HEALTHY HABITS CAN
LENGTHEN YOUR LIFE
Have you heard the advice to exercise, choose a healthy
diet, keep a lean weight, never smoke, and limit alcohol?
40 Healthy Living | Summer Issue | 2018
Researchers wanted to find out whether people who
follow this advice live longer than those who don’t. So,
they compared lifespan and other data from thousands
of adults with all five of these healthy habits to those
without.
People in the healthy habits group got at least 30
minutes of exercise each day. They ate the recommended
amounts of fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains, and
healthy fats. And they limited salt, sugary drinks, trans
fat, and red and processed meats. They also limited alcohol.
Women had no more than one drink each day and
men no more than two drinks. They also maintained a
normal weight and didn’t smoke.
The people in the other group didn’t exercise, have
a healthy diet, or limit drinking. They smoked and were
overweight.
Based on the results, the researchers estimated that
a 50-year-old woman who had all five habits would live,
on average, to age 93. In contrast, if she didn’t have any
of these habits, she would live on average to age 79.
For a 50-year-old man, the average lifespan was
about 88 years old with healthy behaviors and only 76
years without.
“This study underscores the importance of following
healthy lifestyle habits for improving longevity in
the U.S. population,” says Dr.
Frank B. Hu of Harvard T.H.
Chan School of Public Health,
senior author of the study.