The eight simple changes that could add more than twenty years to your life

There are many different ideas about the best way to extent your lifespan. But, according to experts, eight simple changes can make a difference to a longer and healthier life.

A new study, which involved over 700,000 people, revealed the eight factors that have the biggest impact on people's life expectancy - including being physically active, having a good night sleep and having positive relationships.

The research was presented at Nutrition 2023, the annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition, the PA news agency reports. Shocking findings revealed that smoking was linked with nearly a 50 per cent higher risk of death in some cases.

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While stress, binge drinking, poor diet and poor sleep hygiene were also associated with a 20 per cent increase in death. Experts advise that people should have positive social relationships to boost their chances of a longer life.

Men who had all eight habits identified at age 40 were predicted to live an average 24 years longer than men with none of the habits, according to the findings, and women with all eight habits in middle age were predicted to live an extra 21 years, compared with women with none of the habits.

Xuan-Mai Nguyen, health science specialist at the Department of Veterans Affairs, said: "We were really surprised by just how much could be gained with the adoption of one, two, three, or all eight lifestyle factors.

"Our research findings suggest that adopting a healthy lifestyle is important for both public health and personal wellness. The earlier the better, but even if you only make a small change in your 40s, 50s, or 60s, it still is beneficial."

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