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When
we're young, we all believe we're going to live forever. But as we age,
most of us realize that's not the case. What's more, it becomes clear
that the choices we make can have an impact on how long we live. While
there are no guarantees or methods that can tell you how many calendars
you'll buy (despite what actuaries say), there are many simple
benchmarks that can help predict if you'll live longer than most. Here
are 21 of the most important reasons why you'll probably live longer
than your peers—try not to rub it in.
You got married
Congratulations!
We may be a little late on the wedding gift, but we figure that just
the fact that you got hitched is reward enough since you'll be living
longer as a result. A 2013 study by Duke University Medical Center
published in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine revealed that being
married reduces the risk of premature death in midlife. The study looked
at 4,802 people and those that were married through their middle decade
were less likely to have an untimely demise. Researchers surmised that
the act of having a partner to lean on and work with through any
challenges faced in midlife make that era of life much easier to deal
with.
You don't stress
In
a 2015 study, researchers at the University of California, San
Francisco discovered that women who are under chronic stress have lower
levels of klotho, a hormone that promotes brain and body health and
regulates the aging process. Researchers believe low levels of klotho
may be linked to an increased risk of accelerated disease development.
Additionally, a 2012 study published in the British Medical Journal
revealed that risk of heart attack and stroke increase 20% when a person
suffers from chronic stress.
Your
best bet to ward off high levels of the hormone is to try to lower your
stress levels. If simple, do-it-yourself techniques like meditation or
yoga aren't helping, you should consult your doctor.
You look young
Ever
have one of those days that you just know you look good? How about a
lot of them? Research published in the British Medical Journal
discovered that looking young as you age directly correlates with living
longer. The 2009 study looked at 1,826 twins and found that the twin
who looked older died earlier than their younger-looking counterpart. If
the disparity in their appearance was large, the older-looking twin was
even more likely to die earlier than if the difference was smaller.
What does this mean for you? Looking young and healthy is a great
determining factor to living a longer life, so make efforts to look and
feel healthy and, ultimately, you'll live longer as a result.
You're not alone
You
may take your friends and family for granted sometimes, but the truth
is they're a big reason you're going to live a long, healthy life.
Researchers at Brigham Young University discovered that social isolation
and loneliness can be as life threatening as obesity. The study,
published in 2015 in Perspectives on Psychological Science, indicates
that feelings of being alone impact on people of all ages and can be a
precursor to premature death—even in individuals under 65. The study
authors believed that their findings ultimately prove that more positive
psychology means better overall health—emotionally and physically.
You've traded white bread for whole grains
Wheat,
barley, rye—whole grains like these deliver essential nutrients that
have life-lengthening benefits. Among those nutrients are polyphenols. A
2013 study sponsored in part by the United States National Institute on
Aging and published in the Journal of Nutrition found that older adults
who had the highest concentrations of polyphenols in their urine (and
thus the diets richest in these micronutrients) had a 30% reduced
mortality compared to those with less. Additionally, a 2015 study with
more than 360,000 participants and published in BMC Medicine revealed
that higher consumption of whole grains was associated with a lower risk
of death from cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, respiratory
diseases, and other causes.
You know the value of a short run
Even
if you have never trained for a marathon and don't exactly live in the
gym, you may outlive the folks that do just because you jog. The ideal
amount of running a person should strive for when it comes to living a
long life is 60 to 144 minutes weekly, split into three jogs, according
to a 2015 study published in the Journal of the American College of
Cardiology. The 12-year study tracked 1,098 healthy people and found
that making this simple commitment was more effective than running for
lengthier, more intense periods. "People overestimate how much time they
need to devote to physical fitness in order to live a long, healthy
life," says Michael Seril, a National Strength and Conditioning
Association and American Council on Exercise-certified personal trainer
based in Whittier, Calif.
You are a social butterfly
If
a Netflix binge sounds more appealing than a night out, you won't like
this one. Researchers at the University of Cambridge discovered that
your social life is a great indicator of how long you'll live. The 2010
meta-analysis published in PloS One indicates that social isolation is a
detriment to our health. In fact, people who have a healthy social life
are 50% more likely to outlive the local hermit. For a little
perspective, these findings mean that social isolation is comparable
with other mortality risk factors like smoking and alcoholism, and
exceed the risks associated with obesity and physical inactivity.
You aren't apple-shaped
Having
a big belly can almost double your mortality risk—even if your body
mass index falls within the "healthy" range, according to a 2008 study
published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The study, which
looked at more than 350,000 people in Europe, found that having greater
than a 47.2-inch waist for men and a 39.4-inch waist for women doubled
the risk of premature death compared with people who had smaller waists.
You have a sense of a higher purpose
This
may sound like a trick question, but do you feel like your life has
meaning? Think carefully—your answer might dictate how long you live.
According to research published in Lancet, people who believe their
lives have more purpose live longer than those who don't feel a clear
sense of meaning in life. The study looked at nearly 9,000 people and
ranked them according to four categories on a range of personal
wellbeing from highest to lowest. The results were intriguing: People
who felt they had more meaningful lives outlived their peers who did
not. People in the lowest category in the study had a 29% mortality rate
in an eight-year span while those with the highest sense of purpose had
only a 9% mortality rate. If you figure you're not in that latter
category, bring some meaning into your life: Volunteer, get a pet, start
a project, or find that special something that makes feel like you're
making a difference.
You're a conscientious person
People
who've lived to 100 tend to have the same personality traits in common:
They're conscientious, extraverted, and open, according to a 2006 study
published in the journal Age. Researchers speculate that conscientious
people are more self-disciplined when it comes to diet and exercise and
less likely to smoke and drink. Meanwhile, an extraverted personality is
associated with optimism, which translates to lower stress levels.
