Add An Extra 7 Years To Your Life By Doing These 3 Things

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These three tips for a longer lifespan may be “no-brainers” but the human population tends to be stubborn unless facts are thrown in their faces. According to Neil Mehta and Mikko Myrskylä, the behavior profile of up to 80% of people shows a tendency towards shorter lifespans due to three things: cigarette smoking, excessive alcohol drinking, and obesity. Furthermore, the absence of these three things led to seven additional years of life — years that are free of disability or illness.

Mehta and Myrskylä’s study was published in 2017 and included more than 14,000 Americans aged 50 to 89 who answered surveys about their health and lifestyle every two years. The data gathered and analyzed from the population showed that life expectancy was at 77.7 years for men and 81.4 years for women. The result that was of importance was that people who didn’t smoke and had a body mass index less than 30 (30 and higher is considered obese) lived four to five years longer than the rest of the population. On top of an extended lifespan, those extra years leaned towards good health, with fewer reports of disabilities and improved activities of daily living. [1]

The researchers from the University of Michigan and the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research in Germany also found that moderate drinkers, or men who drank less than 14 drinks a week and women who drank less than seven drinks a week, extended their lifespan by a total of seven years more. Like the extended years seen among non-smokers and non-obese members of the population, these extra seven years were of good health and less disability compared to the rest of the population. [1]

The study’s results are simple: low-risk behavior leads to longer, better quality lives. Taking into account the three most common risk factors of obesity, smoking, and excessive alcohol consumption, human lives are persistently getting shorter (not to mention the poor quality of life) because of risky behavior. In fact, each risk factor was independently linked to early onset disability, related to walking, dressing, bathing, getting in and out of bed, and eating alone.

Here are some of the results pertaining to obesity: obese men became disabeld at 64.9 years, obese women at 63 years; non-obese men became disabled at 67 years, women at 69 years. The numbers do not lie.

The answer is simple: Healthier lifestyle choices, especially when it comes to vices and our weight. Don’t smoke, don’t drink too much alcohol, and maintain a healthier weight by proper diet and exercise. Other researchers have examined the population had very similar results. Montez and Hayward found that the most advantageous members of the population, those with good childhood health, no socioeconomic diversity, high educational attainment, had great life expectancies of 82 years for men and 86 years for women.  The role of behavioral change is very important and could literally mean the difference between living an extra decade (years that are healthy and productive) or dying a decade earlier.