Statistics show that people, on the whole, are living longer lives nowadays. Scientists contribute much of this longevity to the fact that older people are taking care of themselves better than ever before. In fact, it has been shown that men over the age of 90 are living longer because of how they started taking care of themselves from the age of 70 and on.

Likewise, women are living longer, even in the face of serious diseases, because of the way they stay active in their later years. Being active is the key to living longer.

It seems to be the same story over and over again about living a healthy lifestyle to gain longer years... pulling a longer life out of a bag is just not going to happen. The best way to ensure a longer life is to quit smoking, watch your cholesterol and blood pressure, and stay active with physical exercise. It also helps a great deal to have a hobby or activity that keeps your mind working. Mental health is an important ingredient to living longer as well.

Who is Living Longer Around the World

Many factors control longevity statistics around the world, but it is interesting to take a look at the averages to see where in the world people are living the longest and the shortest.

Here is a quick look at some of the numbers:

Andorra tops the list with a male life expectancy at 84 years of age and females at 86 years of age. Japan has the next highest life expectancy rate with males at 82 and females at 85 years of age. The U.S. comes in with a life expectancy of 78 for males and 80 for females. The numbers are similar for the countries between Japan and the U.S. The lowest life expectancy rates are in Swaziland, with males at 32 and females at 33. All countries combined put the world life expectancy at 66 for males and 68 for females.

Risk Factors to Watch Out For

The two main risk factors that cut a person short of their life expectancy are obesity and smoking. Scientists conducted a study of men who lived past the age of 90 and found that it was how they took care of themselves after the age of 70 that determined their longevity. It did not seem to matter how they lived their life before that golden age, but how well they did after, especially with losing weight and ceasing to smoke.

So, what does this tell us about longer life? It tells us that no matter where you are right now, if you want to live a long and fruitful life, you need to maintain a better lifestyle to reduce risk factors that can lead to early death. We can also learn that mental and physical activity do make a difference in longevity and give us the power to cope with disease rather than caving in to it.