Longevity is about more than adding years to life; it's about adding life to your years. With an average life expectancy in the U.S. now standing at 77.5 years, medical and living conditions have so dramatically altered what we think we know about aging. But though genetics do have a part to play, they only account for 25% of lifespan variation. Lifestyle choices are where the real game changers are.

This article explores science-backed habits that transcend survival into helping you thrive. It discusses nutrition, mental health, and more to unravel the secrets of a longer, healthier, and fulfilling life.

Balance of Genetics and Lifestyle

Longevity simply put means living a long life. Life expectancy has dramatically improved over the years, from an average of 47 years in 1900 to over 77 years today. However, there is a catch- it is not only about living long but also living those years well.

According to research, only one-fourth of our lifetime is genetically determined, whereas the remaining part is created by our environment, diet, exercise, and lifestyle. This fact brings home a strong message- most of our lives are under our control, and so is our ability to have longer and healthier lives.

8 Habits of Highly Long-Lived People

A study that recently was released during a presentation at Nutrition 2023, an annual research conference in Boston, told of eight powerful habits leading to an immense improvement of life longevity. Using more than 700,000 data records on US veterans aged between 40 to 99 years old in its study, researchers reveal that embracing those habits around age 40 adds roughly 23 and 24 years of life among women and men, respectively. Such habits are as follows:

1. Physically activity .

2. Smoke less .

3. Maintaining an appropriate stress level.

4. Maintaining nutrition

5. Limit drinking.

6. Proper sleep hygine.

7. Having a positive social relationship with other people

8. Not using opioid drugs to solve their problems.

Among these, physical inactivity, smoking, and opioid use were the most harmful and increased mortality risk by as much as 45%. Stress, poor diet, excessive alcohol consumption, and lack of sleep followed closely, contributing to a 20%–30% increase in mortality risk.

What is Nutrition' Role in Longevity

What you eat directly influences your body's cells, impacting not only your lifespan but also your healthspan—the years you spend in good health. A diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats supports immune function, repairs cellular damage, and reduces inflammation.

On the other hand, foods that contain higher sugar and unhealthy fats would compromise the body's body defenses and increase the vulnerability to chronic diseases like diabetes, cardiovascular problems, and obesity.

The Mediterranean diet, emphasizing fresh produce, olive oil, fish, and nuts, has been consistently associated with longer lifespans and risks of chronic illness.

Role of Exercise

Exercise is one of the most effective ways to enhance longevity. Physical activity strengthens the heart, lungs, and muscles, improves balance, and maintains a healthy weight. These benefits collectively reduce the risk of life-threatening conditions such as heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.

Besides the physical benefits of exercise, it also works to improve mental health. Doing yoga, swimming, or even brisk walking boosts mood, reduces stress levels, and helps in enhancing sleep quality, all which contribute to a longer life.

Scientific evidence has shown that even if one engages in 30 minutes of daily movement, it can prolong life span and significantly improve overall wellness.

Stress Management and Social Connections

Stress is part of life; however, chronic stress becomes a silent killer. Chronic stress causes an elevation in cortisol, which triggers inflammation, suppressed immune response, and risk for chronic diseases such as hypertension and diabetes.

The transformation for fighting stress comes through such techniques as mindfulness meditation, deep breathing, and exercise. Equally important, though, are positive social relationships. Consistent evidence from studies indicates that strong social ties have a relation to better mental and physical health outcomes. Through family, friends, or the community, meaningful connections mitigate against stress and loneliness for a longer life.

Sleep

Sleep is the body's healing time. Poor sleep hygiene is known to disrupt hormones, weaken immunity, and compromise cognitive function, accelerating the aging process. Therefore, it is essential for the quality of rest achieved through consistent sleep schedules and the creation of a pre-bedtime routine that leads to a calming effect with little screen time before getting to bed. Experts maintain that adults need 7-9 hours of uninterrupted sleep per night to support optimal health and longevity.

