eating healthy and exercising allows men to gain 24 years of life, 21 years for women

We suspect that a healthy lifestyle allows you to age in good health, but the study presented on Monday July 24, and which covers 700,000 American veterans, makes it possible to quantify the impact of certain good habits on life expectancy.

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Thus, from 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 opioid addiction, not to smoke, to manage your stress, to have a good diet, not to drink too much alcohol, enough sleep and positive social relations. The accumulation of these habits can thus save you 24 additional years of life for men and 21 additional years of life for women, compared to people who have none of these habits.

First of all, exercise!

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

It is well known that sport improves health, scientists continue to discover new benefits and in particular to fight against diabetes, even if there are family predispositions. Indeed, practicing 68 minutes of moderate or intense physical activity per day reduces the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 74%, including in the event of a favorable genetic background. That’s another study from the University of Sydney that recently demonstrated it.

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 generally speaking, 7,000 steps a day are enough to increase your life expectancy.