13 scientific facts on how to prolong life
Many people believe that their lifespan is predetermined by genetics. In fact, environmental conditions, daily routine and dietary preferences are of great importance. In order to increase your lifespan, you need to acquire 13 good habits. They have been proven to help you feel healthy and vigorous into old age.
Content:
- Get up from the table feeling mildly hungry
- Include nuts in your diet
- Eat turmeric
- Include plant-based foods in your diet
- Maintain physical activity
- Give up cigarettes
- Limit alcohol consumption
- Learn to live happily
- Learn to avoid stress
- Make new acquaintances
- Develop self-discipline
- Drink tea and coffee
- Sleep at least 8 hours a day
Get up from the table feeling mildly hungry
Overeating is hazardous to health. The more extra kilocalories a person receives, the shorter his life span. Recent studies on animals have shown that for this you need to reduce your daily caloric intake by 10-50% [1].
Scientists became interested in the results of this experiment and decided to study the eating habits of centenarians. They found that the majority of such people consume fewer kilocalories per day compared to the average values for the general population [2], [3].
Eating in moderation will help you avoid gaining excess weight. Visceral fat, which forms in the waist area, is especially dangerous. Such fatty deposits have been proven to be the cause of many diseases. This is another argument in favor of avoiding overeating [4].
However, long-term calorie restriction is dangerous. This can lead to decreased libido, impaired thermoregulation of the body, anemia, and other health problems. You need to eat right, approaching food intake wisely. Hunger strikes, like overeating, are equally dangerous [5].
On the subject: spicy food prolongs life
Include nuts in your diet
Nuts are high-calorie foods. They are a source of protein, dietary fiber, antioxidants, vitamins and trace elements. They are rich in folic acid, magnesium, potassium and other beneficial compounds.
The beneficial effect of nuts on the cardiovascular system has been proven [6]. They help control blood pressure and metabolic processes in the body. They are useful for people suffering from obesity and diabetes [7]. In recent years, information has emerged that nuts inhibit the development of some cancerous tumors.
For example, one study found that nuts reduced the rate of premature death by 39%. To do this, they need to be eaten at least 3 times a week [8].
Two global analyzes of dietary habits of 350,000 people suggest that nuts do increase lifespan. It is the higher, the more often a person includes this useful product in his diet [9].
On the subject: 14 Proven Reasons to Eat Walnuts Every Day!
Eat turmeric
Turmeric contains a substance called curcumin.
This antioxidant has the following beneficial properties:
- Protects the brain from age-related changes.
- Helps the body to destroy abnormal cells.
- Normalizes the work of the cardiovascular system.
- Helps maintain lung function.
It has been experimentally proven that turmeric helps to increase life expectancy in insects and rodents.
Such studies have not been conducted in humans. However, this spice can definitely be considered safe for humans, since it is consumed in large quantities by the entire population of India.
Read More: Scientific Evidence for the Benefits of Turmeric
Include plant-based foods in your diet
To stay healthy longer, you need to eat more plant foods.
This recommendation applies to:
- Fruit.
- Nuts.
- Vegetables.
- Seeds.
- Groats.
- Legumes.
There have been many studies that prove the benefits of herbal products for the body. Such food helps to avoid premature aging of the body, prevents the development of cancer, obesity, diseases of the cardiovascular system and the brain. The most popular diet of this type is the Mediterranean diet.
Scientists attribute these properties of plant foods to the fact that they are rich in antioxidants, namely carotenoids, polyphenols, folates and vitamin C.
There are a number of studies that prove that adherence to a vegetarian diet can increase average life expectancy by 12-15% [10]. In the course of these experiments, scientists have found that vegetarians are 29-52% less likely to suffer from cancerous tumors, heart and urinary system diseases. They are less likely to experience hormonal disruptions in the body.
What's more, some studies show that the risk of premature death and certain diseases increases with increasing meat consumption [11].
However, other studies report that the association with red meat is very weak, and all negative effects are associated with the consumption of chemically processed meat [12], [13].
In general, the consumption of fresh products grown in favorable environmental conditions cannot harm the body.
Maintain physical activity
Lack of exercise is the main problem of modern society. Low physical activity is the cause of many health problems. In order to live longer, you need to play sports.
It has been proven that as little as 15 minutes a day devoted to physical education can help increase life expectancy by 3 years. The risk of premature death is reduced by 4% [14].
Recent research suggests that you can become a long-liver if you meet the following conditions:
- If you exercise a little less than 3 hours a week, you can extend your life by 22%.
- If you train 3 hours a week - by 28%.
