The well-known practices are not a surprise, but their long-lasting effects on health are…

Awaken

recent study contends that a lifestyle based on five healthy habits can potentially extend your life by 10 years or more.

The study, published in the cardiovascular journal Circulation, gathered data compiled over 34 years using a sample of almost 79,000 women and 44,300 men. The findings reveal the substantial life-extending power of five healthy habits that if incorporated into one’s daily routine can have a significant impact on a person’s lifespan.

The five habits are:

  • Regular exercise
  • A healthy diet
  • Drinking only in moderation
  • Not smoking
  • Maintaining a healthy body weight

While the idea that following these healthy lifestyle practices can extend your life span is not exactly shocking news, the study’s findings do reach some original conclusions by connecting those choices to a specific number of years of life added.

According to the study, adhering to all five habits can add 14 years of life expectancy to a woman of 50, compared to females who do not follow these healthy lifestyle practices; for a man it could be up to 12 years.

The study’s participants filled out detailed questionnaires concerning their health and lifestyle choices every two to four years, with researchers focused particularly on adherence to these five habits.

Researchers tracked the group for 34 years. In that time more than 42,000 participants died, with almost 14,000 of those deaths due to cancer and almost 10,700 due to cardiovascular disease.

However, those who stuck to the five healthy habits were 65% less likely to die from cancer and 82% less likely to die from cardiovascular disease than those who didn’t. According to the study, that correlates to more than 10 additional years of life.

Healthy lifestyle choices might seem like an obvious way to live longer. But the dramatic increase in lifespan shown in this study is the latest hard evidence of just how dramatically consistent attention to these kinds of daily habits can pay off.

Source: Considerable