- Exercise
- Being opioid free
- Making sleep a priority
- Managing stress
- Healthy diet
A study of more than 700,000 U.S. military veterans found that people who adopted healthy habits, such as regular exercise, not smoking, and eating a healthy diet, lived an average of 4.5 to 3.5 years longer than those who did not.
The study, which was published in the journal JAMA Network Open, also found that people who adopted two or more healthy habits lived even longer. For example, men who adopted physical activity and not smoking lived an average of seven years longer, while women who adopted those same habits lived an average of eight years longer.
The study’s authors said that the findings suggest that it is never too late to adopt healthy habits. “Even if you start in your 50s or 60s, you can still add years to your life,” said lead author Dr. Thuy Nguyen of the University of California, San Francisco.
The study also found that certain unhealthy habits, such as lack of physical activity, opioid use, and smoking, had a significant impact on lifespan. People who did not engage in regular physical activity had an 30% to 45% increased risk of death, while those who used opioids had a 25% increased risk of death. Smokers had a 20% increased risk of death.
“These findings highlight the importance of adopting healthy habits early in life,” said Nguyen. “But even if you start later, it’s still worth it.”
Here are some additional details from the study:
The study was conducted over a period of 12 years.
The participants were all U.S. military veterans who were ages 40 to 99 at the start of the study.
The researchers used data from the Million Veteran Program, a long-term study that is tracking the health of millions of veterans.
The study found that the benefits of healthy habits were similar for men and women.
The researchers said that the findings could help public health officials develop interventions to promote healthy habits.