- If you train more than 3 hours a week - by 35% [15].
So, physical activity is an important condition for longevity. Even short workouts are good for your health. Therefore, the habit of playing sports should be one of the priorities.
On the subject: jogging extends life by 6 years!
Give up cigarettes
There is no doubt that smoking is the main enemy of health. Smokers independently reduce their life expectancy by 10 years or more. Their risk of premature death is 3 times higher than that of nonsmokers [16].
Even if a person has been smoking for many years, it is never too late to get rid of this addiction. It has been proven that giving up cigarettes before the age of 35 can increase life expectancy by 8.5 years [17].
If you do this by the age of 60, then you can delay the death by 3.7 years. It is useful to give up cigarettes even at 80 years old.
Quitting smoking can significantly prolong your life - and it is never too late to quit smoking [42].
Limit alcohol consumption
Alcohol abuse negatively affects all body systems. Alcohol poisons the brain, destroys the liver and pancreas. All this contributes to a reduction in life expectancy [18].
This does not mean that you need to give up alcohol altogether. For example, moderate consumption of wine can prolong life by 18%. This is possible due to the content of polyphenols, which are powerful antioxidants [19].
A 29-year study was recently completed. It found that men who drink wine rather than beer or other alcoholic beverages live longer. Wine helps to reduce the risk of cardiac pathologies, diabetes mellitus and insulin resistance syndrome [20].
Alcohol should be consumed in moderation: up to 1 drink per day for women and up to 2 drinks per day for men [21].
You need to pay attention to the fact that you need to consume alcohol in moderation, and, if possible, completely refuse it. There is not a single study that shows that abstinence from alcohol is harmful to health.
Learn to live happily
Negative emotions destroy a person from the inside. These are not just words, but a fact proven by science. Feelings of happiness can significantly increase life expectancy [22].
Scientists have observed a group of people for 5 years and found that happy men and women live 3.7% longer [23]. There have been many such studies.
After analyzing the data of 35 experiments, interesting conclusions were made. According to scientists, happy people live 18% longer than their unfortunate counterparts [24]. This is great news to be glad about.
Learn to avoid stress
Stress and increased anxiety shorten life expectancy. Women suffering from depression and stress are 2 times more likely to die from heart attack, stroke and lung cancer [25]. For men, the risks increase 3 times [26].
The life expectancy of optimists is 42% longer than that of pessimists [27]. Therefore, one should not succumb to blues and stress. You need to learn to avoid negative emotions and switch to positive.
Read More: 10 Ways To Relieve Stress
Make new acquaintances
Communication with new acquaintances and positive people helps to live longer by 50% [28]. And the presence of only three new connections can reduce the risk of premature death by more than 200% [29].
Studies conducted on this subject prove that sociable men and women practically do not suffer from heart and brain diseases. They are less likely to experience hormonal disruptions, and the immune system works better [30].
Close people will always support you in a difficult life situation. Together, any problems are solved faster, which means that even the most severe stresses are easier to bear.
Another interesting thing is that one study reports that giving support to others may be more beneficial than receiving it [31]. A good deed done brings a lot of positive emotions that help to increase life expectancy. Therefore, whenever possible, you need to come to the rescue of loved ones.
Develop self-discipline
It is necessary from childhood to develop such qualities as: self-discipline, organization, purposefulness, perseverance. Based on data from a study of 1,500 people who were considered pushy and disciplined, they lived 11% longer than their less conscientious counterparts [32], [33].
Problems that can be avoided by working on your discipline:
- Diseases of the psyche.
- Diabetes.
- Hypertension and hypotension.
- Diseases of the joints.
Scientists associate a decrease in the risk of dangerous pathologies with the fact that disciplined people are less likely to be exposed to stress, know how to get out of it correctly, build their lives competently, go in for sports and take better care of their health [34].
It is never too late to develop discipline. You can get started with simple steps, such as cleaning your desk and never messing with it again.
Drink tea and coffee
Drinking natural coffee and tea helps to reduce the risks of developing chronic diseases. Green tea is a source of catechins and polyphenols. These substances help reduce the risk of developing diabetes mellitus, cancers and cardiac pathologies [35], [36].
Coffee, in moderate doses, is useful for the prevention of certain cancers, metabolic disorders and heart attacks. It has been proven that people who drink coffee are less likely to suffer from Alzheimer's and Parkinson's [37], [38].
In general, their brains function better, and the risk of early death is reduced by 20-30% [39].
