Combining small changes in diet, exercise and sleep may extend life

A modeling study of nearly 60,000 UK Biobank participants suggests that combined small improvements in sleep, physical activity and diet could add about one year of life, while larger combined changes were projected to add more than nine years; the authors note these are theoretical projections rather than proven causal effects.

A new modeling study examined how combined changes in diet, sleep and exercise relate to lifespan and health span. Researchers used data from almost 60,000 participants in the UK Biobank followed for about eight years to create theoretical scenarios of lifestyle change. The study reports that modest combined changes could be associated with around one extra year of life, while larger combined changes were associated with much larger gains. The lead author emphasized the results are projections and do not establish cause and effect. Key findings: - The analysis used data from nearly 60,000 people in England, Scotland and Wales drawn from the UK Biobank and followed for an average of eight years. - In a modeled scenario, adding about five minutes of sleep, two minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity and a half cup more vegetables daily was associated with roughly one additional year of life for people starting from very poor baseline behaviours. - The largest modeled gain — about 9.35 years of life and 9.46 years of health span — combined 42 to 103 minutes of activity, seven to eight hours of sleep, and a very healthy diet including fish, whole grains, vegetables and fruits. - Adding exercise had the biggest modeled effect on longevity, a point noted by an external prevention cardiologist who cautioned against interpreting small minute targets as fixed goals. - The study defined health span as years free of major conditions such as cardiovascular disease, dementia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and type 2 diabetes, and found combined improvements were associated with longer health span as well as lifespan. - External review noted the paper used complex statistical methods that were not always described clearly, making it harder to separate modeling choices from signals in the data. Summary: The study presents theoretical projections that combining improvements in sleep, diet and physical activity could be associated with longer lifespan and more years free of major disease, based on UK Biobank data and statistical modeling. Undetermined at this time.