Can Everyday Habits Add Years To Your Life? What Three Big Studies Found, And Where Yoga Fits

By Chris Lalor, Certified Senior Iyengar Yoga Teacher and certified Yoga Therapist, Flametree Yoga Darwin

Healthy lifestyle habits start with what we do each week.

Healthy lifestyle habits and chronic disease: the short answer

Four ordinary habits. In a German study of 23,153 adults, people who kept all four had a 78% lower risk of developing a chronic disease than people who kept none. Two other large studies, in England and the United States, found the same pattern for healthy lifestyle habits: fewer deaths over the years people were followed, and longer projected lives. None of these studies tested yoga. But the habits they counted are the ones a regular yoga and breathing practice is built around, and that is the idea behind our new Yoga For Health Conditions Encyclopaedia.

Here is the article in short form:

• Four habits, 78% lower risk of chronic disease (German study).
• No healthy habits, about four times the risk of dying (English study).
• Five habits, 14 more years for women from age 50 (US study).
• These studies show a link, not proof of cause.
• None of them measured yoga, pranayama or breathwork.
• Yoga sits on the same side of the ledger as these habits.
• Our encyclopaedia checks the yoga trials, condition by condition.
• The next step: come and try a class.

Three big studies at a glance.

Who are we, and why are we writing about this?

We are Flametree Yoga Studio in Darwin, and we teach Iyengar yoga. It is the style developed by Mr BKS Iyengar. In the 20th century he did more than anyone to codify traditional Indian yoga, through his books and his teaching. He also pioneered the use of props, such as blocks, belts and chairs, so more people can do the poses well. His style is sometimes called modern classical yoga.

We sell yoga classes. We would rather say so up front.

But there is a bigger reason too. Long-term illness touches almost every family. These studies suggest lifestyle and chronic disease are closely linked. If ordinary habits go with much less illness, that matters to everyone, whether or not they ever come to a class.

So here is what the big studies found, what they cannot tell us, and where yoga fits.

What did the German study find?

People who kept all four healthy habits had a 78% lower risk of developing a chronic disease (a long-term illness, such as diabetes or heart disease, sometimes called a lifestyle disease) than people who kept none.

The study is called “Healthy living is the best revenge”. It was published in Archives of Internal Medicine in 2009 by Earl Ford and colleagues. They followed 23,153 German adults, aged 35 to 65, for an average of 7.8 years. It is part of a long-running study in the city of Potsdam.

The four habits were:

1. Never smoking.
2. A body mass index (a weight-for-height measure) under 30.
3. At least 3.5 hours of physical activity a week.
4. A healthy diet: plenty of fruit, vegetables and wholegrain bread, and not much meat.

Only about 9% of people kept all four.

Those who did had a 93% lower risk of diabetes, an 81% lower risk of heart attack and a 36% lower risk of cancer, compared with people who kept none.

Four everyday habits, and what the German study found.

What did the English study find?

People with none of four healthy habits had about four times the risk of dying over the study than people with all four.

Kay-Tee Khaw and colleagues published this in PLoS Medicine in 2008. They followed 20,244 adults in Norfolk, England, aged 45 to 79, for about 11 years.

The four habits were:

• Not smoking.
• Not being physically inactive.
• Drinking moderately (1 to 14 units of alcohol a week).
• Eating about five serves of fruit and vegetables a day, checked by a blood test for vitamin C.

The authors put the gap in a way that sticks. Having none of the four habits was like being 14 years older.

Moderate drinking was one of the habits these researchers counted. That is what the study measured. It is not a suggestion to start drinking.

What did the US study find?

Women who kept five healthy habits were projected to live 14.0 more years from age 50 than women who kept none. For men, it was 12.2 years.

Yanping Li and colleagues published this in Circulation in 2018. It drew on two long American studies of nurses and other health professionals, with up to 34 years of follow-up.

The five habits were:

• Never smoking.
• A healthy weight (a body mass index of 18.5 to 24.9).
• At least 30 minutes a day of moderate to vigorous activity.
• Moderate drinking.
• A good-quality diet.

