A healthy lifestyle is associated with lower mortality in elderly individuals

Common unhealthy lifestyle habits, such as smoking, high consumption of alcoholic beverages, poor dietary patterns, or low physical activity, have each been associated with mortality in middle to older-aged adults. Previous studies have suggested that a combination of healthy lifestyle behaviors is associated with the strongest improvement in healthy longevity and reduced risk of mortality.

The current Australian study of more than 11,000 community-dwelling older people investigated whether a combination of current healthy lifestyle habits are associated with a prolonged lifespan and a reduced mortality from specific causes. The results showed that a healthy lifestyle score comprising of modifiable lifestyle factors such as non-smoking, moderate consumption of alcoholic beverages, a healthy dietary pattern and physical activity was associated with a prolonged lifespan: each additional lifestyle factor was related to a 16% lower risk of all-cause mortality, 25 % lower risk of cardiovascular diseases mortality and a 25% lower risk of “other” mortality. Adherence to all four lifestyle factors resulted in the strongest protection. The current data found no association between lifestyle and cancer-related mortality. The current results provide compelling evidence that individuals adhering to a healthy lifestyle in older age have a significantly reduced risk of earlier mortality.

The authors concluded that, in healthy older individuals, moderate exercise, a healthy dietary pattern, moderate consumption of alcoholic beverages and non-smoking was associated with a 44% reduced risk of all-cause mortality, when compared to those complying to ≤ 1 healthy lifestyle factor. They noted that their findings suggest the likely value of engaging or continuing to engage in multiple healthy lifestyle behaviors in older age.