Evaluating lifestyle factors associated with mortality in the elderly

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We evaluated the association between lifestyle factors and mortality in the elderly by analyzing the data of 30,000 subjects aged 65 years or older, enrolled in a large scale cohort study. As with middle-aged subjects, having a healthy lifestyle (not smoking or drinking heavily etc.) reduced mortality risk, even among the elderly. At the age of 60, a 9.6-year increase in life expectancy for men and an 8.2-year increase for women was found for those with the most healthy lifestyles compared to those with the least healthy. However, unlike with middle-aged subjects, we found that not obesity but a lower BMI increased mortality risk. Furthermore, risk values of those with fewer social roles (such as spouse, parent, and worker) were lower among elderly subjects compared with the middle-aged.