People who adopt healthy lifestyles in old age can add years to their lives, researchers said today.
A study in Sweden has found that living a healthy lifestyle – and being happy – adds up to six years of life over the course of no more than 20 years.
Men benefit by one year more than women, according to the report in the British Medical Journal.
Even those who were oldest at the time of the research gained about four years from a healthy lifestyle, the researchers found.
The study found that regular physical activity, such as walking or swimming, extended life by two years.
When this was combined with other healthy habits, including not smoking, and with membership of good social networks, it meant people lived an average of 5.4 years longer than those without these advantages.
Researchers studied more than 1,800 people for 18 years. About half lived into their 90s.
Researcher Debora Rizzuto, of Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden, writes: "Our results suggest that encouraging favourable lifestyle behaviours even at advanced ages may enhance life expectancy, probably by reducing morbidity."
British Medical Journal August 31 2012
Leave a Reply