In recent years, the population of people over the age of 65 has grown more quickly than other age groups thanks to medical advances and lifestyle improvements. Longevity has become a leading trend with millions of dollars invested in healthy aging studies.
According to recent research, longevity results from a complex interaction between genetic factors and the environment—gene expression is modulated by different external factors such as lifestyle, temperature, and oxygen levels. You can significantly increase your life span by making the right lifestyle choices and addressing the risk factors.
5 factors that influence life expectancy and healthy aging
Multiple longevity research identifies these 5 major factors that may help you live longer. In fact, in some cases, these simple lifestyle changes can be as effective as advanced longevity treatment such as senolytic drugs, telomere rejuvenation therapy, or stem cell therapy.
Factor 1. Balanced diet
According to UK researchers, a shift from junk food to healthy eating patterns may lead to a 10+ gain in life span. The longevity diet includes moderate intakes of whole grains, fruit, fish, and white meat; a high intake of milk and dairy, vegetables, nuts, and legumes; and a relatively low intake of eggs, and red meat. These foods are natural sources of antioxidants, fiber, minerals, amino acids, and vitamins necessary for nourishing the tissues, organs, and brain cells.
Another important piece of longevity advice is to avoid overeating. Overeating has already become a rising issue in both developed and developing countries with meat-rich meals and products higher in fat, sugar, and sodium becoming more available. In the long term, overnutrition changes hormonal regulation and leads to obesity, type 2 diabetes, and hypertension (high blood pressure).
Moderate healthy eating and physical activity are the two main longevity pillars. A Mediterranean diet—coming from a well-known region with a long-lived population—is one of the gold standards for longevity diets.
Factor 2. Physical activity
Most people in developed countries don’t get a sufficient amount of daily physical activity. At the same time, moderate physical activity like gardening or doing chores is very common for so-called ‘Blue Zones’—geographical regions with the largest number of centenarians. Researchers believe that these simple activities play a big role in increased average life expectancy in these regions. Moderate exercise prevents age-related changes on the cellular level by promoting mitochondria growth and increasing the length of telomeres.
To make your lifestyle more active, include more physical activity in your daily life—go on foot instead of commuting, take stairs instead of an elevator, or walk your dog more often.
Exercise snacking is another effective way to introduce more sports into your daily life. A practice of performing short 5-minute workouts during the day shows that they lead to improved fitness and overall health, without a heavy time commitment.
As few as 5 minutes of a Reduced Exertion High Intensity Interval Training (REHIT) workout is shown to deliver substantial health benefits and decrease the risk of mortality and morbidity by more than 15%. In just 8 weeks of doing REHIT on a CAROL Bike, 3x a week, you can reset your VO2max by 12%—that’s like turning your biological clock 10 years back.
Factor 3. Cognitive activity
Regular cognitive training lowers the cognitive biological age in the same way as exercise lowers the biological age of the body. Studies associate more frequent mentally stimulating activity across the lifespan with reduced cognitive decline in later life.
Reading, playing musical instruments, learning foreign languages, doing arts—or any other brain-stimulating activities improve cognitive functions such as memory, attention, and problem-solving skills. Neural growth helps to delay the onset of cognitive decline, Alzheimer’s disease, and dementia.
Some types of physical exercise are greatly beneficial for brain health as well. Activities such as tennis, martial arts, and team sports train attention, coordination, reaction, and focus.
Factor 4. Maintaining social connections
Having good relationships can be just as beneficial for our physical and mental health as diet and exercise. Being part of a supportive community strengthens the immune system, lowers stress levels, and improves cognitive function.
Conversely, loneliness and social isolation significantly shorten the lifespan. Studies suggest that older adults who feel more lonely are about 40% more likely to die over the next 4 years, while those who are socially isolated are about 75% more likely to die compared to their socially active peers. On a physical level, loneliness is associated with higher stress levels which trigger inflammation and weaken the immune system.
