A major study from Harvard University has found that adopting five healthy habits in adulthood can extend life expectancy by more than a decade. The research, published in the journal Circulation, analysed lifestyle questionnaires and medical records from 123,000 volunteers to determine the impact of diet, weight control, exercise, alcohol consumption, and smoking on lifespan.
Compared with individuals who followed none of the habits, men and women who adhered to all five saw their life expectancy at age 50 rise from 26 to 38 years and 29 to 43 years respectively—an extra 12 years for men and 14 for women. The five habits were defined as not smoking; maintaining a body mass index between 18.5 and 25; taking at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise daily; limiting alcohol to one 150ml glass of wine per day for women or two for men; and eating a diet rich in fruit, vegetables, and whole grains while low in red meat, saturated fats, and sugar.
Professor Meir Stampfer, co-author of the study from the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, described the effect as “huge.” Over the roughly 30-year study period, those with the healthiest lifestyles were 82% less likely to die from heart disease and 65% less likely to die from cancer compared with those with the least healthy lifestyles.
The researchers aimed to understand why the United States, despite spending more on healthcare as a proportion of GDP than any other nation, ranks 31st in the world for life expectancy at birth. Only 8% of the US population followed all five habits, suggesting poor lifestyle is a major factor. Stampfer noted that the findings apply to the UK and much of the western world, where life expectancy figures are similar.
Stampfer acknowledged the difficulty of adopting healthy habits, citing challenges such as smoking cessation, the pervasive marketing of unhealthy food, and urban planning that discourages exercise. He emphasised the importance of both personal responsibility and societal changes to make healthier choices easier, adding that it is never too late to change: “When people do change their ways, we see remarkable benefits.”
