Eight lifestyle factors linked to decreased risk for premature mortality

Key takeaways:

• Veterans who adopted eight lifestyle habits had a 13% lower risk for mortality compared with those who adopted none.
• However, a study author said the results do not imply casual effects.

BOSTON — In a study of more than 700,000 veterans, researchers found that eight healthy lifestyle factors adopted by middle age were associated with a lower risk for premature mortality.

“Noncommunicable chronic diseases are associated with over 80% of all health care dollars and are the main cause of morbidity and mortality in the U.S.,” Yanping Li, a visiting scientist at the Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System, told Healio. “Studies have found that approximately 90% of diabetes, 80% of coronary heart disease and 70% of cardiovascular mortality can be attributed to unhealthy lifestyle habits.”

The researchers evaluated links between mortality and longevity with eight therapeutic habits: being free from opioid addiction, being physically active, not smoking, having a good diet, having good sleep practices, maintaining low stress, not binge drinking and having good social relationships.

The analysis included questionnaires and medical record data from 719,147 U.S. veterans aged 40 to 99 years who were enrolled in the Million Veteran Program from 2011 to 2019.

The researchers identified 33,375 deaths over a follow-up period of 1.13 million person-years. Overall, they found that low physical activity, opioid use and smoking were each associated with a 30% to 45% higher risk for death, according to a press release. Meanwhile, binge drinking, poor diet and poor sleep hygiene were associated with an approximately 20% increased risk for death, while a lack of positive social relationships was linked to a 5% increased risk for death.

The multiadjusted HRs for mortality were:

• 0.95 (95% CI, 0.93-0.98) for those with positive social relationships;
• 0.82 (95% CI, 0.8-0.84) for those with good sleep practices;
• 0.81 (95% CI, 0.79-0.83) for non-binge drinkers;
• 0.79 (95% CI, 0.77-0.8) for those with good diets;
• 0.78 (95% CI, 0.77-0.8) for those with little stress;
• 0.71 (95% CI, 0.69-0.73) for nonsmokers;
• 0.62 (95% CI, 0.59-0.66) for those with no opioid use disorder; and
• 0.54 (0.53-0.56) for those physically active.

Compared with veterans who did not implement any of the lifestyle factors, those who adopted all eight factors had a 13% reduced risk for all-cause mortality.

The mortality rate per 1,000 person years was:

• 72.6 for those who adopted zero factors;
• 46.3 for those who adopted one factor;
• 36.3 for those who adopted two factors;
• 29.8 for those who adopted three factors;
• 25.2 for those who adopted four factors;
• 20.8 for those who adopted five factors;
• 15.7 for those who adopted six factors;
• 12.3 for those who adopted seven factors; and
• 7.4 for those who adopted all eight factors.

Men who adopted the eight lifestyle factors by age 40 years were estimated to live 23.7 years longer than those who did not, and women who adopted them were estimated to live 22.6 years longer, according to the researchers.

One important limitation to the study “is that our estimations are based on observational data and causality cannot be assumed from our findings,” Li said.

“Although we have carefully controlled for confounding factors, our results do not imply causal effects,” Li said. “It is critical to not overinterpret the findings considering the observational nature of our study.”

References:

• Nguyen X, et al. Eight modifiable lifestyle factors associated with increased life expectancy among 719,147 U.S. veterans. Presented at: NUTRITION; July 22-25, 2023; Boston.
• These eight habits could lengthen your life by decades. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/995553. Published July 24, 2023. Accessed July 24, 2023.