1. The gap between maximum life expectancy and healthy life expectancy is widening

（1）Since 1960, the average life expectancy has increased by 19 years worldwide, but the healthy life expectancy (i.e. the number of years of life without major diseases or disabilities) has not increased at the same rate. Of the extended life expectancy, nearly 50% of the population is in poor health condition, especially the elderly who suffered from chronic diseases and disabilities.

（2）For example, the average life expectancy of elder Chinese who are over 60 years old is 8 to 10 years, and the medical expenses account for 22% of the elderly's consumption.

（3）Globally, non-communicable diseases (such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, and neurodegenerative diseases) account for 69% of the disease burden and have become the main threat to healthy life expectancy.

2. Potential growth of the anti-aging market

（1）Technological innovations (such as gene editing, drug development, and cell therapy) are driving the extension of healthy life expectancy, and the global market of anti-aging intervention is expected to exceed 600 billion US dollars by 2035.

（2）For instance, CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) technology has achieved targeted elimination of senescent cells, and the efficiency of AI drug development has increased by 300%.

CRISPR is a gene editing technology derived from the natural immune system of bacteria. It uses RNA-guided DNA endonucleases (such as Cas9) to accurately cut, insert or modify specific gene sequences, and is known as "gene scissors."

According to multiple studies conducted by the McKinsey Health Institute (such as “The 2022 Global Strategy for Aging and Health” and “The 2024 Healthy Cities”), the following four core strategies are crucial for extending healthy life expectancy:

1. Invest in disease prevention and early intervention

（1）While preventive measures (such as early screening for diseases and cognitive training in elderly) can reduce the risk of chronic diseases by 30% to 40%, only 2.8% of the global health budget is spent on disease prevention.

（2）China needs to strengthen its geriatric medicine capabilities. Currently, only one-third of Chinese hospitals have Geriatric Medicine department, and the ratio of Geriatricians to patients is less than 1:10,000.

2. Promote cross-professional cooperation and innovative ecology

（1）Industries other than healthcare (such as high-tech and finance) can participate in healthy aging through age-friendly products (such as smart monitoring devices) and innovations in elderly care service models (such as networks for elderly care communities).

（2）For example, game companies develop barrier-free controllers to help elderly people with limited mobility.

3. Optimize healthy city and community construction

Cities are key scenarios for health interventions. By improving the environment (such as reducing air pollution) and increasing access to medical care, we can increase the number of years of high-quality life worldwide by 20 billion to 25 billion years.

4. Empowering personal health management

By promoting the "four-dimensional health" framework (physical, mental, social, and spiritual health) in combination with digital tools (such as health monitoring apps), we can enhance the self-management capabilities of the elderly.

1. Lifestyle interventions published by Lancet research

（1）Adhering to the four habits of not smoking, drinking less, eating healthily, and exercising actively, it can reduce the risk of all-cause mortality by 44% and can extend life by 4 to 5 years even if you have a "short-lived gene".

（2）For instance, people over 60 years old who walk 6,000 to 8,000 steps a day have a 27% to 31% lower risk of death.

2. Synergy between technology and policy

（1）Easy access to affordable anti-aging products, such as NAD+ supplements, could reduce healthcare spending by 22% and promote health equity.

（2）Delaying retirement and improving productivity are essential measures to cope with the pressure of an aging economy. In this regard, Germany needs to increase working hours by 5.2 hours per week to maintain its living standards.

Persistently doing 4 small things can really prolong your life

In 2023, a study by researchers from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention on more than 360,000 participants with an average age of 65, which was published in the journal The Lancet Healthy Longevity, found that adhering to four healthy lifestyles can significantly reduce the risk of death and prolong life, even for individuals with high genetic risks.That is:

1. Non-smoker (or quit smoking ≥ 5 years);

2. Drink less alcohol (≤30g alcohol/day for men, ≤15g for women);

3. Active exercise (≥150 minutes of moderate intensity or ≥75 minutes of vigorous intensity per week);

4. Healthy diet (consume ≥5 kinds of vegetables/fruits per day, and ≥4 servings of beans/fish per week).

Key findings of academic research

1. Significantly reduced risk of death

（1）Those who adhere to all four healthy lifestyles have a 32% lower risk of all-cause mortality;

（2）The risk of cardiovascular death was reduced by 38% and the risk of cancer death was reduced by 21%.

