Five lifestyle changes at 50 could ‘extend lifespan by over a decade’

Researchers tracked participants for up to 47 years in a new study, assessing how five specific factors influenced their risk of death, longevity and the number of healthy years they could gain by altering these habits.

The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, took nearly half a century to complete and revealed that these five risk factors significantly impacted a person’s lifespan and cardiovascular health:

• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Diabetes
• Smoking
• Bodyweight, including being overweight and underweight

Women who didn’t have these five risk factors at age 50 could potentially add more than 14 years to their life and men could gain almost 12 additional years.

Men were most affected by these factors as those with all five faced a 94% chance of dying before 90, while their counterparts without these issues had just a 68% chance.

Women with all five risk factors at age 50 had an 88% chance of dying before 90, whereas those without these problems had a 53% chance.

Cholesterol had the least impact according to the study as participants who managed to reduce their high cholesterol levels could only add 1.2 extra healthy years to their lifespan.

In comparison, individuals who quit smoking could potentially extend their lives by up to six years. Women who do not have diabetes could gain an extra 6.4 years, while men without the condition might see an increase of 5.8 years.

Even a slight reduction in blood pressure could lead to an additional 1.8 healthy years, and achieving a normal BMI could contribute an extra 2.6 years, with variations depending on the region. For this extensive research, scientists analysed data from over two million adults aged 18 and above across 39 countries.

However, it’s never too late for those over 50, as the study found that making changes in one’s late 50s can still significantly impact lifespan.

Giving up smoking at this stage could add as much as 2.4 years, and reducing just four out of five risk factors could result in more than five extra years of life.

The researchers’ findings were clear: « The absence of five classic risk factors at 50 years of age was associated with more than a decade greater life expectancy than the presence of all five risk factors, in both sexes. Persons who modified hypertension and smoking in midlife had the most additional life-years free of cardiovascular disease and death from any cause, respectively. »