Healthy lifestyle increases longevity in those who have multiple chronic conditions
Those who have two or more chronic conditions like asthma, hypertension, and cancer, had increased lifespan because they engaged in a healthy lifestyle.
There is just more reason for people to exercise, to aim for a healthy diet daily, and to quit smoking, since a new study showed that these three can help increase longevity even if a person has one or more chronic conditions.
The study published in the PLOS Medicine journal entitled, "Healthy lifestyle and life expectancy in people with multimorbidity in the UK Biobank: A longitudinal cohort study," found that those who have two or more of the 36 known chronic conditions like asthma, hypertension, cancer, depression, diabetes, and migraine, had increased lifespan because they engaged in a healthy lifestyle.
Researchers from the UK monitored 93,736 middle-aged adults, who had two more chronic conditions. The researchers closely tracked them for up to nine years. Using four lifestyle factors namely, smoking, diet, alcohol consumption, and leisure-time physical activity, the researchers determined how these will impact the participants' longevity.
The team found out that men's longevity was increased by 6.3 years, and women for up to 7.6 years because of a healthy lifestyle. This was regardless of the existence of multiple chronic conditions.
It was identified that non-smoking gave the biggest health benefit. They ascertained that at age 45, smokers lived five or six-years lesser than non-smokers. The next in line was regular physical exercises. Those who engage in this activity were found to live for one to 2.5 years more. The researchers saw that low alcohol intake and a healthy diet showed smaller benefits.
Yogini Chudasama, statistician, and epidemiologist at Leicester's Diabetes Research Center stated that in the study, they found how abstinence from smoking increases an individual's life expectancy for up to seven years. She also said that she's hoping that their findings will show it's never too late to make lifestyle changes.
The researchers noted though that their study had some limitations. For one, more than 95 percent of the participants were white. Their socioeconomic status can be considered as "affluent" compared to the general population in the UK. Since the study was observational, hence, it only establishes a link instead of a cause.
The study highlights how an overall healthy lifestyle can act as a counterbalance against the negative associations between having multiple chronic conditions and longevity.
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