According to a study published in the June 20, 2024 online edition of JAMA Network Open, maintaining healthy habits in later years may help people live longer. Researchers looked at the lifestyles of 5,222 people aged 80 years or older. They then looked at which of the group had reached 100 years of age (centenarians) and which had not. The team ranked each person's lifestyle on a scale of 0 to 6, with higher scores indicating healthier behaviors. The scores were calculated based on habits such as dietary diversity, regular exercise, smoking, alcohol intake, and body mass index (BMI). Participants with scores of 5 to 6 lived the longest on average and were most likely to become centenarians. Participants with scores of 0 to 2 lived the shortest lives.
According to the researchers, three lifestyle habits have the greatest impact on lifespan: diet, exercise, and not smoking. Centenarians eat the most fruits, vegetables, fish, beans, and tea. They also engage in regular exercise, such as running or qigong, and are non-smokers. (Alcohol intake and BMI did not affect whether people live to be 100 years old.)
It's important to note that these results only show associations and don't take into account people's lifestyles when they were younger, but they do suggest that continuing healthy habits into older age may have a life-prolonging effect.
Image: © andreswd/Getty Images
As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content. Please note the date of last review or update on all articles.
No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.
