There is no one formula or secret to healthy and longer life. There are in fact many.
According to latest studies, many lifestyle factors contribute to a healthy and longer life. Diet, body weight, sleep hygiene, level of physical activity, and the use of substances such as alcohol and tobacco influence a person’s state of health, according to study led by Solja Nyberg, Ph.D., from the University of Helsinki in Finland.
The study was done with participation of 116,043 people (61.1% female) with a mean age of 43.7 years. The researchers identified four lifestyle profiles with different combinations of factors associated with staying healthier for longer.
They noted that the first lifestyle factor that stood out as being associated with good health was having a body mass index (BMI) of under 25. This is a score that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) deem to indicate a “normal” weight.
In addition to having a BMI of under 25, people who remained disease-free for longer also had at least two of the following three lifestyle factors in their profiles: never smoking, keeping physically active, and drinking alcohol only moderately.
It was also found that people with a more advantageous healthy lifestyle score were younger and more likely to be of higher socioeconomic status. They conclude that the recent findings may prove useful in empowering people to make lifestyle choices more conducive to good health.
“The results of this study suggest that various healthy lifestyle profiles, particularly those including a BMI less than 25, are associated with a prolonged health span. These findings may be useful for prevention, strengthening the evidence base for actions to support healthy choices in everyday life,” as per the report.