Alcohol and Opioid Use

While moderate alcohol consumption—such as an occasional glass of red wine—may have health benefits, excessive drinking can cause liver disease, addiction, and premature death. Opioid misuse is still a major public health crisis with far-reaching implications for individual health and societal well-being.

The bottom line? Moderation is the key, and seeking professional help for substance use disorders can be life-saving.

Why Striving for a Quality Life Matters

Adding years to your life is one thing, but longevity means making sure those years are lively, meaningful, and full of purpose. The habits backed by science listed above form a roadmap to achieve that balance.

From a nutrient-rich diet and being active to managing stress and nurturing relationships, small, consistent changes can yield profound results. Take charge of your health today-not just to live longer, but to live better.

Because every choice you make shapes the legacy of your life.

Eight Modifiable Lifestyle Factors Associated With Increased Life Expectancy Among 719,147 U.S. Veterans. Nutrition. 2023

Laughing gas or nitrous oxide is making headlines not for its role in dental clinics or surgical procedures, but as a potential treatment for depression. Once only considered a part of short-term anaesthetics used to relieve pain or anxiety during surgical procedures, like childbirth, nitrous oxide is now gaining attention in the world of mental health research for its potential to alleviate symptoms of depression, especially in people who have not responded to traditional treatments.

Even A Low Dose Of Laughing Gas Provides Rapid Relief From Depression

Several studies in recent years have shown that even a low dose of laughing gas can provide rapid relief from depressive symptoms. Unlike conventional antidepressants, which can take weeks to show results, nitrous oxide has demonstrated an almost immediate impact in some patients. Scientists believe this fast-acting effect could be a game-changer in managing treatment-resistant depression.

How Was The Research Conducted?

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine and the University of Chicago conducted clinical trials on people with severe depression who had not responded well to typical medications. Participants were given a single one-hour inhalation session of nitrous oxide. Remarkably, many reported relief from symptoms within just a few hours, and in some cases, the effects lasted for several days.

Laughing gas is thought to work differently from traditional antidepressants, which usually act on serotonin and other neurotransmitters. Nitrous oxide instead affects the NMDA receptors in the brain, which are involved in mood regulation and cognitive functions. This is similar to how ketamine—another fast-acting antidepressant—works. However, nitrous oxide has the added advantage of being less intense and more manageable in terms of side effects.

Patients who received nitrous oxide in the study experienced a noticeable reduction in their depression scores, even when given low concentrations of the gas. Researchers found that a 25% concentration of nitrous oxide was nearly as effective as the 50% dose but caused fewer side effects, such as nausea or dissociation.

Nitrous Oxide Has Advantage Over Others-Its Long Term Medical Use

One of the reasons nitrous oxide is being seriously explored as a depression treatment is its accessibility and long-standing safety profile. It has been used in medical settings for over 150 years, primarily for pain relief. Its safety, low cost, and ease of administration make it an appealing option for rapid intervention in psychiatric emergencies, particularly for those at risk of suicide.

Still, experts caution that laughing gas is not a magic bullet. While it shows promise, more research is needed to understand its long-term effects and how often it can be safely administered without causing dependency or neurological issues. It also needs to be administered under medical supervision. Mental health professionals are optimistic, though. With increasing cases of depression worldwide and many patients not responding to current treatments, the medical community is on the lookout for new and effective therapies. Laughing gas may not be the ultimate cure, but it represents a promising step forward.

Scientists at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine are making significant progress toward developing a brain-computer interface (BCI) that could help people with tetraplegia (paralysis) restore their lost sense of touch. In the new study published in Nature Communications, participants explored digitally represented objects using an artificially created sense of touch. Through the interface, they described sensations as vivid as the warm fur of a purring cat, the smooth, rigid surface of a door key, and the cool roundness of an apple. This collaborative effort between the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Chicago represents a major step forward in neuroprosthetics.

