Lifespan up with adoption of four healthy lifestyle behaviors

(HealthDay)—Adoption of four healthy lifestyle behaviors is associated with increased lifespan for men and women, according to a study published online May 31 in the Journal of Internal Medicine.

Susanna C. Larsson, Ph.D., from the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, and colleagues examined differences in survival times associated with a healthy versus a less healthy lifestyle in a study involving 33,454 men and 30,639 women aged 45 to 83 years, free of cancer and cardiovascular disease at baseline. Healthy lifestyle factors included nonsmoking, physical activity (at least 150 minutes/week), alcohol consumption (0 to 14 drinks/week), and healthy diet, with a modified Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension Diet score above median.

Based on linkage to the Swedish Cause of Death Register, the researchers identified 8,630 deaths among men and 6,730 deaths among women during follow-up from 1998 to 2014. There was an inverse correlation for each of the four healthy lifestyle factors with all-cause mortality and increased survival time. For individuals with all four healthy behaviors, the multivariable hazard ratios for all-cause mortality were 0.47 and 0.39 in men and women, respectively, compared to individuals with no or one healthy lifestyle factor. This corresponded to a difference in survival time of 4.1 and 4.9 years in men and women.

"This finding underscores the importance of adopting and maintaining healthy lifestyle behaviors for increased lifespan," the authors write.