[PLACEHOLDER TOPIC — swap for a real pick] Five healthy habits were linked to over a decade of extra disease-free life
Published Apr 30, 2018
Methods
Researchers followed 78,865 women in the Nurses' Health Study (up to 34 years) and 44,354 men in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (up to 27 years), scoring each person on five low-risk lifestyle factors measured periodically throughout the study: never smoking, a healthy body weight, at least 30 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity a day, moderate alcohol intake, and a high-quality diet.
Findings
Adults who maintained all five low-risk habits at age 50 lived, on average, about 14 more years (women) or 12 more years (men) free of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes, compared with adults who maintained none of them.
Caveats & Context
This is a cohort study — it shows a strong association between combined healthy habits and longer disease-free life, not a controlled test of any single factor. The two cohorts were mostly white US nurses and health professionals, so the exact numbers may not generalize to more diverse populations. Lifestyle factors were self-reported.
Impact of Healthy Lifestyle Factors on Life Expectancies in the US Population
Circulation · doi.org/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.117.032047