Five Ways To Live Long and Prosper

There are proven and effective ways we can extend our lifespan without the need for futuristic drugs and therapies. Here are five ways to significantly improve life expectancy.

Smoking is so deadly that it gets the first mention on this list, cutting around 10 years off a person's life Luckily, you can regain most of those lost years by quitting before the age of 35.

Serious mental illness can reduce life expectancy by between up to 20 years - more than smoking, according to research .

While not as easy to avoid as smoking, those suffering from mental illness can still benefit from seeking help.

Physical exercise counters almost all drivers of age-related mortality , including depression and anxiety.

A pharmaceutical product with the same benefits as 30 minutes of exercise would be hailed as a miracle drug, yet only 1 in 4 adults get the recommended 150 minutes of weekly exercise.

Just as exercise lowers most causes of age-related mortality, being overweight accelerate many aspects of the ageing process. Conversely, calorie restriction and fasting can protect against many age-related diseases.

Finally, we must acknowledge that genetics play an important role in longeivty. While we cannot change our genes, recognising a family history for a disease can allow us to take early preventative measures.