By any measure “4 for 5” seems like a pretty a good deal! Doctors say that adopting these four simple habits can add five years to your life!
A new study has found that by adjusting your daily habits in just four simple ways, 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.
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).
While it did not make the “top 4” the researchers also pointed out that it was also important to reduce stress to age-optimally and extend lifespan.
You can review the entire study by clicking here.
