Scientists named eight habits that can increase life expectancy by 24 years

 In the US, researchers have called exercise an effective way to prolong life.

As CNN reports, American researchers talked about healthy habits that can extend life for almost a quarter of a century, UAINFO.org informs.

Scientists have named the eight most effective habits for prolonging life, according to the results of the Million Veteran Program study presented at NUTRITION 2023, the flagship annual meeting of the American Nutrition Society.

Nearly 720,000 war veterans aged 40 to 99 took part in the study. Experts studied the lifestyle of each of the participants and found out which habits have a positive effect on life expectancy. According to their data, implementing these eight habits will extend the life of 24 years for those who have already turned 40, 21 years for those older than 50, and 18 years for people over 60.

The most effective way to prolong life is physical exercise. According to Xuan Mai Nguyen, the lead author of the study, the life expectancy of people who exercise regularly and a lot increases by 46 percent compared to those who do not do sports.

Second on the list in terms of life expectancy were the study participants who did not have an addiction to opioids - both powerful painkillers prescribed by a doctor and prohibited narcotic substances. According to the study, regular use of opioids reduces life expectancy by 34 percent. The so-called opioid crisis is now a public health emergency in the United States.

Quitting smoking also helps increase life expectancy. Experts note that people who do not smoke live longer than smokers by an average of 29 percent. They added that giving up this bad habit at any age brings great health benefits.

The researchers called the fourth way to live longer a stress-free life. According to scientists, today many residents of the United States suffer from stress, which negatively affects their health. However, according to them, each person can change his attitude to situations that cause internal tension and turn "bad" stress into "good". A stress-free life can increase life expectancy by 22 percent.

Another healthy habit, according to the results of the study, is a mainly plant-based diet. Such a diet consists mainly of plant products: vegetables, cereals, nuts and seeds, as well as legumes and fruits. Nguyen emphasized that such a diet does not involve a complete rejection of animal products. People who follow this diet live 21 percent longer.

Avoiding excessive alcohol consumption also has a beneficial effect on life expectancy. According to Nguyen, people who do not drink alcoholic beverages on a regular basis live 19 percent longer than those who regularly drink alcohol.

The researchers called a long sleep - at least seven hours a day - the seventh useful habit. Research has shown that a good night's sleep increases life expectancy by 18%.

Scientists also found that people who surround themselves with loved ones live five percent longer than those who are regularly alone. According to experts, social isolation, especially among the elderly, is becoming an increasingly common problem.