- New research details healthy lifestyle factors that may extend your life.
- People with a genetic risk of early death can extend their life by up to 5.5 years.
- Doctors say lifestyle factors can make a big impact on your overall longevity.
We may not all live to 100, but we can still work towards a long and fruitful life. For those with genetic risks of dying early, adopting certain healthy habits is key—but figuring out exactly where to start can feel daunting. Now, a new study finds that by simply adjusting your daily habits, you may add up to 5.5 years to your life.
The study, published in BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine, analyzed data from more than 350,000 people over an average of 13 years, with researchers looking at information about their genetics, socioeconomic status, education, and history of disease. Each person was given a polygenetic score, which sums up genes that can impact lifespan, along with a score based on their lifestyle habits.
As a whole, the researchers found that everyone was 78% more likely to die early if they followed an “unhealthy” lifestyle. People who had a genetic risk of dying younger and followed an unhealthy lifestyle were twice as likely to die early compared to people with no genetic risk of dying early and a healthy lifestyle.
Ultimately, the researchers found that people with a genetic risk of dying early could live up to 5.5 years longer if they followed a “healthy” lifestyle (more on that later). “The optimal combination of healthy lifestyles could convey better benefits for a longer lifespan, regardless of genetic background,” the researchers concluded.
These are the factors that scientists found made a difference, plus what doctors recommend to live a healthy, long life.
Healthy habits that could add years to your life
The study looked at six lifestyle factors in each person: Their smoking status, physical activity level, diet, how much alcohol they drank, body shape, and sleep habits. It’s important to point out that the study was observational. And, as a result, the researchers can only say that there is a link between certain factors and a longer life, versus these factors actually causing someone to live longer.
But overall, researchers discovered that these four elements had the biggest impact on longevity:
- Smoking. Those who didn’t smoke or never smoked had a lower risk of premature death than people who currently smoked.
- Physical activity. People with the lowest risk met the recommended Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, which suggests adults get in at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity and two days of strength training a week.
- Sleep. People who fared the best logged seven to eight hours of sleep a night.
- Diet. Eating a healthy diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables was linked with a lower risk of premature death. People with the lowest risk also had no more than one alcoholic drink a day for women and two drinks a day for men, per recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
What doctors recommend to help you live longer
Doctors say the findings from the latest study offer good advice for people to follow—and stress that you can take ownership of your health. “This new study adds to the growing evidence that our genes are not our destiny,” says Kristi Artz, M.D., a lifestyle medicine practitioner at Corewell Health.
Alfred F. Tallia, M.D., M.P.H., professor and chair of family medicine and community health at the Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, agrees. “These findings confirm what we have known from individual studies about each of the behaviors examined,” he says. “It makes total sense that the constellation of good behaviors would yield a positive effect on longevity.”
Getting regular, quality sleep as well as following a consistent exercise plan can be helpful, says Robert Glatter, M.D., an ER physician at Northwell Lenox Hill Hospital. “The importance of exercise in maintaining and improving not only cardiovascular health but brain health is vital in improving health and longevity,” he says.
On the diet front, it’s a good idea to fill your plate with mostly vegetables, says Ora Karp Gordon, M.D., regional director of clinical genetics and genomics for Providence Southern California and Professor of Genetics at Saint John’s Cancer Institute in Santa Monica, CA. “A quarter of your plate should be animal protein, ideally fish, and the rest vegetables or multigrain,” she says. “A predominantly plant-based diet, if you can strive to achieve that, is best.”
Body weight and alcohol use are “very powerful modifiers of risk” when it comes to hormone-based cancers, Dr. Gordon says, which is why she recommends staying under the recommended daily alcohol intake if you can.
Getting regular movement in your life through daily walks is also “ideal,” Dr. Glatter says, noting that you can see heart health benefits in as little as 5,000 steps a day (even try reaping the perks of walking a mile a day).
It’s helpful to do what you can to minimize stress, too, says Kimberly Prado D.N.P., clinical associate professor in the Division of Advanced Nursing Practice at Rutgers University, the State University of New Jersey. “Stress can play a significant role in the development of disease,” she says. “Stress causes blood pressure to rise. Cortisol levels increase in response to physical and emotional stress, causing vasoconstriction and subsequent increased blood pressure.” When you’re constantly stressed out, it raises your risk of building up excess fat in your body and even developing type 2 diabetes, among other things, she says.
That’s why Prado recommends doing your best to lower your stress levels through tools like meditation, having positive social connections, exercising, and following an anti-inflammatory diet. “There is a tremendous amount we can do to prevent [illness] and stay healthy,” she says.
Korin Miller is a freelance writer specializing in general wellness, sexual health and relationships, and lifestyle trends, with work appearing in Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Self, Glamour, and more. She has a master’s degree from American University, lives by the beach, and hopes to own a teacup pig and taco truck one day.
