What Is Longevity: Definition and How to Achieve It

Modern society places heavy emphasis on anti-aging and longevity. To make informed choices, it’s important to understand realistic expectations and how much your diet and lifestyle can actually extend your life.

Human longevity has improved significantly over the past century, and it’s constantly improving thanks to modern advances in science. But there’s still a long way left to go if we’re going to extend our lifespans beyond what is the current global norm.

In this post, we’ll take a closer look at what longevity is, how it differs from life expectancy and health span, and what factors decrease or increase our longevity. We’ll look at how your genetics, lifestyle, diet, exercise, and mental health all contribute to your longevity.

Кeep reading all the way to the end, because we’ll talk about preventive health measures you can take, as well as the future of longevity research and how it may be the key to living a longer and healthier life!

What is Longevity?

The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines longevity as “a long duration of individual life” and “length of life.” [1]

The Cambridge Dictionary defines it as “living for a long time.”[2]

Longevity Terms Defined

You may often see the word “longevity” used interchangeably with terms like “lifespan”, “healthspan”, or “life expectancy”. These all have their own definition, which while similar, are different enough to be worth noting here.

As you saw above, the termlongevity is used to describe a “long duration of individual life” or “living for a long time”. It’s often used as a comparative with other creatures of the same species, or when contrasting two species.

Lifespan, on the other hand, typically refers to the amount of time (in years) members of a certain population have been observed to survive. It’s typically used when talking about “average lifespan” or “maximum lifespan”.

In contrast, life expectancyrefers to the amount of time a person is expected to live. Typically, this is based on a variety of factors—everything from species and race to gender, current age, environment, and genetics.

Healthspanis used to describe how long an individual or being remains healthy during their lifespan. A person can fall ill and be outside their healthspan for years before their death at the end of their lifespan.

Longevity Facts and Stats from USA and Around The World

Human longevity, life expectancy, lifespans, and healthspans are all increasing.

The average life expectancy of a human being was 32 years from birth in 1900. Since 2021, life expectancy has more than doubled to an average number of 71.

A number of technological and societal advances have contributed to this increased lifespan and life expectancy. They include poverty reduction, greater access to clean water, sanitation systems, and improved nutrition above all. But other factors such as better neonatal healthcare and medical treatment also play a role, along with antibiotics, vaccines, medications, and increased public health efforts.

In the U.S., as of 2021, average life expectancy was 77.5 years—80.2 years for females, 74.8 years for males. That is notably above the global average, and better than much of the world.

As of 2023, life expectancy around the world was:

• 79.1 years in Europe and Oceania;
• 77.3 years in the Americas;
• 74.6 years in Asia;
• 63.8 years in Africa.

While major events like the two World Wars, the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and the COVID-19 pandemic have all impacted global life expectancy, overall, longevity has been increasing around the world.

Factors That Influence Longevity

Many factors influence longevity, both positively and negatively. There are quite a number of them, and each can affect your healthspan and life expectancy in a variety of ways.

Genetics and Longevity: What We Know

Genetics play a role in your longevity in a number of ways.

Some genes have been linked to a longer human lifespan, including:

• FOXO3;
• APOE;
• CETP.

However, these genes are not found in all individuals who have demonstrated above-average longevity.

Blood samples taken from centenarians indicate a higher-than-average presence of genes that facilitate faster repair of damaged cells and tissues.

Some genes can also make you more resilient to disease, increasing longevity.

On the flip side, other genetic traits make you more prone to developing health problems, chronic diseases, medical conditions, or age-related diseases that might shorten your lifespan or healthspan. Genetics may also reduce cellular activity or slow down repairs, contributing to an accelerated rate of biological aging.

Environmental Factors That Affect Longevity

Your environment will have a direct impact on how quickly or slowly you age.

If you live in ideal conditions with a lot of green spaces, clean air, and a slower pace of life, you will be exposed to significantly less stressors and pollutants. By contrast, people who live in polluted cities with minimal green spaces and lead highly stressful, fast-paced lives are more prone to accelerated biological aging.

People who are frequently exposed to potent chemicals, heavy metals and metal particulates, and vehicle exhaust have noticeably shorter life expectancy than those who are not.

The Role of Diet and Nutrition in Lifespan

The food you eat may be among the most important factors affecting your longevity, and most likely to have a noticeable negative or positive impact.

If you eat a diet high in trans fats, artificial ingredients, processed foods, and low nutritional value, you are depriving your body of nutrients critical to making cellular repairs and maintaining homeostasis. Your body is more likely to deteriorate at a faster rate earlier on, shortening your healthspan and lifespan both.

By contrast, a healthy diet rich in critical nutrients can reduce, slow, and even potentially reverse biological aging and keep you healthy and living longer.

A healthy diet for longer longevity includes the following:[3]

• Vegetables;
• Fruits;
• Nuts and seeds;
• Whole grains;
• Legumes;
• Minimal red meat consumption;
• No processed meat or artificial foods;
• No junk food.

One study [4] found that a plant-forward, Mediterranean-style diet reduced all-cause mortality rates by a staggering 23% among participants.

The foods listed above provide a healthy balance between complex carbohydrates, lean proteins, and healthy fats, along with plenty of the vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber required for a healthy, well-functioning body.

Exercise and Physical Activity for Longevity

Exercise is another major lifestyle factor for greater longevity.

Exercise can reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke, prevent heart disease, and combat the muscle wasting and bone mass loss common with aging. It can also balance your hormones, improve your balance to reduce fall and injury risks, improve your mood, help you sleep better, and so much more.