Unlike earlier experiments—where artificial touch often felt like undifferentiated buzzing or tingling—this study introduced a novel feature: BCI users had control over the details of the electrical stimulation that generated their tactile sensations. By enabling participants to personalise their sensory input, scientists were able to help them recreate intuitive and meaningful experiences.

"Touch is an important part of nonverbal social communication; it is a sensation that is personal and that carries a lot of meaning," said lead author Ceci Verbaarschot, Ph.D., assistant professor of neurological surgery and biomedical engineering at the University of Texas-Southwestern and a former postdoctoral fellow at Pitt’s Rehab Neural Engineering Labs. "Designing their own sensations allows BCI users to make interactions with objects feel more realistic and meaningful, which gets us closer to creating a neuroprosthetic that feels pleasant and intuitive to use."

BCI converts Brain Activity Into Signals

A brain-computer interface converts brain activity into signals that can replace, restore, or enhance bodily functions normally controlled by the brain, such as movement. BCIs can also be used to restore lost sensations by directly stimulating the brain, essentially bypassing damaged neural pathways. Over the last decade, Pitt researchers have shown that a paralysed individual can feel sensation using a mind-controlled robotic arm. However, those sensations lacked nuance—touching a person’s hand felt no different than grasping a hard rock.

In this new study, researchers moved closer to creating a realistic, intuitive sense of touch. BCI users were able to "design" different tactile experiences for objects displayed on a screen and could identify objects based on sensation alone—though not perfectly. Participants, all of whom had lost hand sensation due to spinal cord injuries, were challenged to match stimulation settings with sensations like petting a cat or touching an apple, key, towel, or toast.

Sensations Were Subjective

Describing their sensations in rich and subjective detail, one participant noted a cat felt "warm and tappy," while another described it as "smooth and silky." Even when images were removed and participants had to rely solely on touch, they correctly identified the objects 35% of the time—better than chance. "We designed this study to shoot for the moon and made it into orbit," said senior author Robert Gaunt, Ph.D., associate professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Pitt. "Participants had a really hard task... and they were quite successful.

Vanellope Hope Wilkins made medical history in 2017 when she was born with her heart outside her body—a condition so rare it's described by experts as "one of a kind." Recently, she underwent a procedure wherein doctors split open her ribs to insert her heart back into her chest cavity. After the successful operation, they shared how they performed the seemingly impossible surgeries.

Born in the UK with a condition known as ectopia cordis, Vanellope underwent three major operations at Glenfield Hospital in Leicester to place her heart back inside her chest. The hospital says it knows of no other case in the UK where a baby with this condition has survived. Now seven years old, Vanellope has undergone groundbreaking surgery to reconstruct a protective cage around her heart—using her own ribs. Since then, she has worn a brace around her chest for protection.

She lives with complex medical needs and requires one-to-one care 24 hours a day. Vanellope is autistic and non-verbal, but according to her mother, Naomi Findlay, 39, from Clifton, Nottingham, she is "a happy little thing" who "brings a lot of joy and happiness." Speaking to the BBC, Naomi said she is extremely proud of the fact that her daughter has not only survived her rare medical condition but also achieved. "It makes me extremely proud to see how far she's come, what she's overcome, and what she's achieving. It's a real journey of strength and bravery... she's so brave," Naomi said, adding that saying goodbye at the theatre door before surgery is always emotional.

How Was It Done?

The surgical team carefully decided that the timing was right for this next step. Vanellope was placed on a bypass machine, which temporarily took over the function of her heart and lungs. This allowed her heart to deflate, making it easier to perform the “very tricky” procedure.

Surgeons first detached part of her heart—the right ventricular outflow tract—and the pulmonary artery from where it had fused to her skin. Then came the bilateral rib osteotomy, a procedure involving breaking her ribs on both sides. The ribs were then repositioned to create a protective cage around her heart.

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