A sense of belonging becomes particularly important as we age. Socially active seniors report higher levels of satisfaction from life, increased motivation, and better mood.
Strong family connections are equally important as staying in a group of like-minded peers. Volunteering, educational courses, and group sports activities are the best ways to make new connections while staying active.
Factor 5. Good quality sleep
Healthy sleeping patterns play an important role in maintaining a healthy metabolism, reducing oxidative stress, and strengthening the immune system. Sleep deficiency promotes inflammation and increases the risks of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. Research among 30-year-old adults discovered that getting enough quality sleep adds an extra 5 years to men’s average life expectancy and extra 2 years to women’s.
While it’s recommended to get about 8 hours of daily sleep, a consistent regime is equally important. A recent study links longevity with going to bed and waking up around the same time each day. This is important to keep your body in sync with your circadian rhythm—a natural clock that regulates the sleep-wake cycle.
CAROL Bike is proven to reset your VO2max levels by 12% in just 8 weeks—that's like turning the clock back on your age by 10 years.
3 factors that decrease human life expectancy
Along with lifestyle changes that foster longevity, there are obvious risk factors to avoid. The Finnish National Institute for Health and Welfare pointed out the 3 biggest causes for shortened life expectancies in both men and women. According to scientists, smoking reduces the lifespan by 6.6 years, obesity-related diabetes shaves off 6.5 years, and being under heavy stress shortens the life expectancy by 2.8 years.
Factor 1. Smoking and alcohol consumption
Smoking is strongly linked to cardiovascular disease and premature death. A 2022 study analyzed the role of 5 childhood cardiovascular risk factors in subsequent cardiovascular events and the life expectancy of almost 40,000 people. Smoking had the largest impact on the participants’ cardiovascular health, followed by BMI, high blood pressure, triglyceride (fat) levels in the blood, and “bad” cholesterol. A combination of all factors almost tripled the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Similarly, excessive alcohol intake leads to liver, heart, and pancreatic disease. Conversely, low to moderate amounts of red wine may raise levels of “good” cholesterol or high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and prevent small blood clots that can block arteries.
Factor 2. Obesity
Obesity has become a major public health issue with 40% of American adults reported to be overweight and 32% to be obese. The immoderate assumption of unhealthy fats, refined sugar, and artificial food additives is believed to be one of the main reasons for this epidemic.
Excessive weight provokes the development of numerous serious diseases including heart disease, specific types of cancers, type 2 diabetes, liver disease, pancreatitis, gallbladder disease, and kidney disease. As a result, extreme obesity may shave off up to 14 years of life expectancy, according to a 2014 study. In less extreme cases, excessive weight leads to premature aging. On average, non-smoking individuals with obesity age 2 years faster and suffer from earlier onset of chronic diseases.
Obesity is influenced by a wide variety of factors including genetic, behavioral, psychological, and environmental ones. Its treatment requires an integrated approach based on healthy eating patterns and an exercise program. It’s important to start treating this problem in early adulthood and develop new healthy habits as early as possible. A recent study published in Jama Network Open shows that people who lose enough weight and go from obese to overweight by their late 40s cut their risk of premature death in half.
Factor 3. Chronic stress and anxiety
Yale researchers examined how stress affects humans’ “epigenetic clocks”—the chemical processes in DNA that naturally occur with age and that can be used as predictors of lifespan. This research not only confirmed that prolonged stress is very detrimental to our physical and mental health but also revealed the mechanism by which it provokes medical complications.
Coping strategies like emotion regulation can effectively reduce the mental and physical consequences of stress. Meditation, journaling, psychotherapy, and art therapy are science-backed techniques to increase emotional resilience and feel younger.
Conclusion
Most people don’t just want to have long lives but to extend their period of active life. Longevity studies brought a new concept—”health span”, similar to “life span”. In public health, healthspan refers to the part of life during which the individual maintains good health and a sharp mind and stays free from chronic diseases. Balanced nutrition, physical activity, cognitive and social functioning, and positive well-being, are key to living longer and healthier.
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