Lifestyle and habits have a significant impact on our health and life expectancy, according to a recently released study that followed U.S. veterans aged 40 to 99 between 2011 and 2019. The study aimed to demonstrate the extent to which lifestyle choices can influence mortality trends.

The study, which collected data from 719,147 veterans and assessed lifestyle factors among 276,132 individuals, revealed that being physically active lowered the risk of death by 46 percent. The participants were required to meet the Department of Health’s recommendation of 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise per week to be classified as physically active. Additionally, never smoking was associated with a 30 percent decrease in the risk of dying, while consuming a plant-based diet lowered the risk of death by 21 percent.

Furthermore, the study highlighted that refraining from frequent binge drinking and ensuring restorative sleep of seven to nine hours could lead to an 18 and 19 percent decrease in mortality risk, respectively. Positive social interactions were found to lower the risk of dying by 5 percent.

Combining different lifestyle factors was shown to have a cumulative effect. Adopting just one positive habit led to a 26 percent lower mortality risk, while adopting six positive habits resulted in a 73 percent decrease. The study also examined the impact of depression/anxiety and opioid addiction, revealing that being free of either was associated with a decrease in mortality of 29 percent and 38 percent, respectively.

Overall, adopting or being free of all eight factors studied was linked to an 87 percent lower risk of mortality. The findings underscore the importance of lifestyle choices in influencing life expectancy and overall health.