Who says back to school, says new page to write with a whole bunch of good resolutions to take – and to keep – to approach this new year as it should be. For the first time, science could give you a boost to achieve this in the long term… A recent study lifts the veil on the good habits and reflexes to adopt on a daily basis to live longer, and even gain more than two decades of existence. additional.
Many start-ups and laboratories are investing millions in an attempt to find the miracle solution that will slow down aging and increase life expectancy. We speak in particular of cellular reprogramming, or in any case of drugs targeting cellular mechanisms. But while waiting to find out who will win this frantic race for eternal life, if not simply a longer life, a scientific study highlights simple but effective actions to be taken at any age to gain an average of twenty years of existence. And all you need to do is adopt a healthy lifestyle, punctuated by a good diet, a tobacco-free daily life, or good stress management.
Live to be 24 years older for men
Presented as part of Nutrition 2023, the annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition organized at the end of July, the study is based on data from 719,147 people registered in the Million Veteran Program, a vast survey bringing together medical and genetic information from over one million American veterans. The researchers point out that the analysis focused more specifically on adults aged 40 to 99, and observed 33,375 deaths during follow-up.
At the end of this research, the observation seems clear: the integration of eight healthy habits into one’s daily life, and this at the latest at the age of 40, would make it possible to live an average of 24 years longer in men. , and 21 years for women, compared to those who had adopted none. Interesting fact: it is never too late to embrace a healthy lifestyle, the estimated gain in life expectancy decreasing significantly with age, but still remaining significant.
A long known secret
But then, what should be done to hope to live longer? Nothing exceptional according to the conclusions of the scientists. It would be about being physically active, not smoking, managing stress well, having a good diet, as well as good sleep hygiene, not regularly consuming excessive alcohol, to be non-dependent on opioids, and to maintain positive social relationships.
In other words, all you need to do is put in place all the actions and habits recommended by national and international health authorities, including the World Health Organization (WHO), in order to maintain good physical and mental health. If the nature of these habits did not surprise the researchers, the estimated gain in life expectancy seems to him well beyond what they imagined before starting this large-scale study.
“We were really surprised to observe how much could be gained by adopting one, two, three or these eight lifestyle habits. Our research results suggest that adopting a healthy lifestyle is important in the times for public health and personal well-being. The earlier you start, the better, but even if you only make a small change in your 40s, 50s or 60s, it is still beneficial.” explains Xuan-Mai T. Nguyen, lead author of the study, in a statement.
Priority to smoking cessation and the practice of a sport
If it’s not easy to completely change your lifestyle, it may seem easier to take it step by step. In view of the study, it is then necessary to give priority to certain habits. This work shows that a low level of physical activity, smoking, and the use of opioids have a greater impact on life expectancy than other factors, namely a 30% to 45% risk of death. superior. This is followed by stress, excessive alcohol consumption, poor diet, and poor sleep hygiene, which are responsible for a 20% increase in the risk of death, then the absence or scarcity of positive social relationships ( +5% risk of death).
Although this is the first study reporting such a gain in life expectancy through the adoption of eight healthy habits, many have already highlighted the impact of stress, diet , smoking, or physical activity on health. A vast study carried out among more than 200,000 people recently revealed that taking 4,000 steps daily could be enough to reduce the risk of death, by combating a sedentary lifestyle, while another survey established a link between junk food and poor quality of sleep, in more of its effects on cardiovascular health and diabetes. This new research confirms how adopting a healthy lifestyle can be beneficial for health and well-being, and allow you to act at the root of the problem instead of having to treat it. the results.
Slide: 16 tips to prevent cardiovascular disease