The Relevant Eight Lifestyle Factors

The study identified eight key lifestyle factors that collectively contribute to a longer lifespan: never smoking, regular physical activity, moderate alcohol consumption, restorative sleep, a nutrient-rich diet emphasizing plant-based whole foods, effective stress management, strong social connections, and the absence of opioid use disorder. By analyzing mortality rates and life expectancy estimates across varying combinations of these factors, the researchers unveiled a striking pattern.

A Continuous Decline in Mortality Risk

Remarkably, the study found that the more of these eight lifestyle factors an individual adhered to, the lower their mortality risk became – a continuous and incremental effect. Those who exhibited none of the eight factors faced a staggering mortality rate of 70.2 deaths per 1,000 person-years. In contrast, those who embraced all eight factors experienced a mere 6.8 deaths per 1,000 person-years, more than a tenfold decrease in mortality risk.

The Power of Physical Activity

Among the eight lifestyle factors, regular physical activity emerged as the most potent determinant of longevity, associated with a remarkable 50% decrease in mortality risk for men and 46% for women. This finding underscores the paramount importance of an active lifestyle in promoting long-term health and well-being.

Substantial Life Expectancy Gains

The study’s findings are particularly striking when translated into life expectancy estimates. At age 40, individuals who exhibited none of the eight lifestyle factors had a remaining life expectancy of 23 years for males and 27 years for females. In stark contrast, those who embraced all eight factors could expect to live an additional 24 years for males and 20.5 years for females, extending their life expectancy to an impressive 47 years and 47.5 years, respectively.

A Call to Embrace a Comprehensive Lifestyle Overhaul

While the study acknowledges certain limitations, such as the binary categorization of lifestyle factors and the potential for confounding factors, its overarching message is clear: adopting a holistic approach to lifestyle optimization can profoundly impact longevity. By embracing a constellation of healthy habits, individuals can significantly reduce their mortality risk and potentially gain decades of additional life expectancy.

This pioneering research not only quantifies the remarkable benefits of a healthy lifestyle but also serves as a powerful motivator for individuals to prioritize their overall well-being through conscious lifestyle choices. As the field of geroscience continues to advance, studies like this underscore the immense potential of preventative measures in promoting longevity and quality of life.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

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From what we know, Plato, the great thinker that he was, was clearly already practising preventative health measures, a key aspect of longevity, in his daily life. But what is longevity? In this blog post we will be explaining what longevity is, choices that can be made with longevity in mind and, most importantly, why we should care…

What is Longevity?

The Cambridge Dictionary definition of ‘longevity’ is ‘living for a long time’. Perhaps unsurprisingly, in modern medical academia, research into the extension of a human lifespan is referred to as ‘longevity’ (or longevity research). So how is this different to the rest of medicine?

Modern medical advances have largely been the cause of the modern extension of average life expectancy, addressing health conditions that have previously had high mortality rates and considerably lessening child mortality rates.[4] Put short, as the length of a human lifespan has increased – the limit has not. As noted by Harvard Professor of Genetics Dr. David Sinclair in his landmark book ‘Lifespan: Why We Age and Why We Don’t Have To’, we have conceded that mortality is a reality and instead turned medicine to other directions. Most particularly, our medicine has been turned toward the treatment of diseases that afflict us as we age – ‘making mortality a medical experience’.[5]

The main issue with how we address illness, despite the amazing work done by the medical researchers who dedicate their lives to this cause, is that simply stopping one disease does not make it less likely that a person will not be afflicted, or perhaps killed, by another. But – and there is a but – through longevity research we can not just pursue cures for individual diseases. We can instead address a shared underlying factor behind them: Aging.

So why should we care about Longevity?

If you’ve read the above but, understandably, thought that this just sounds like the beginning of a promising development for future generations then you are easily forgiven. Myths about the extension of life have existed for thousands of years and still pervade modern culture today – you’d be hard pressed to find someone who doesn’t know about the fountain of youth or the holy grail. Yet through modern research, it is increasingly probable that we will find a way to extend the lifespan of a human life – and far, far sooner than you would think.

It is already thought that someone who is currently alive today will live a longer lifespan than has ever been recorded in human history. The professor emeritus of developmental biology at Stanford, Stuart Kim, has stated that there are people alive today who will live to 200 – and has even made a bet with a colleague on the matter. This bet will be worth around $1 billion in 2150… if either of them live to collect it.[6] Some would say this figure itself is optimistic but Dr. Sinclair has put across a different theory. He believes that we could potentially live forever. But whatever the upper limit, it is obvious that the leading minds of longevity research are increasingly convinced that it is possible for humans to live far longer than the time we have believed is allotted to us.

To live forever…

At present however, until the coming gerontological breakthrough, longevity-minded individuals are acting to ensure that they benefit from the coming developments – and live long enough to benefit from each next innovation in the field. This strategy has been described as seeking ‘bridges to immortality’ by the futurist Ray Kurzweil.[7] This involves utilising preventative health choices to pre-empt health conditions, with the theory that if one is able to extend their lifespan for an additional twenty years then they will still be alive to benefit from these longevity treatments.

