The importance of a healthy lifestyle cannot be overstated. A new study by Harvard University in the United States shows that for adults, maintaining 5 key healthy habits is the key to extending lifespan by 10 years or more.
These 5 habits, referred to by researchers as "low-risk lifestyle factors," include adhering to a healthy diet, engaging in regular moderate-to-high intensity exercise for 30 minutes or more daily, maintaining a healthy weight (with a body mass index between 18.5 and 24.9), not smoking, and avoiding excessive drinking.
Researchers from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health published a related paper in the latest issue of the American journal Circulation, stating that the above 5 healthy habits are crucial for significantly extending life expectancy. Even adopting just one of them can significantly reduce the risk of premature death. Maximizing the benefits of lifespan extension requires maintaining all 5 aspects well.
Statistics show that adults who adopt all 5 healthy habits can extend their lifespan by up to 14 years for women and 12 years for men.
The study analyzed data from two large-scale surveys, involving a 34-year follow-up of approximately 79,000 American women and a 27-year follow-up of about 44,000 American men.
Compared with adults with the unhealthiest lifestyles (who adopted none of the 5 healthy habits), those with the healthiest lifestyles (who adopted all 5 healthy habits) had an 82% lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, a 65% lower risk of dying from cancer, and an overall 74% lower risk of death during the follow-up period.