4 Healthy Lifestyle Habits for Longevity
Study Shows Healthy, Anti-Aging Behaviors Extend Life by 14 Years
May 29, 2009
Healthy lifestyle and eating habits may seem like a chore, but they can have a lasting impact on health and lifespan. A British study released in early 2008 reveals that people who have just four regular, healthy habits prolong their longevity by an average of 14 years.
How to Live Longer: 4 Habits Add Average 14 Years to Life
Interested in health and longevity? A study conducted by the University of Cambridge and Norfolk County's Medical Research Council shows that 4 regular habits can add years to your life.
The study was conducted between 1993 and 2006, and examined over 20,200 men and women over an 11 year period. At the start of the study, participants had no known health conditions and were between the ages of 45 and 79 years old.
Every person involved in the study was given up to four "points" for the following four lifestyle habits:
- not smoking;
- drinking less than 14 units of alcohol per week (where 1 unit is equal to half a glass of wine, i.e. no more than the equivalent of 7 glasses of wine each week);
- an active job or a half hour of physical activity each day; and
- blood vitamin C levels that correspond to 5 daily servings of fruits and vegetables.
Longevity and Health Depend on Small, Consistent Changes
At the end of the eleven year study period, nearly 2,000 of the participants had died. Participants with all four healthy behaviors were far less likely to die than those who smoked, drank excessively, and didn't exercise or eat a healthy diet – people with "four points" or all four healthy habits died only one quarter as often as those with none. And having some of the habits was better than none in terms of longevity and life expectancy.
The results of the four healthy habits were especially apparent when the "points" were compared against the rates of cadiovascular disease and cancer. BBC News reports that subjects with none of the habits were five times as likely to die of cardiovascular disease as those with all four habits – and that patients who developed serious conditions were more likely to live longer if they scored more healthy lifestyle points.
Weight, Social Class Not as Significant as These 4 Health Habits
Other factors like weight and social class were considered in the study's findings, but there was no apparent correlation between longevity and being either overweight or poor, so long as the subjects were keeping up the four key lifestyle habits. Dr. Khaw says, "We also found that social class and BMI - body mass index - really did not have a role to play."
What's more, the study found these four behaviors "equivalent to being 14 years younger," writes Kay-Tee Khaw, Ph.D. of the University of Cambridge, who led the study. "We've known that individually, measures such as not smoking and exercising can have an impact upon longevity, but this is the first time we have looked at them altogether…. It means a large proportion of the population really could feel health benefits through moderate changes."
Sources
- BBC, "Healthy living 'can add 14 years'," BBC.co.uk, 8 January 2008.
- Hitti, Miranda, "4 Steps to Living 14 Years Longer," MedicineNet.com, 8 January 2008.
- Weil, Andrew, "Four Healthy Behaviors Add 14 Years," DrWeil.com, 29 May 2009.
