This study found that even though the average life expectancy in Japan is high, individuals could further extend their lives by implementing healthy lifestyle habits. In other words? Small, consistent actions that support our health make a big difference—especially when we build upon them.
How certain healthy habits impact longevity.
During the study, the following modifiable healthy habits were recorded:
- Consumption of fruit
- Consumption of fish
- Consumption of milk
- Body mass index (BMI)
- Habitual exercise
- Smoking status
- Alcohol consumption
- Sleep duration
Researchers found that each modifiable health habit was associated with at least a half-year gain for both men and women, and middle-aged participants that adopted seven or eight of the habits saw a lifetime gain of up to six years! Specifically, men and women that adopted seven to eight habits at 40 had a life expectancy of 86.8 and 91.3, respectively.
A few key habits were found to have the largest impact on life expectancy:
- Maintaining a healthy body composition yielded a lifetime gain of 1.3 years for men and 1.7 years for women.
- Sleeping 5.5 to 7.4 hours a night yielded a lifetime gain of 1.4 years for men and 1.6 years for women.
- Never having smoked yielded a lifetime gain of 3.8 years for men and 3.7 years for women.
- Consuming less than 46 grams of alcohol per day yielded a lifetime gain of 1.9 years for men and 4.9 years for women!
Remember, these habits weren’t adopted at the ripe age of 20—participants increased their healthy habits in middle and older age (40 to 80), showing that it’s never too late to optimize your longevity.
The takeaway.
There are many things we can do to further enhance our well-being and promote longevity—no matter how old we are!
To further optimize your whole-body health through every stage of life, consider taking a high-quality, comprehensive multivitamin that includes longevity-supporting botanicals (like mbg’s ultimate multivitamin+).* Like these modifiable lifestyle habits, daily multivitamin use is also associated with increased longevity!
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