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New research details healthy lifestyle factors that may extend lifespan.
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People with a genetic risk of early death can extend their lifespan by up to 5.5 years.
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Doctors say lifestyle factors can have a big impact on overall longevity.
We won't all live to be 100 years old, but we can all strive for a long and rewarding life. Adopting certain healthy habits is important for people with a genetic risk of dying prematurely, but knowing exactly where to start can be daunting. Now, new research shows that just adjusting your daily habits can add up to 5.5 years to your lifespan.
This research BMJ Evidence-based medicineIn , researchers analyzed data on more than 350,000 people over an average of 13 years, looking at information about their genetics, socioeconomic status, education, and disease history. Each person was given a polygenic score, which sums up genes that can influence longevity, and a score based on lifestyle habits.
Overall, researchers found that everyone was 78% more likely to die early if they followed an “unhealthy” lifestyle.People with a genetic risk of dying young and People with unhealthy lifestyles were twice as likely to die prematurely compared to those with a healthy lifestyle and no genetic risk for dying prematurely.
Ultimately, researchers found that people with a genetic risk of dying prematurely could live up to 5.5 years longer if they followed a “healthy” lifestyle (more on that below). The researchers concluded that “an optimal combination of healthy lifestyles may have a positive effect on extending lifespan, regardless of genetic background.”
These are the factors that scientists have found to make a difference, plus what doctors recommend to help you live a longer, healthier life.
Healthy habits that may extend your lifespan
The study looked at six lifestyle factors: smoking status, physical activity level, diet, alcohol consumption, body shape, and sleep habits. It is important to point out that this study is observational. As a result, researchers can only say that there is a link between certain factors and longevity, or that these factors actually cause longevity.
But overall, researchers found that four factors had the greatest impact on longevity:
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smoking. People who never smoked or had never smoked had a lower risk of early death than current smokers.
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physical activity. Those at lowest risk met the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, which recommend that adults do at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity and strength training two days a week.
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sleep. The person who achieved the best results had 7-8 hours of sleep per night.
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diet. Eating a healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables was associated with a lower risk of early death. According to recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), those at the lowest risk consumed up to one alcoholic beverage per day for women and two drinks per day for men.
What doctors recommend to live longer
Doctors say the latest research provides good advice for people to follow and emphasizes that people are in control of their own health. “This new study adds to the evidence that our genes are not our destiny,” says Christy Aerts, M.D., lifestyle medicine expert at Corewell Health.
Alfred F. Thalia, MD, MPH, professor and chair of the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, agrees. “These findings confirm what we know from separate studies of each behavior investigated,” he says. “It makes a lot of sense that a series of good behaviors would have a positive effect on longevity.”
Dr. Robert Glatter, an ER physician at Northwell Lenox Hill Hospital, says getting regular, high-quality sleep and following a consistent exercise plan can help. “The importance of exercise in maintaining and improving cardiovascular health as well as brain health is essential to improving health and longevity,” he says.
When it comes to your diet, it's best to fill your plate with a focus on vegetables, says Dr. McConlogue, regional director of Southern California Providence Clinical Genetics and Genomics and a professor of genetics at St. John's Cancer Institute in Santa Monica, California. Professor Ola Karp Gordon, MD. “A quarter of your plate should be animal protein, ideally fish, and the rest should be vegetables or grains,” she says. “A primarily plant-based diet is best if you can make the effort to achieve that.”
Dr. Gordon says weight and alcohol intake are “very strong modifiers of risk” when it comes to hormone-based cancers, so she recommends keeping your daily alcohol intake below the recommended amount if possible. said.
Incorporating regular movement into your life through daily walks is also “ideal,” Dr. Glatter says, noting that even just 5,000 steps a day can show heart health benefits (walking 1 mile a day). (You may want to take advantage of the benefits available.)
Doing what you can to minimize stress can also be helpful, says Kimberly Prado, DNP, clinical associate professor in the Department of Advanced Nursing Practice at Rutgers University of New Jersey. “Stress can play an important role in the development of disease,” she says. “Stress increases blood pressure. Cortisol levels increase in response to physical and mental stress, causing vasoconstriction and a subsequent increase in blood pressure.” Constant stress can lead to excess fat in your body. This can lead to an increase in the risk of developing diseases such as type 2 diabetes, she says.
That's why Prado recommends doing your best to lower your stress levels through tools like meditation, positive social connections, exercise, and an anti-inflammatory diet. He said: “There are many things we can do to prevent it. [illness] And stay healthy,” she says.
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