Life expectancy is defined as “the probable number of years remaining in the life of an individual or class of persons determined statistically, affected by such factors as heredity, physical condition, nutrition, and occupation.”1 With that in mind, how would you like to add 10 more years to your life? Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health recently conducted a study that found following these five healthy lifestyle choices may add more than a decade to life expectancy.
Five Healthy Habits That Add 10 Years to Life Expectancy
- Eating a healthy diet
- Exercising regularly
- Keeping a healthy body weight
- Not drinking too much alcohol
- Not smoking
Americans have a shorter average life expectancy — 79.3 years — than almost all other high-income countries. 2 It amazes me that with all of the information available about living a healthy lifestyle, Americans are still losing battles to conditions that can be helped. None of us are perfect, but this provides us with a nice checklist to easily improve our health.
This research study reviewed data from over 120,000 individuals over a 34 year time period. This was a very comprehensive review, which makes the data all the more impressive. The research mentioned you do not have to include all five of the habits to improve life expectancy, but those who did saw the most benefits. Not only can implementing these five habits increase your life expectancy, but:
“Researchers also found that U.S. women and men who maintained the healthiest lifestyles were 82% less likely to die from cardiovascular disease and 65% less likely to die from cancer when compared with those with the least healthy lifestyles over the course of the roughly 30-year study period.”2
I ask that you take another look at these five simple lifestyle choices and make sure to add them to your daily routine. This could be the easiest way to add years to your life and drastically reduce your risk of heart disease and cancer. I wish you all the best, and a long healthy life.
Dr Spencer Charlet
Chiropractic in Mooresville, NC
704-663-7625
1. http://www.dictionary.com/browse/life-expectancy?s=t
2.https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/04/180430075619.htm
