continues to quit smoking, Parrish explained.
She added that the risk for heart disease and lung carcinoma drops in the first one to ten years following quitting smoking. By 15 years, the risk is similar to that of a non-smoker.
The bottom line
Five lifestyle factors can significantly extend the number of years that you can live without chronic illness.
Participants were tracked for over 20 years. The healthy life expectancy of those who adopted four or five healthy lifestyle choices after 50 increased significantly. Experts say that maintaining a healthy weight and not smoking are the two most important factors.
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