Discover how healthy habits like nutrition, physical activity, and maintaining a healthy weight can potentially extend lifespan, especially for seniors aiming to live past 95, and how these habits compare to the impact of genetics and social support on longevity.
According to a study published by Vitalo360, healthy habits can help seniors live to 95 years and beyond. What’s even cooler is that these are things that anyone can do, it’s not exclusive to seniors. It’s all about maintaining a healthy weight, eating well, and getting enough physical activity. Similarly, a study by Nir Barzilai, director of the Institute for Aging Research at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, found that seniors who live to 95+ tend to take better care of their health than their peers.
He suggests things like eating fewer calories, enjoying ice cream, not smoking, and staying active. All these can help you celebrate your 100th birthday! But your genes also play a role. If you’ve got the genes for longevity, then you’re already ahead of the game. Good news: You can still protect yourself from bad habits. The cool thing is, you don’t need great genes to live a long time if you take care of yourself!
Longevity and Healthy Habits: A Quick Look
The study was based on interviews with 477 seniors who were all living independently. This group was representative of the broader population, which makes it pretty reliable. The average age for these seniors was between 95 and 109 years old, with an average of 97 or 98. About 75% of the participants were women.
Most of the seniors described their habits in their 70s. Experts believe that their habits during this time likely mirror their lifestyle later in life. They compared the healthy habits of the participants with a group of 3,164 people of similar ages. This group’s data came from a national health and nutrition survey conducted in the United States between 1971 and 1974.
It seems that those who lived longer prioritized healthy habits more than others in the comparison group. However, they didn’t find any significant socioeconomic differences between the two groups.
Here are some of the key findings:
Seniors were less likely to be obese or have obesity-related diseases compared to the comparison group. Around 47.8% of the senior men were less likely to be obese or have obesity-related conditions, while 55% of men in the comparison group had these issues.
For women, 43.8% of the senior women were less likely to be obese or have obesity-related conditions, compared to 41.2% of women in the comparison group.
Only 9.6% of the seniors had severe obesity in their later years, compared to 16.2% of the women in the comparison group.
And for men, 4.5% of the senior men had severe obesity in their later years, compared to 12.1% of the men in the comparison group.
A total of 43% of the seniors actively practiced healthy habits for fitness, compared to 57% of the men in the comparison group.
In general, 47% of the senior women focused on physical activity, compared to -44.1% of the women in the comparison group.
Can Social or Family Support Help You Live Longer?
The study found similar levels of social support in both groups. Relatively similar proportions in both groups reported getting support from family when it came to grocery shopping, for example. About 30% of the senior women said that they got help with shopping later in life, compared to 26.2% of women in the control group. For men, nearly 60% of seniors got help shopping, compared to 75% of men in the comparison group.
What Else Contributes to Longevity?
Participants were also asked why they thought they had lived so long. Most highlighted the importance of their genes. Around 35% of women and more than 25% of men attributed their longevity to this factor.
Seniors also believed that the following factors contributed to their long lives, even beyond the age of 95:
- Nutrition
- Physical activity
- A positive outlook
- Social or family support
- Not smoking
- Maintaining a healthy weight
- Having faith or spirituality
- Helping others
However, some of their responses contradicted their daily habits. Many who reported following a healthy diet actually had trouble with weight. Those who were active in their old age had issues that caused them to gain weight. Some responses contradicted each other. One senior said that doctors helped him live longer, while another said that he used to eat three chocolate bars a day! Your genes play a big role in all of this, but they aren’t everything. It’s still up to you to make smart choices.
Do you follow similar health habits? Check out the experts’ recommendations!
How are Longevity and Healthy Habits Related?
According to the study, good genes can help people get away with unhealthy lifestyle choices. Aging is genetic, but it’s not that simple. It’s a mix of genetic predispositions and lifestyle choices. For example, it’s possible to inherit some protection against the negative effects of bad habits. As a result, their lifestyles should be closely monitored. The best health advice is to focus on what you can control.
These days, it’s not always about the genes you’ve got that determine how long you live. Studies on Seventh Day Adventists, who stick to a healthy lifestyle, found that good nutrition could add up to a decade to your life.
This means that most people can beat the genetic odds with a healthy lifestyle, helping them reach their 80s. It is believed that the average life expectancy for the average American is 80 years. If you want to live beyond 88, then you need good genes!
