Want to live a healthier, longer life? Go low risk.

Researchers find that adopting a healthy lifestyle at mid-life is associated with a longer life expectancy free of major chronic diseases.

They looked at five “low-risk” healthy habits – never smoking, a healthy body mass index (BMI) of 18 to 25, moderate to vigorous physical activity for at least 30 minutes per day (including brisk walking), moderate alcohol intake and a healthy diet.

Results show that a healthy lifestyle is associated with a 7.4-15.7 years longer life expectancy at the age of 50 years and that most of these extra life years are free of chronic diseases.

Here's the original research paper in the BMJ

https://www.bmj.com/content/368/bmj.l6669