Sizable Mortality Risk Differences for Healthy versus Unhealthy Lifestyles in Later Life
Researchers here look at a sizable set of epidemiological data for people in their 70s, and note that the difference in outcomes between healthy and unhealthy lifestyles is sizable. This is much as one might expect from other studies of late life mortality and its relationship with lifestyle choices. It is certainly possible that the next few decades will see the advent of first generation age-slowing and rejuvenation therapies that will add a decade to human life span, but why make it harder to achieve additional years of good health?
Unhealthy lifestyle behaviours such as smoking, high alcohol consumption, poor diet, or low physical activity are associated with morbidity and mortality. Public health guidelines provide recommendations for adherence to these four factors, however, their relationship to the health of older people is less certain. This study involved 11,340 Australian participants (median age 73.9) from the Aspirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly (ASPREE) study, followed for a median of 6.8 years. We investigated whether a point-based lifestyle score based on adherence to guidelines for a healthy diet, physical activity, non-smoking and moderate alcohol consumption was associated with subsequent all-cause and cause-specific mortality.
In multivariable adjusted models, compared to those in the unfavourable lifestyle group, individuals in the moderate lifestyle group (Hazard Ratio 0.73) and favourable lifestyle group (Hazard Ratio 0.68) had lower risk of all-cause mortality. A similar pattern was observed for cardiovascular related mortality and non-cancer/non-cardiovascular related mortality. There was no association of lifestyle with cancer-related mortality. In conclusion, reported adherence to a healthy lifestyle is associated with reduced risk of all-cause and cause-specific mortality. Adherence to all four lifestyle factors resulted in the strongest protection.
Not surprised there wasn't a big cancer link as that seems to get a lot of people that live pretty healthy lives. Smokers obviously raise their chances though. I would like to see what the differences are in people that make it to their 80s or 90s despite drinking pretty regularly and having other habits like that and the many of the same lifestyle people dying in their 40s and 50s doing that from heart attacks and liver failure etc.
Also...BMJ/Sports Medicine reports:
'Sedentary time was associated with higher mortality risk but only in individuals accumulating less than 22 min of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) per day. Higher MVPA levels were associated with lower mortality risk irrespective of the amount of sedentary time.'
https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/early/2023/10/06/bjsports-2022-106568
My grand uncle was a severe alcoholic, he drank like a fish and even claimed he didn't drink water. But he was still chasing after women in his 90's and died at the young age of 104, go figure. Disclaimer: I don't recommend adopting his lifestyle.
Yep I have seen a few like that make it to 90. There must be some reason their liver and heart held up like that while many others doing the same thing don't even make it to 65.
Yep, one of my best friends died last year at age 59. He was an alcoholic, was found dead at a bus stop, something about the brain issue caused by alcohol.
I am not surprised that smoking was by far the most significant variable, or that activity level was the second most significant variable. Any epidemiological study of diet is hopelessly confounded by healthy user bias and other factors , and thus pointless.
I think 2023 will be the break through year for public mindshare. Look at this ad, found at of all places Zerohedge: https://www.zerohedge.com/sponsored-post/revolutionizing-longevity-billion-dollar-quest-eternal-life
Once the incentives to NOT ignore this are in place, progress will accelerate.