A new study by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has revealed that maintaining a healthy lifestyle can significantly increase your lifespan and lower your risk of chronic diseases. The five healthy lifestyle factors include maintaining a healthy eating pattern, not smoking, getting at least 3.5 hours of moderate to vigorous physical activity each week, drinking only moderate amounts of alcohol, and maintaining a normal weight. The researchers also found that each of the five factors significantly lowered the risk of total death, death from cancer, and death from heart disease.
Specifically, the study found that individuals who adhered to all five healthy lifestyle factors had a 74% lower risk of total mortality, a 65% lower risk of cancer mortality, and an 82% lower risk of cardiovascular disease mortality, compared to those who did not adhere to any of the factors.