Another aspect of the longevity movement is the personal effort to increase what most of us would describe as ‘the good years’. In other words, our healthy and energetic years. It was mentioned above that mortality has been made a medical experience. As we get older, and feel our mortality, we require constant visits to the hospital to deal with medical afflictions that have developed during our lives and the myriad newer health problems that develop alongside or due to these comorbidities.[8] In short, a person who does not die of acute illnesses, such as infections, and survives with chronic illnesses is more likely to develop additional chronic illnesses.[9]

…Or, to stay forever young…

So, a significant part of the longevity movement is encouraging individuals to take ownership of their own health – being an active subject caring for themselves, not a passive subject treated by doctors when a problem arises. Longevity is about the prevention of aging, which is the cause of diseases and pre-empting problems before they arise (as opposed to diagnosis and treatment of chronic diseases).

Through this method, we can have a better and longer lifespan and, with the best hope, live to see gerontological advances that can prolong our lives yet further. Longevity in practice is about finding behavioural measures, healthy choices, that work for you so you can build a lifestyle around them – and by doing so prevent or lessen the severity of health problems that you may have in the future. Simply, acting now to prolong your best years and dodge prolonged hospital visits for as long as possible.

To find out more about how to live with longevity in mind, check out the links below:

• Practising longevity in your youth (18-30).
• Practising longevity in your middle age (30-60).
• Practicing longevity in later life (60+).

In closing

The earlier you start making the choice to build longevity-minded habits into your lifestyle, the longer and healthier you will likely live. Leading experts in the medical field already believe that living a lifespan with a length previously unrecorded is within reach. The longer we can remain healthy, the longer we can live. Plus, if aging breakthroughs arrive while we are still healthy, it is very possible that we may live energetic lives well past 100 – potentially even living young forever. By reading this blog post, you’re already making proactive steps toward building healthy habits into your life and are likely researching healthy choices that are available for you.

Check out the links above for some basic suggestions on how to live life with longevity in mind. Also make sure to keep up to date with our blog here and sign up to all of the NOMIX social channels (Twitter and Telegram) for more news about longevity.

[1] Some might think it strange for a blog post on the topic of longevity and how to maximise it to mention Plato, given that one of his famous quotes is ‘attention to health is life’s greatest hinderance’, however, Plato actually means that being forced to pay attention to your health – through poor health – is a hinderance.

[2] Diogenes Laërtius, Life of Plato, II

[3] Passarino, G., De Rango, F., & Montesanto, A. (2016). Human longevity: Genetics or Lifestyle? It takes two to tango. Immunity & ageing : I & A, 13, 12. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12979-016-0066-z

[4] I write ‘largely’, as the part played by an increased, reliable food supply and clean water has also played a significant part in increasing human lifespans.

[5] Sinclair, D., PhD & LaPlante, M.D., Lifespan: Why We Age- and Why We Don’t Have To’, (2019), pXVII.

[6] Taylor, G. (2017). Scientist thinks that the world’s first 200-year-old person has already been born. Norway Today, 23^rd March 2017. https://norwaytoday.info/everyday/scientist-thinks-worlds-first-200-year-old-person-already-born/

[7] Adler, R. (2010). Ray Kurzweil: Building bridges to immortality. New Scientist, December 27^th 2010. https://www.kurzweilai.net/building-bridges-to-immortality

[8] ‘Comorbidity’ refers to other health problems that a patient can have, when talking about a health problem.

[9] Divo, M. J., Martinez, C. H., & Mannino, D. M. (2014). Ageing and the epidemiology of multimorbidity. The European respiratory journal, 44(4), 1055–1068. https://doi.org/10.1183/09031936.00059814

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Since most theories in this field, s.a. the disrepair accumulation theory of aging, postulate that the potential for longevity of an organism is positively correlated to its structural complexity, and we human beings belong to the most complex mammals, we are widely considered to have a naturally limited longevity due to aging, which results in a life expectancy of 80-85 years for millennials in developed countries.

The United Nations has made projections up to 2300, at which point it projects that life expectancies in most developed countries will be between 100 and 106 years and still rising, though more and more slowly than before. Gaps in life expectancy between rich and poor countries may well not exist in the future, due to the exchange of technology and the industrialization and development of poor countries, similarly to the way life expectancies between rich and poor countries have already been converging over the last 60 years as better medicine, technology, and living conditions became accessible to most people. 

“The possible existence of a hard upper limit, a cap, on human lifetimes is hotly debated,” write Léo Belzile and coauthors in a paper to appear in Annual Review of Statistics and Its Application. “It is sustained and widespread interest in understanding the limit, if there is any, to the human lifespan.” Their own re-analysis of previously incorrectly analyzed data on extreme lifetimes indicates that any longevity cap would be at least 130 years and possibly exceed 180. And some datasets, the authors report, “put no limit on the human lifespan.” These analyses “suggest that the human lifespan lies well beyond any individual lifetime yet observed or that could be observed in the absence of major medical advances.”

However, recent increases in the rates of lifestyle diseases, such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease, may eventually slow or reverse this trend toward increasing life expectancy in the developed world. 

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Links  
Weapon fragments in bowhead whales
Rapamycin extends lifespan in mice
Targeting Aging with Metformin (TAME) Trial
Metformin improves healthspan and lifespan in mice
Metformin reduces all-cause mortality
Reprogramming to restore vision
DNA methylation age
Genome-wide methylation profiles & human aging rates
Reversal of epigenetic aging in humans
Danish twins study

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