These 8 habits could add up to 24 years to your life: study

Apparently there’s eight simple rules to add years to your life.

Adopting some simple, healthy habits by middle age will pay dividends in the future, according to a new study presented at the American Society for Nutrition’s annual meeting on Monday.

Researchers studied data collected from more than 700,000 US veterans, observing how their life expectancy shifted based on the number of healthy habits they adopted.

They found, on average, embracing these habits increased males’ lifespans by 24 years and women’s by 21 years.

“We were really surprised by just how much could be gained with the adoption of one, two, three, or all eight lifestyle factors,” Xuan-Mai T. Nguyen, health science specialist at the Department of Veterans Affairs and rising fourth-year medical student at Carle Illinois College of Medicine, said in a news release.

Having a good diet helps prolong the average lifespan, the study found. Getty Images/iStockphoto

Avoiding binge drinking was also on the list of eight habits.Getty Images

Adopting healthier habits by middle age will extend lifespan, the research found.AFP via Getty Images

“Our research findings suggest that adopting a healthy lifestyle is important for both public health and personal wellness,” Nyugen continued. “The earlier the better, but even if you only make a small change in your 40s, 50s, or 60s, it still is beneficial.”

The habits include:

Being physically activeBeing free from opioid addictionNot smokingManaging stressHaving a good dietNot regularly binge drinkingHaving good sleep hygieneHaving positive social relationships

Researchers used data from medical records and questionnaires collected from 719,147 people aged between 40 and 99 years old and enrolled in the Veterans Affairs Million Veteran Program between 2011 and 2019.

The common factors contributing to shorter lifespan included low exercise, opioid use and smoking. Scientists noted these factors were associated with around a 30% to 45% higher risk of death during the study period.

Stress, binge drinking, poor diet and poor sleep hygiene were each associated with around a 20% increase in the risk of death, and a lack of positive social relationships was associated with a 5% increased risk of death.

It’s never too late to make the changes too, Nguyen noted, adding although that “the earlier the better.”

“But even if you only make a small change in your 40s, 50s or 60s, it still is beneficial,” Nguyen said. “It is never too late to adopt a healthy lifestyle.”

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