Spain tops the ranking of countries with the highest life expectancy of the planet. Thanks to the Mediterranean diet, social relationships and a climate that invites physical activity, one of its inhabitants will live on average almost 80 years. However, there are 10 aspects that will mean any man on the planet will live two decades longer on average than his peers.
“We are truly amazed simply by how much you can gain by adopting one, two, three or all eight life factors.“acknowledged Xuan-Mai T. Nguyen, a specialist at the Illinois College of Medicine and author of the study. In summary, the men who adopt 8 healthy habits They live 24 years longer on average and the women that follow the same pattern reach 21 more years on average in your life.
The striking conclusion arises from a scientific investigation with approximately 719,000 adults over 40 years of age whose lifestyle habits and medical history were analyzed for 8 years.
Mónica López, from Beldon Medical and doctor in internal medicine, advises following these habits:
“If I had to give 3 tips to live longer and better, they would be the following:
Restful sleep: Sleeping 7 to 8 hours a day is essential for a good rest. During sleep, our body repairs and rejuvenates itself, contributing to a healthier, longer life. Proper sleep hygiene is also essential for cognitive and emotional function.
Adequate hydration: Staying well hydrated is essential for the optimal functioning of our body. Water is essential for key biological processes, and dehydration can negatively affect our health and quality of life.
Avoid tobacco: Smoking is linked to a number of serious health problems, including cardiovascular disease and cancer. Quitting smoking or avoiding tobacco altogether is one of the most important steps you can take to live better and longer.”
And… what kind of training do we do to live longer?
“Without a doubt, strength training, combined with aerobic exercise, such as swimming, easy running, dancing. In more detail, strength training, performed at least twice a week for sessions of 30 to 45 minutes, is essential to maintain the muscle mass and strength as we age. This is crucial for maintaining independence and preventing falls and fractures. Additionally, complementing strength training with aerobic exercise, such as swimming, light running or dancing, improves cardiovascular health, increases endurance. and contributes to a longer and more active life.
What does it mean to have a better quality of life as we get older?
“The body has memory. We must cultivate quality of life from a young age; but without a doubt, I would highlight: healthy, unprocessed eating. Avoid excessive and harmful sun exposure. Maintain physical and mental vitality. And something fundamental is to promote social relationships, plans with friends. The human being is social by definition. The mind and spirit need human relationships to maintain their health.
Those foods that make us live longer and those that, conversely, make us live less.
“To live longer: antioxidants such as nuts, fruits (for example, whole grapes, with skin, rich in resveratrol) and fresh vegetables, oily fish, olive oil and whole grains. On the contrary, there are foods or substances that we consume that promote cellular oxidation and therefore shorten the life of cells, with an increase in the speed of aging, such as: salt, sugar, alcoholic beverages, trans fats (such as margarine )”.
To what extent is rest important when it comes to living longer?
“Sleep as much as the body needs. That is, there is no standard, because each individual is different. In general, for an adult, the minimum hours of daily sleep are between 6 and 7 hours.”
Is self-care the future of a better and longer life? What treatments do you recommend?
At Beldon we like to talk about Health Medicine. That is, learning to know ourselves and achieving our best version. Not only in the field of aesthetic medicine, but also in longevity medicine: individualized diet plans, physical exercise, mental health, disease prevention according to my medical history, nutritional supplementation…
The 10 habits that extend life by 24 years
The factors that help you live longer and reduce the risk of death by up to 45% are the following:
- Be physically active.
- Not being addicted to opiates.
- No smoking.
- Know how to manage stress.
- Follow a healthy diet.
- Do not abuse alcohol or get drunk often.
- Develop good sleep hygiene.
- Have positive social relationships.
They all help extend life, but each one’s effect is different. For example, Poor sleep quality, poor diet, getting drunk and experiencing stress can increase the chances of premature death by 20%while social relationships provide only a 5% improvement compared to the rest of the conditions. This is because the first factors mentioned favor the premature appearance of cardiovascular disorders and diseases, type 2 diabetes or some motor and mental disabilities.
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Another novelty pointed out by specialist Xuan-Mai T. Nguyen in the presentation of the results at the NUTRITION 2023 convention is that it is never too late to increase the life expectancy associated with habits. “Any time is good. The sooner the better, but even if you only make a small change when you’re in your 40s, 50s, or 60s it will still be beneficial.“said the researcher.
Javier Bragado is an expert in nutrition and other health topics. It tries to keep up to date with new research to disseminate the latest discoveries and trends on this website. Plus, he has the pressure of a family with dietitians-nutritionists and crosfitters, so he better be precise with what he writes about food and fitness.
On a professional level, when podcasts did not exist, Javier Bragado worked on several radio stations (Onda Cero, Cadena Ser), although now his production focuses on web writing. In fact, it is quite common to find him as the author of texts (sometimes extra long) on sports news after two decades of experience in the EFE agency and the Colpisa agency. With special attention to less conventional profiles in sport such as cycling, tennis, football and athletics of any gender.
Graduated from the Complutense University, he completes his profile as a journalist with his subsequent degree in Geography and History at the UNED, which is why it is common to see him writing about great and small figures of humanity, investigations and studies about the past.
He relies on his academic knowledge and respect for history professionals and their sources. Which is not at odds with his eclectic love of reading Eastern and Western books and comics.
On the other hand, Javier Bragado is also a lover of experiencing sport firsthand and has practiced a couple of martial arts and combat sports in his youth, although without experience in competition.
If you have come across a report signed by him about John Wick, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Michele Yeoh and the action film community, know that he is among those who enjoy those choreographies of distributing candy. However, now he has taken up swimming, because he is no longer young and prefers not to be hit in the head while taking care of his cardio.
If you see an error in one of his texts, you can let him know through one of his social networks because he is always willing to acknowledge these notices (and correct when necessary). Just in case, check that the second last name is “Herrero” so as not to confuse him with the excellent photographer of the music world Javier Bragado. And if you have a problem that you need to solve in other ways, contact Team A, they are the experts in that field.