For example, many studies link a plant-rich diet to a lower risk of premature death, as well as a reduced risk of cancer, metabolic syndrome, heart disease, depression, and brain deterioration 27 , 28 , 29 , However, other studies report either nonexistent or much weaker links — with the negative effects seeming specifically linked to processed meat 37 , Vegetarians and vegans also generally tend to be more health-conscious than meat eaters, which could at least partly explain these findings.

Eating plenty of plant foods is likely to help you live longer and lower your risk of various common diseases. It should come as no surprise that staying physically active can keep you healthy and add years to your life.

As few as 15 minutes of exercise per day may help you achieve benefits, which could include an additional 3 years of life Regular physical activity can extend your lifespan. Exercising more than minutes per week is best, but even small amounts can help.

Smoking is strongly linked to disease and early death Overall, people who smoke may lose up to 10 years of life and be 3 times more likely to die prematurely than those who never pick up a cigarette A recent review states that quitting tobacco before age 40 will prevent almost all increased risks of death from smoking.

One study reports that individuals who quit smoking by age 35 may prolong their lives by up to 8. Furthermore, quitting smoking in your 60s may add up to 3. In fact, quitting in your 80s may still provide benefits 42 , Heavy alcohol consumption is linked to liver, heart, and pancreatic disease, as well as an overall increased risk of early death Wine is considered particularly beneficial due to its high content of polyphenol antioxidants.

In addition, one review observed wine to be especially protective against heart disease, diabetes, neurological disorders, and metabolic syndrome To keep consumption moderate, it is recommended that women aim for 1—2 units or less per day and a maximum of 7 per week.

Men should keep their daily intake to less than 3 units, with a maximum of 14 per week If you drink alcohol, maintaining a moderate intake may help prevent disease and prolong your life.

Wine may be particularly beneficial. Feeling happy can significantly increase your longevity In fact, happier individuals had a 3. A study of Catholic nuns analyzed their self-reported levels of happiness when they first entered the monastery and later compared these levels to their longevity.

Those who felt happiest at 22 years of age were 2. For instance, women suffering from stress or anxiety are reportedly up to two times more likely to die from heart disease, stroke, or lung cancer 56 , 57 , Similarly, the risk of premature death is up to three times higher for anxious or stressed men compared to their more relaxed counterparts 59 , 60 , However, both laughter and a positive outlook on life can reduce stress, potentially prolonging your life 62 , 63 , 64 , Finding ways to reduce your anxiety and stress levels can extend your lifespan.

Maintaining an optimistic outlook on life can be beneficial, too. Studies also link healthy social networks to positive changes in heart, brain, hormonal, and immune function, which may decrease your risk of chronic diseases 68 , 69 , 70 , 71 , A strong social circle might also help you react less negatively to stress, perhaps further explaining the positive effect on lifespan 73 , Finally, one study reports that providing support to others may be more beneficial than receiving it.

In addition to accepting care from your friends and family, make sure to return the favor Nurturing close relationships may result in decreased stress levels, improved immunity, and an extended lifespan.

Conscientious people may also have lower blood pressure and fewer psychiatric conditions, as well as a lower risk of diabetes and heart or joint problems This might be partly because conscientious individuals are less likely to take dangerous risks or react negatively to stress — and more likely to lead successful professional lives or be responsible about their health 79 , 80 , Mobility and activities of daily living ADLs disability trajectory profiles derived from a 3-Class latent class model class 1: maintaining independence over time; Class 2: shifting to accommodation or difficulty; Class 3: shifting to assistance.

There were stepwise associations between behavioral and disability outcomes with more favorable self-care behavior patterns i. TABLE 3. Associations of individual self-care behavior or self-care behavior patterns at baseline and patterns of change in mobility disability over time: Results from latent class regression analysis after adjusting for age, sex, race, and education.

TABLE 4. Associations of individual self-care behavior or self-care behavior patterns at baseline and patterns of change in activities of daily living ADLs disability over time: Results from latent class regression model applied to each individual self-care behavior or self-care behavior pattern after adjusting for age, sex, race, and education.

