How Much Does a Healthier Life Increase Life Expectancy?

This week is about life expectancy and the results of a recent study on how to possibly extend it. Looking at lifestyle’s impact on mortality, here are the criteria researchers applied (1).

• Smoking: never smoked
• BMI: 18.5–24.9
• Exercise: at least 30 minutes daily of moderate to vigorous physical activity which included brisk walking
• Healthy diet: high diet quality score (upper 40%) of the Alternate Healthy Eating Index
• Moderate daily alcohol intake: one drink or less for women, two or less for men

Individuals were given one point for each factor if they complied, 0 if they did not, so every person had a score between 0 and 5. The researchers then calculated predicted life expectancy for each score.

Here’s what they determined. Comparing those who had perfect 5s on their lifestyle score with those who had 0, women who were 50 years old were projected to live an average of 43 more years while men were projected to live another 37 years. For the subjects who scored 0 on the lifestyle score, the women were projected to live another 29 years while the men had another 25.5 years. That’s an additional 14 and 12 years respectively.

This was not all in or all out; the higher the lifestyle score, the longer someone was projected to live. I think it’s important to know that you don’t have to do it all at once. No matter what your current age, one significant change may help you live longer.

On Saturday I’ll wrap up this look at lifestyle and life expectancy.

What are you prepared to do today?

Dr. Chet

 

Reference: https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.117.032047.