While living forever is a fantasy, healthy lifestyle choices are still ours to be had to optimize our aging so that we can enjoy the most out of our years. In that regards, researchers from Japan’s Osaka University published their study in Age and Ageing their findings on lifestyle habits effect on longevity.

Study analyzed data from The Japan Collaborate Cohort (JACC) Study from 1988 to 1990 and continued to 2009 of 49,021 people in 45 locations in Japan. The original study was to learn about variables that increased the risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease. Naturally, the study surveyed information about diet, exercise, alcohol use, smoking status, sleep, and BMI. By December 2009, 8,988 individuals had died.

They found the most impactful lifestyle choices people can add to their life were reducing alcohol intake, not smoking, losing weight and a healthy BMI (21-25 kg/m2), and adding sleep hours (5.5-7.4 hrs/night). For those middle aged at the age of 40, those changes added an estimated additional 6 years in longevity.

They also found that the effects of these changes were even more prominent at the age of 80 years or more, especially for men. Furthermore, the benefits of these lifestyle changes were also more pronounced in those who had a major comorbidities such as cardiovascular disease, hypertension, cancer, diabetes mellitus, etc.

This is empowering news because while we cannot change our genetics or the fact that we’ll all develop chronic illness and die someday, our daily choices is still in our hands and can impact the quality and quantity of life simultaneously. It just comes to show that while one is young and healthy, making these changes at this time will pay dividends down the road as we get older. Additionally, it is always never too late to lifestyle changes to optimize what we have now no matter what our current state is.

R Sakaniwa et al. Impact of modifiable healthy lifestyle adoption on lifetime gain from middle to older age. Age and Ageing. DOI: 10.1093/ageing/afac080