New research published this week in The New England Journal of Medicine quantifies the impact of lifestyle choices on longevity,finding that managing cardiovascular risk factors can add years to life expectancy. The international study, analyzing data from over two million people across 39 countries, underscores the significant-and perhaps preventable-burden of heart disease, which remains the leading cause of death worldwide. Researchers determined that avoiding or controlling factors like high blood pressure, smoking, diabetes, and obesity can significantly delay the onset of cardiovascular events and extend lifespan, with the most significant gains seen through hypertension management and smoking cessation.
Reducing key risk factors like diabetes, high blood pressure, and smoking could add years to your life, according to a new international study. Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death globally, and this research highlights the significant impact lifestyle choices have on longevity.
Around 350,000 deaths per year in Germany are attributed to heart and circulatory diseases, making them the most common cause of death in the country. The study underscores the importance of proactively managing health risks to potentially extend lifespan.
Researchers have now quantified just how much of a difference these lifestyle changes can make.
Study Examines the Impact of Risk Factors on Lifespan
An international team of researchers, led by German scientists, investigated how avoiding or controlling specific cardiovascular risk factors affects life expectancy. Their findings, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, were based on an analysis of data from over two million people across 39 countries.
The scientists used modeling to calculate the risk of heart and circulatory diseases – such as heart attack or stroke – for individuals with and without five classic risk factors, which account for roughly half of all cardiovascular disease worldwide:
- High blood pressure
- Smoking
- Diabetes
- Underweight or obesity
- High cholesterol levels
Individuals with Risk Factors May Live Over a Decade Less
The study revealed that individuals aged 50 who had all five risk factors experienced a heart or circulatory event earlier in life compared to those without these factors. Men with all five risk factors experienced an average reduction in lifespan of 10.6 years, while women experienced a reduction of 13.3 years. The average lifespan for women with all risk factors was 14.5 years shorter, and for men, 11.8 years shorter, suggesting these factors may have a more pronounced effect on women.
According to an independent assessment by Welt.de, Professor Dr. Ulrich Laufs, Director of the Clinic and Polyclinic for Cardiology at the University Hospital Leipzig, explained that these risk factors often amplify each other. The study found a particularly strong association between smoking and high blood pressure. Quitting smoking between the ages of 55 and 60, for example, could add two years to life expectancy. An additional 1.7 years could be gained by also managing blood pressure. Successfully avoiding all five risk factors between the ages of 55 and 60 was associated with an estimated increase in life expectancy of approximately five years. This research reinforces the idea that it’s never too late to improve your lifestyle, avoid risk factors, and prevent cardiovascular disease.