Physical exercise—everything from running and cycling to weightlifting, HIIT, dancing, martial arts, Yoga, and team sports—is crucial for increasing your longevity and improving your overall health.

Doing the recommended 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise every week is key to a longer, healthier life.

Additional Lifestyle Factors for a Longer Life

Other factors that can impact your longevity either positively or negatively include:

• Smoking. Smoking damages your lungs and blood vessels, increases your risk of cardiovascular disease, impacts your skin, decreases your oral health, and elevates your cancer risk. Quitting smoking entirely is one of the best things you can do to protect your longevity.
• Drinking alcohol. Excessive alcohol intake can damage your liver, cause weight gain, impair your immune system, contribute to depression risk, and elevate your cancer risk. Moderate alcohol intake (1-2 drinks per day, no more than 5 per week) can improve your health, but in excess, it can be seriously damaging.
• Hydrating. Drinking more water facilitates healthier function of all your internal organs and systems. Aim for 3-5 liters per day.
• Sleeping more. Good sleep quality stabilizes your mood, enhances cognitive function, facilitates cellular repair, and effectively keeps every one of your internal systems ticking along smoothly.

Sleep deprivation, on the other hand, makes you more susceptible to disease, impairs cognition, slows cellular repair, and increases your risk of chronic health conditions. A solid 6-8 hours of sleep per night is essential for a long and healthy life.

Mental Health’s Impact on Lifespan

Research [5] suggests that “Mental disorders are associated with substantially reduced life expectancy.”

People with mental health conditions are more likely to abuse alcohol and drugs, exercise less, eat poorly, and may be at higher risk of dying due to unnatural causes, disease, and suicide.

Mental health conditions often exist in tandem with other medical conditions (either causing or caused by those conditions), which can lead to reduced lifespan.

Social Connections and Their Role in Longevity

There is an immense wealth of research [6] that makes it clear: creating and maintaining social connections improves your well-being and increases your lifespan.

Loneliness is a health risk factor. Isolated individuals face higher rates of disease, depression, chronic stress, cognitive decline from brain changes, and autonomic nervous system dysfunction.

People who actively connect with their community and maintain healthy relationships have a 50% greater chance of long-term survival from disease, and a statistically significantly longer life expectancy.

Preventive Care and Regular Screenings

Preventing disease is typically exponentially more effective for extending your lifespan than simply treating it once it presents.

By the time symptoms present, the damage has already been done, and it takes your body a great deal of time and effort to make repairs. By contrast, had you caught the disease or medical condition in its early stages and prevented the damage, there would be far less negative impact to your organs, tissues, or internal systems, requiring less repair to restore the body to homeostasis.

Regular check ups and screenings—in the form of mammograms, heart check-ups, prostate checks, pap smear tests, colon cancer screenings, and diabetes screenings—will help you detect any issues before they become serious. Then, you can address them before they cause long-term impact on your health.

Future Research and Innovations in Longevity

Science is constantly making new discoveries in longevity science.

In the beginning of 2025 alone, there have been breakthroughs in:

• Drug-based lifespan extension [7]
• Possible anti-aging treatments for wrinkling skin and graying hair [8]
• Biotechnologies for fighting cardiovascular disease [9]
• Enzyme-activating compounds to reduce and reverse cellular decline [10]
• and so many more…

Every year, new and amazing secrets of the human body are unlocked. And with every following one, our understanding of how our immensely complicated internal mechanisms work increases.

Wrapping Up

You only have one life to live, and only so many years to live it in. While science may one day unlock the key to immortality through anti-aging drugs or technology, we’re not there yet. So all you can do is operate on the information we all have and make the smart choices that will extend your lifespan.

Follow a healthy diet, choose an environment that is as free of pollutants and toxins as possible, exercise more often, make smart and healthy lifestyle choices, protect your mental health and social connections, and get regular medical screenings to detect and address issues that could affect your healthspan and lifespan both.

Make these changes to your life, and you’ve got a much better shot at greater longevity!

While these daily choices can greatly influence how long and well you live, there are also advanced nutritional tools designed to support your body at the cellular level and further enhance longevity.

Restore Life contains science-backed ingredients to make you look and feel younger. Plus, it also has some exceptional benefits for your skin, blood sugar, bones, heart, joints and cellular health. 

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Click here to learn more about Restore Life and find out how it can change your future for the better by helping your body regenerate, improving autophagy, and allowing you to live your best, youngest, and healthiest life!

Frequently Asked Questions

Which blood type lives the longest?

Type O blood is the blood type most likely to live longest, due to lower risk of cardiovascular disease, reduced likelihood of malaria, and lower probability of stomach cancer [11].

What is the biggest predictor of longevity?

In one study that compared a variety of factors [12], social connections and relationships was the factor that affected longevity most prominently—even more than living conditions, subjective experiences, social and demographic standing, and overall functioning. Research [12] also suggests that maximal oxygen uptake (VO2 Max), grip strength, balance, leg strength, muscular power, and muscle mass are all significant predictors of longevity.

What is the maximum lifespan of a human?

The Guinness World Record for “Oldest Person Ever” (verifiable through legal documents and history records) is held by Jeanne Louise Calment, who was born in 1875 and died in 1997. She lived for a total of 122 years and 164 days.

Resources

Longevity

Longevity: Lifestyle strategies for living a healthy, long life

What do the terms life expectancy, lifespan, longevity and health span mean?

Lifespan

Is longevity determined by genetics?

Life Expectancy