We’ve written before at HuffPost UK about how everything from when you eat breakfast to how late you fall asleep and even the way you walk might affect your longevity.
Reassuringly, simple, conventional advice about staying on top of your heart health and getting in tune with your body clock might help you to boost your odds of a longer life.
Speaking to Vatican News, biologist and winner of the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Dr. Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, says he follows three such rules to improve his own longevity.
So, what are his rules?
Dr Ramakrishnan, who has written a book called Why We Die, says he, “came to the conclusion that the trio of a moderate and healthy diet, regular exercise, and adequate sleep is probably better than anything out on the market today in terms of supplements or drugs.”
He adds that avoiding social isolation probably helps, too.
Those pearls of wisdom might seem a little well-worn compared to the shiny, controversial experiments with longevity people like Bryan Johnson get involved with – but they’re much better backed.
The American Medical Association says that working out two to four times above the recommended amount is associated with a 26-31% decrease in all-cause mortality.
A paper published in Nature says that improving UK diets could lead to 10 years more life.
And 2024 research found that men who sleep well live, on average, five years longer than those who don’t.
The expert says we’re at a longevity “crossroads”
“We’re at a crossroads in terms of where we are in terms of life expectancy,” Dr Ramakrishnan told the publication at the Vatican Longevity Summit this year.
“Biology has made great strides in understanding the causes of ageing and for the first time is trying to see if we can do something about tackling ageing itself as opposed to tackling specific diseases.”
While this makes him wonder “what will it mean for society if we all start living longer”, he adds that his advice should work as well for the Pope (the longevity summit was held at the Vatican) as it does the rest of us.
“As [the Pope] gets better, the trio that I suggested would work for him, just as it would for anybody else,” the Nobel prize winner ended.