However, too much caffeine can be harmful. It can cause increased anxiety and insomnia. Therefore, you should not drink more than 4 cups of coffee a day. The effect of its use lasts for 6 hours. Therefore, people suffering from insomnia need to drink coffee one last time during lunch.
On the subject: the benefits and harms of green tea
Sleep at least 8 hours a day
Sleep and wakefulness should be impeccably observed. To live longer, you need to go to bed and wake up at the same time [40].
Scientists have proven that the optimal sleep duration for an adult is 7-8 hours. Exceeding these indicators is no less dangerous than underestimating.
Lack of sleep (less than 7 hours) leads to cardiac pathologies, type 2 diabetes, inflammation, and increases the risk of early death by 12%.
At the same time, the duration of sleep more than 8-9 hours a day can cause depression, decrease in physical activity and shorten life expectancy by 38% [41].
Outcome
Every person can increase life expectancy. This does not require a lot of effort. It is enough to play sports, drink coffee, give up tobacco and alcohol, and get enough sleep at night. These healthy habits will help you stay healthy and live to a ripe old age.
Live to be 100: 20 Science Tips!
Links to sources
- Extending healthy life span - from yeast to humans
- Caloric restriction, the traditional Okinawan diet, and healthy aging: the diet of the world's longest-lived people and its potential impact on morbidity and life span.
- Can we live longer by eating less? A review of caloric restriction and longevity
- One year of caloric restriction in humans: feasibility and effects on body composition and abdominal adipose tissue
- Caloric restriction
- Nuts and coronary heart disease: an epidemiological perspective
- Nut consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and all-cause mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis
- Frequency of nut consumption and mortality risk in the PREDIMED nutrition intervention trial
- Nut consumption on all-cause, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis of epidemiologic studies
- Vegetarian dietary patterns and mortality in Adventist Health Study 2
- Meat intake and mortality: a prospective study of over half a million people
- Red and processed meat consumption and risk of incident coronary heart disease, stroke, and diabetes mellitus: a systematic review and meta-analysis
- Meat consumption and mortality - results from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23497300
- Even a low-dose of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity reduces mortality by 22% in adults aged? 60? Years: a systematic review and meta-analysis
- The 21st century hazards of smoking and benefits of stopping: a prospective study of one million women in the UK
- Benefits of Smoking Cessation for Longevity
- Alcohol and the heart: to abstain or not to abstain?
- Alcohol dosing and total mortality in men and women: an updated meta-analysis of 34 prospective studies
- Alcoholic beverage preference, 29-year mortality, and quality of life in men in old age
- Appendix 9. Alcohol
- Happy People Live Longer: Subjective Well-Being Contributes to Health and Longevity
- Positive affect measured using ecological momentary assessment and survival in older men and women
- Positive psychological well-being and mortality: a quantitative review of prospective observational studies
- Anxiety predicted premature all-cause and cardiovascular death in a 10-year follow-up of middle-aged women
- Chronic psychosocial stress predicts long-term cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in middle-aged men
- Prediction of all-cause mortality by the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory Optimism-Pessimism Scale scores: study of a college sample during a 40-year follow-up period
- Social networks, host resistance, and mortality: a nine-year follow-up study of Alameda County residents
- Characteristics of socially isolated patients with coronary artery disease who are at elevated risk for mortality
- Social and Emotional Support and its Implication for Health
- Providing social support may be more beneficial than receiving it: results from a prospective study of mortality
- Do conscientious individuals live longer? A quantitative review
- Conscientiousness and Longevity: An Examination of Possible Mediators
- Conscientiousness and health-related behaviors: a meta-analysis of the leading behavioral contributors to mortality
- The relationship between green tea and total caffeine intake and risk for self-reported type 2 diabetes among Japanese adults
- Coffee, decaffeinated coffee, and tea consumption in relation to incident type 2 diabetes mellitus: a systematic review with meta-analysis
- Coffee consumption and risk of coronary heart diseases: A meta-analysis of 21 prospective cohort studies
- Coffee and tea consumption and the risk of Parkinson's disease
- Green tea consumption and mortality due to cardiovascular disease, cancer, and all causes in Japan: the Ohsaki study
- Human longevity is associated with regular sleep patterns, maintenance of slow wave sleep, and favorable lipid profile
- Sleep Duration and All-Cause Mortality: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Prospective Studies
- Benefits of Smoking Cessation for Longevity
Article author: Mochalov Pavel Alexandrovich | d. m. n. therapist
Education: Moscow Medical Institute. IM Sechenov, specialty - "General Medicine" in 1991, in 1993 "Occupational Diseases", in 1996 "Therapy".
