healthy eating and exercise saves men 24 years to live, 21 years for women

We suspect that a healthy lifestyle allows for healthy aging, but the study presented on Monday, July 24, and involving 700,000 American veterans, allows us to quantify the impact of certain good habits on life expectancy.

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Thus, by the age of 40, the effects of the following eight (good) habits seem to be particularly beneficial. It is therefore recommended to be physically active, not to have an opiate addiction, not to smoke, to manage stress, to follow a good diet, not to drink too much alcohol, to get enough sleep and to have positive social relationships. The accumulation of these habits can therefore save you 24 years of life more for men and 21 years more life for women, compared to people who do not have any of these habits.

First of all, practice!

And if we had to choose only three good habits instead of eight, quitting smoking, not using opioids and doing a minimum of physical activity are the ones that have the greatest impact on life span. Then, it is the fact of sleeping well, eating a balanced diet and not drinking too much alcohol, which can further reduce the risk of death. Here, the study measured the impact of healthy living from age 40, but the authors point out that these changes are obviously beneficial if they occur later.

It is known that sport improves health, scientists continue to discover new benefits and in particular to fight diabetes, even if there are familial predispositions. In fact, practicing 68 minutes of moderate or intense physical activity a day reduces the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 74%, even in the case of a favorable genetic background. This is another study from the University of Sydney that recently proved this.

According to the WHO, a quarter of the world’s population is not active enough… Five million premature deaths could be avoided if we moved more. And in general, 7,000 steps a day is enough to increase your life expectancy.