During the 5-year follow-up period, 1, participants died. The group who had a favorable vs. unfavorable baseline self-care behavioral pattern lived a median of 2. Among decedents, those who had a favorable vs. unfavorable baseline self-care behavioral pattern lived 1.

TABLE 5. Summary of baseline characteristics by self-care behavioral patterns among those who died over the 5-year follow-up period — a. TABLE 6. unfavorable behavioral pattern at baseline. In this study, we operationalized eight self-care behaviors that older adults can engage in to decrease their risk of losing functional independence due to disability as they age.

More specifically, a favorable self-care behavioral pattern displayed less medication management by others and fewer non-physical activities.

For mobility disability outcomes, a favorable self-care behavioral pattern had a substantial reduction in shifting into the assistance class and a sizeable reduction in shifting into the class of needing accommodation or having difficulty. A similar trend emerged for the ADLs disability outcomes, except for a more modest reduction in shifting into the class of needing accommodation or having difficulty.

In addition to evaluating how favorable and unfavorable patterns factor into a more independent profile, we assessed how these patterns manifest in mortality among older adults. Among participants who died during the 5 years, those with a favorable pattern of self-care behaviors had 0.

Our findings emphasize that a favorable self-care behavioral pattern promotes a more independent profile among older adults, in comparison to an unfavorable self-care pattern. These results complement existing literature, which specifically address how self-care behaviors are modifiable and may influence other self-care behaviors.

Jacob et al. For instance, Varma et al. Strengths of this study include examining the combined effects of health-promoting self-care behaviors, which to our knowledge has not been done previously, in order to evaluate their influence on prolonging independence as one ages.

Furthermore, baseline self-care behaviors remained stable over time in the NHATS cohort, allowing this measurement to be a valid proxy for follow-up periods up to 5 years.

This study provides evidence of the late-lifestyle, independent of other risk factors. Those with a favorable self-care pattern promotes a more independent profile compared to those with an unfavorable pattern. A favorable self-care pattern can be applied from early adulthood to avoid disability in later life as a result of accumulated unhealthy lifestyle patterns.

Limitations may include the inability to draw causal inference. The baseline behavioral patterns may have been affected by underlying health status, such as preclinical disability. Larger representation of Black and Hispanic participants will allow for future stratified models.

Assessing more comprehensive combinations of self-care behavior and new controlled-effectiveness trials in assessing the validity of self-care behavioral interventions for older adults are needed.

The National Council on Aging sponsors a low-cost, week self-care behavioral program, known as the Aging Mastery Program® AMP , that addresses six of the self-care behaviors that we studied, including: physical activity, sleep, medication management, healthy relationships and community engagement.

A quasi-experimental study demonstrated that AMP was an effective program that improved physical activity and advanced care planning among older adults McCallion et al. Second, there was a differential risk decrease depending on the self-care behavior; thus, future resources should target those with stronger effects.

Third, we found that health-promoting self-care behaviors compress disability. Finally, our findings support further rigorous effectiveness trials of a comprehensive, community-based self-care behavioral program in older adults, such as the Aging Mastery Program ® AMP , that was feasible to implement and scale-up, covering a broad range of health-promoting self-care behaviors.

The studies involving human participants were reviewed and approved by The Columbia University Medical Center IRB approved this secondary analyses IRB-AAAR TM and Q-LX conceptualized the study, contributed to project administration and resources, and conducted the supervision of the study; TM and Q-LX conducted the formal analysis, the methodology, the software, the visualization, and the writing original draft of the study; and TM, Q-LX, and SK conducted the writing review and editing of the study.

These secondary analyses were supported by John Hancock through the Columbia Population Health Partnerships, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, New York. The National Health and Aging Trends Study NHATS is sponsored by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Aging Grant Number NIA U01AG through an agreement with the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers.

Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher. The authors would like to acknowledge Dr. Judith Kasper for her significant contribution to this work. Aging Mastery Program National Council on Aging.

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