45 tips that will help you live to 100 – and love it!

Alcohol consumption is responsible for a staggering one in 20 deaths globally each year. If you’re female, limit yourself to 10 drinks per week, and no more than two a day. If you’re male, don’t exceed 15 per week, or three a day.

Try these 5 drinks to help you lose weight. 

The lycopene in this red fruit has antioxidant properties. In study findings published on the Annals of Internal Medicine website, lycopene lowered the risk of dying over a six-year period by 18 per cent. For cancer-related deaths, it was a 54 per cent reduction.

In a Harvard-led study, people who ate a few nuts every day – including walnuts, almonds or cashews – were 20 per cent less likely to die over a 30-year period.

People with low levels of this vitamin appear to have a higher rate of death. A supplement doesn’t guarantee you’ll live longer, but a study in The BMJ found evidence that it may lower the risk of death from cancer.

Discover 10 ways to make vitamins and minerals work better for you.

This beverage is linked to longer life, possibly because the caffeine content helps our bodies fight chronic inflammation. Count your cups and stop at five per day; otherwise you increase your risk of cardiovascular disease. If you prefer decaf, you won’t get the caffeine benefits, but you’ll still be taking in antioxidants.

Even light-intensity physical activity, like sweeping the floor or washing dishes, appears to lengthen your life – with every minute you do, your chances of dying go down, according to a 2019 report in The BMJ. “This suggests that older people and those who are not able to be physically active at higher intensities will still benefit from just moving around,” wrote one of the report’s authors, who was from the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences.

You’ll gain more health benefits when physical activity is combined with mental stimulation and social interactions. “In my lab, we use the tag line ‘lifestyle cross-training,’” explains psychologist Stuart MacDonald at Canada’s University of Victoria, where he investigates the neuroscience of ageing. “There’s some basic science suggesting that your memory functions better if you’re also physical. And if you choose an activity where you get to see your friends, you’re more likely to keep doing it.”

You’ll gain more of the health benefits of brisk walking, like lower blood pressure and protection for your bones, if you can increase your speed. In fact, walking faster reduces risk of death by almost 18 per cent over eight years.

Even if you meet your daily physical-activity goals, it won’t eliminate health problems associated with sitting for long periods, including stroke and cancer – you still need to get up regularly. Research led by the American Cancer Society showed that people who sit for at least six hours a day have a 19 per cent greater risk of dying.

According to research on men and women over 40, published this year in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, just one hour of leisure walking per week appears to reduce the death rate by 18 per cent compared to totally inactive individuals.

Here’s what happens to your body when you start walking 10,000 steps a day.