Evidence suggests that healthy lifestyle habits can help people not just live longer but spend more years in good health. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s Frank Hu was one of the experts quoted in a Jan. 2, 2025, Healthline article on New Year’s recommendations for healthy habits.
“Maintaining a healthy weight across life stages is critical for healthy aging and for improving both lifespan and healthspan,” said Hu, Fredrick J. Stare Professor of Nutrition and Epidemiology and chair of the Department of Nutrition. He noted that weight loss and physical activity are associated with reduced chronic disease risk.
Other science-backed strategies mentioned in the article included adopting a dietary pattern high in healthy fats and vegetables and low in heavily processed foods and sugar, such as the Mediterranean Diet, and avoiding smoking.
Experts quoted in the article advised focusing on changes that are sustainable, such as making gradual healthier food swaps based on personal and cultural preferences, or finding small opportunities for movement over the course of the day.
Read the Healthline article: 5 Science-Backed Ways to Live a Longer Life
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<br>Frank Hu
