EJPC: Five Factors May Add 11 Years to Men’s Lives

Quitting smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, and having healthy blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels in middle age are associated with an average increase in life expectancy of nearly 11 years. Finnish researchers reached this conclusion in a study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.

The researchers analyzed data from 2,690 men born between 1919 and 1934 who underwent medical examinations as part of the Helsinki Businessmen Study. The participants were followed for an average of 40 years, through January 2025.

The researchers identified five favorable health factors: not smoking, a body mass index below 25, systolic blood pressure below 140 mmHg, total cholesterol below 6.0 mmol/L, and the absence of significant spikes in blood glucose levels after drinking a glucose solution.

Men who met none of the five favorable criteria lived an average of 31.8 years after their first examination. Those who met all five criteria lived 42.7 years — nearly 11 years longer.

“The likelihood of reaching the age of 90 also differed substantially: 6.8% of men with none of the favorable factors reached that age, compared with 41.9% of participants who had all five,” the researchers noted.

The researchers also assessed the health of participants who survived into old age. Among men with zero or one favorable factor, 24.5% showed signs of frailty — a decline in physical strength and endurance. In the group with all five favorable indicators, the figure was 2.2%.

In addition, men with a favorable cardiovascular health profile reported better physical health, higher energy levels, less pain, greater social activity and better overall health on average.

However, the study does not prove that these five factors directly extend life across all age and sex groups. According to the authors, the participants were predominantly men from the same social class and ethnic group, so the findings cannot automatically be generalized to the entire population.