Our lifespan is significantly influenced by our daily habits and behavior.  The journal, Health Affairs, recently published a study stating three easy lifestyle traits which may increase your lifespan by 11 years.

Data was collected on 14,000 people over the age of 50.  Researchers studied participants' smoking habits, drinking habits, and their weight, then broke them down into two categories－high risk and low risk.  Those that drank more than 14 alcoholic beverages in a week and also smoked who were men and had a BMI (Body Mass Index) of 30 or more were categorized as High Risk.  The second category consisted of men 50 or older who rarely smoked which means less than 100 cigarettes thus far in their life, as well as drank 14 or fewer alcoholic drinks per week, with a BMI of under 30 were thought of as Low Risk.

The study found that those in the low risk would most likely be alive 11 more years than their counterparts.  

The three keys are the following: very little smoke over the course of a lifetime. moderate drinking throughout the week, and keeping your body mass level down.  Not only will these three lifestyle choices give you a longer life, these will also help you live with less pain and disability or physical mobility.  

The definition of a disability in this study was determined by a person having limits to any one of these five actions: walking, bathing, getting dressed, eating, and getting in and out of bed.

The study author Mikko Myrskylä, PhD said: “The years we gain through a healthy lifestyle are years in good health.”

If you’ve had a past puffing on cigarettes but quit at least 10 years ago, Myrskylä and his team found overall and disability-free life expectancies that were only one year shorter than never-smokers with the same other criteria.

The study didn’t gauge the effect of weight loss for those in the High Risk category; however, previous studies state reducing the length of time a person is obese can improve his health incomes.  Facts show that if you are obese, simply shedding five percent of your body weight lessens the probability of developing diabetes or heart disease. 

Photo by: bykst via Pixabay