A recent report presented the findings from a large cohort study of 719,147 US veterans, aged 40-99 years, enrolled in the Million Veteran Program (MVP) between 2011-2019. The objective was to explore the impact of therapeutic lifestyle factors on mortality risk and longevity.

Chronic diseases are a major contributor to healthcare costs and mortality in the US. Lifestyle medicine, which addresses the root causes of chronic diseases, has been suggested as a potential solution. The study focused on eight therapeutic lifestyle factors: never smoking, physical activity, no regular binge drinking, good sleep hygiene, healthy diet, minimal stress, positive social relationships, and no opioid addiction.

Over 1 million person-years of follow-up data with 33,375 deaths were analyzed. As the number of adopted lifestyle factors increased, the mortality rate decreased. For instance, the mortality rate per 1000 person-years was 72.6 for those with none of the lifestyle factors, while it decreased to 7.4 for those with all eight factors.

Each individual lifestyle factor was associated with a reduction in mortality risk: positive social relationships, good sleep hygiene, non-binge drinking, good diet, minimal stress, non-smoking, no opioid use disorder, and physical activity. Men and women who followed all eight therapeutic lifestyle factors at age 40 could gain 23.7 and 22.6 years of life expectancy, respectively, compared to those with none.

In conclusion, the study highlights the independent and combined impact of therapeutic lifestyle factors on reducing premature mortality risk. Emphasizing these lifestyle changes could have significant implications for enhancing longevity and reducing healthcare costs associated with chronic diseases.

While the 8 factors should come as no surprise, the magnitude of the effect is pretty staggering. If you’re serious about adding years to your lifespan, start with these changes to your lifestyle.