Your grandparents lived until they were very old
How
long did your grandparents live? Chances are that if they lived well
into their golden years, you have a very good chance of living long too.
According to a 2010 study published in the journal Science and updated
later in PloS One, healthy aging can be based on two important factors:
Genetics and environment. The original study looked at 1,055
centenarians (people who lived past 100 years) and 1,267 controls and
found that they could predict long life with almost 60 to 85% accuracy.
How? Apparently genetic markers and variants help dictate longevity in
spite of environmental factors. While the study does not say if these
genes can be passed down, it does lend some credence to the idea that if
your grandparents lived a long life, it may be in your blood to do so
as well.
You aren't obese
Obese
people who have a BMI of 35 or higher have a 29% increased risk of
death over normal-weight individuals, according to a 2013 review of more
than 100 studies published in the Journal of the American Medical
Association. This report also made headlines for a shocking revelation:
people who are overweight (but not obese) may live longer than
normal-weight individuals. Still, this news doesn't give you permission
to pack on extra pounds. Being overweight still increases your risk of
chronic conditions like heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
You drink alcohol (but just a little bit)
Averaging
more than one alcoholic drink a day for women and two for men increases
risk of cancer, liver disease, and heart disease—but having just a
little bit of booze each day may actually extend your life. One Dutch
study found that having slightly less than one daily serving of wine,
beer, or spirits was associated with a 36% lower risk of all causes of
death and a 34% lower risk of cardiovascular death. Similarly, a Spanish
study of 15,500 men and nearly 26,000 women found that long-term
moderate drinking decreased risk of heart disease, especially in men.
You get the right amount of sleep
According
to research from the University of California at San Diego School of
Medicine and the American Cancer Society, it seems the sweet spot for
sleep—and living a longer life as a result—is to get about seven hours
of shut eye every night. The study, which was published in the British
Medical Journal, looked at 1.1 million adults between 30 and 102 years
old over a six-year period and found that people who slept for eight
hours or more each night or less than four hours died earlier than those
that slept somewhere in between. Shockingly, even people who slept only
five hours each night on average lived longer than the folks who
snoozed for eight or more. The best survival rates found in the study
were for subjects who averaged seven hours each night. The lesson: Get
yourself up to seven hours and you'll be your best every morning—and
have a lot more mornings to look forward to in the process.
You eat fish
A
seafood-rich diet supplies you with heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids,
which might help lengthen your life. A study published in the Annals of
Internal Medicine looked at more than 2,600 adults and those who had the
highest omega-3 blood levels reduced their overall risk of death by
27%, and even had a 35% lesser chance of dying from heart-related
issues. "Aim to eat about 7 ounces of fish on a weekly basis for greater
overall health," suggests Chicago-based dietitian Jenny Westerkamp, RD.
You lift weights
Go
ahead and flex those muscles! Lifting weights strengthens your body
with lean muscle mass, which not only helps you look better, but also
live longer. In a University of California, Los Angeles study of 3,659
adults, people who had the most lean muscle mass were the least likely
to die prematurely. "Working out doesn't stop when you get older," Seril
says. "Staying in shape is a lifelong commitment and retaining muscle
mass as you age will keep you alive a lot longer than people who skip
the gym as they age."
You had a child later in life
Maybe
you were a late bloomer, or maybe love hit you a little later in life
than you had planned. If you gave birth to a child after the age of 33,
chances are you'll live longer than your friends who had their last
child by age 29. A 2014 study published in Menopause: The Journal of the
North American Menopause Society looked at 551 families and found that
women who gave birth later in life lived longer. In fact, women who gave
birth after age 40 were four times more likely to outlive those who
delivered a decade earlier.
You took care of those cataracts
According
to research published in the journal of the American Academy of
Ophthalmology, taking care of your peepers reduces your risk of
mortality by a whopping 40%. Head researcher of the study, Jie Jin Wang,
PhD, believes that the link between living longer and cataract surgery
is likely attributed to better mobility, improved physical and emotional
well-being, overall optimism, and greater confidence living after
besting visual impairment.
Your dad was a little older
If
your dad was the oldest on the block, you should call him up and thank
him for waiting so long to bring you into the world. Having an older
father is a good indicator that you'll outlive your peers, according to
research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences. What does this really mean for you? If your dad reproduced
when he was older, that means his life and environment were more
favorable than his ancestors, which is a good precursor to your ability
to live longer. Why? Simply put: If his life was better, yours will very
likely be even better than his!
You never smoked
One
of the main reasons you'll be outliving most of your best friends is
simple: You don't smoke. According to the CDC, people who never got into
the habit of smoking live about 10 years longer than their
tobacco-loving counterparts. But if you did partake in some puffing when
you were younger, you'll still outlive the diehard, never-quit smokers
if you ditched the habit before you hit your midlife crisis. Why?
Because your risk of dying of smoke-related disease decreases by 90%
just by quitting before age 40, according to findings published in the
New England Journal of Medicine.
You're spiritual
Measuring
the power of prayer has long been a point of contention for many in the
scientific community. But in a 2011 study published in the Journal of
Religion & Health, researchers looked at more than 92,000 women,
including smokers, drinkers, and women who exercised (and those who
didn't). Regardless of unhealthy or healthy habits, the study found that
people who attended one religious service each week were less likely to
be depressed than those who did not. Since depression can impact
longevity, such attendance might help. And a 1998 study published in the
American Journal of Public Health found that elderly community
residents who regularly attended church services lived longer than those
who did not partake.
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