2. Life extension effect

（1）Compared with those who adhered to only 0-1 of the four healthy lifestyles, those who adhered to all 4 healthy lifestyles had an additional 5.7 years of life expectancy at age 65 (5.5 years for men and 6.0 years for women).

3. Cumulative gain effect

（1）For every additional healthy behavior adhered to, the risk of death decreased by approximately 8%-12%, and there was no gender or regional difference.

Practice advice

Based on the research findings, the following core information can be extracted for the public:

"4×30 rule": do it at least 5 days a week:

1. 30 minutes of exercise (such as brisk walking, swimming);

2. 30% of the plate is vegetables or fruits;

3. 30g of alcohol is the daily limit for men (half the limit for women);

4. 3Never smoking or quit smoking before the age of 30;

Community intervention focus: Promote the "diet-exercise-smoking cessation" trinity health program for the elderly.

In addition, Evidence-Based Medicine published a study in April 2024, which analyzed 350,000 European adults. It was found that adults who followed four healthy lifestyle habits of "no smoking, regular exercise, adequate sleep, and healthy diet", could extend their life expectancy by 5.2 years at the age of 40, and that adults who adhere to the four healthy lifestyle habits can offset the effects of 62% of the “short-lived gene”.

A study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine in July 2024 pointed out that quit smoking at any age can extend life expectancy, with the most significant extension in young people. People who quit smoking at 65 or older can still extend their life expectancy. People who quit smoking at the ages of 35, 45, 55, 65 and 75 will have an increase in life expectancy of 8.0 years, 5.6 years, 3.4 years, 1.7 years, and 0.7 years, respectively, compared to those who continue to smoke.

These studies prove that doing these 4 small things really helps to prolong life.

A study published in the Public Library of Science-Medicine in 2022 reported that simply changing your diet can extend your life: the earlier you change, the more you will extend your life, up to 13 years of life expectancy. Even elderly people who start changing their diet at the age of 60 can still benefit from it.

If you start at the age of 20 and add more beans, whole grains, nuts, less red meat, and processed meat to your diet, you can expect to extend your life expectancy by more than 10 years. The life expectancy of men and women can be extended by 12.9 years and 10.6 years, respectively.

A prospective cohort study of more than 330,000 adults with an average age of 56 years old was published in the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association in 2023. It was found that compared with the non-walking group, walking 90 to 720 minutes per week can reduce the risk of death by 27% to 31% and extend life expectancy by approximately 6 years.

Studies also found that extending telomeres may be a potential mechanism for physical activity to promote longevity, and the impact of walking on telomere length and lifespan is particularly significant.

Of course, if you want to maximize the benefits of walking, there are optimal recommended steps for different ages. A study of nearly 47,000 people was published in The Lancet Public Health in 2022 and found that the optimal daily walking steps for people of different ages are:

（1）For people aged 18 to 60, taking 8,000 to 10,000 steps a day can reduce the risk of death the most.

（2）People over 60 years old who take 6,000 to 8,000 steps a day have the greatest reduction in death risk.

In February 2023, the official website of the American College of Cardiology (ACC) published a study that tracked data from more than 170,000 adults with an average age of 50, observing their health from 2013 to 2018. The impact of sleep on life expectancy was quantified, and five "gold standards" of sleep that help prolong life were summarized.

（1）Sleep 7-8 hours per night;

（2）No more than 2 times a week of difficulty in falling asleep;

（3）No more than 2 times a week of insomnia;

（4）Do not take any sleeping pills;

（5）At least 5 days a week of feeling good after wake up.

Studies have shown that if a person’s sleep can achieve these five ideal conditions, the risk of all-cause mortality will be reduced by 30% and life expectancy can be extended by an average of 5 years.