These are projections, worked out from the data. They are not years anyone has been promised.

Five habits, and the extra years the US researchers projected.

What can’t these studies tell us?

These are big, careful studies. They still have limits, and you should know them.

• They show a link, not proof of cause. They are observational studies (researchers watch what people do, rather than assigning them a habit). So they cannot prove the habits caused the better health.
• People who keep healthy habits may differ in other ways. They may have more money, less stress at work, or better access to good food. The researchers allowed for some of this, but no study can allow for everything.
• The groups were not everyone. The US study was mostly health professionals, and mostly white. The German and English studies were from one region each.
• None of the three studies measured yoga, pranayama or breathwork. Not one. So we are not saying yoga was tested here.
• A link for a group is not a guarantee for one person. Some people keep every habit and still get sick. Some people keep none and live long lives.
• None of this replaces medical care. It sits alongside it.

The limits to keep in mind.

So why write about them at all? Because the pattern is strong, it repeats across countries, and it points at things we can change this week.

Where does yoga fit in?

Yoga and breathing practice sit on the same side of the ledger as these habits.

Look at the list again. Movement is on every one. A yoga class is movement: standing, bending, twisting, balancing and holding your own weight. Some studies above set a weekly target for physical activity, and regular classes count towards it.

Calming down is the next link. Many of our students come to the morning pranayama classes (yogic breathing practice) because they want a quieter mind. Slow, steady breathing helps switch the body out of “fight or flight” and into “rest and digest”. We have written more on how yoga, breathing and mindfulness connect in our guide to yoga and mindfulness.

Then there is awareness. In a pose you have to notice your feet, your breath, your back. Over time, many students tell us that the same noticing spreads into the rest of the day: what they eat, how they sleep, when they need to rest.

Sleep was not one of the habits counted in these three studies. But it is one of the most common things our students tell us has changed since they started.

Stress and sleep turned out to be a big enough question for their own post. We look at what large studies found about stress, sleep and longevity, how much sleep you need, and what yoga can and cannot do, in Stress And Sleep: Can Calmer Days And Better Nights Help You Live Longer?

Weight is one of those everyday habits. In a review of 23 yoga studies, 22 found some weight loss, and the bigger losses came with regular practice and calmer eating. We look at what made the difference in Yoga And Weight Loss: What 23 Studies Found.

So yoga’s knowledge comes in three kinds:

• Known from practice. Teachers and students have found over thousands of years that a steady practice calms the mind and steadies the body.
• Supported by research. Many trials of yoga and yogic breathing have found real benefits for particular conditions.
• Still being studied. Plenty has not been tested yet. Not yet tested is not the same as not working.

Yoga and breathing practice support the same habits the big studies point to, and the evidence comes in three kinds.

Why is yoga a good choice of exercise for a long, healthy life?

Any regular movement counts towards the habits in the big studies. Yoga adds a few extras that fit them well.

We are not saying yoga beats other exercise. Nobody has tested that. But here is what yoga brings on top of the movement, and where we look at each one in more detail.

• It calms you down. In a study of 68,222 English adults, high stress was linked with almost twice the risk of dying over about eight years. Reviews of yoga trials found lower cortisol (the stress hormone) and resting heart rate, and less anxiety. See Stress And Sleep.
• It can help you sleep. About seven hours a night was linked with the lowest risk in large studies. Reviews of yoga trials found better sleep, although results varied. The same post covers it.
• It helps with weight, in a gentler way. In a review of 23 yoga studies, 22 found some weight loss. Calm and mindful habits seemed to matter more than the calories burned. See Yoga And Weight Loss.
• You can start where you are. With props, you do not need to be fit or flexible, and the poses can be set up around sore knees, backs and shoulders. This one is known from practice.
• Many students keep it up for years. That matters, because the habits in the big studies only count if you stick with them.

Has yoga been shown to help people live longer? Not yet. The biggest trial, Yoga-CaRe (3,959 people after a heart attack), found no clear difference in heart events. So we say it plainly: yoga supports the habits that the big studies link with longer, healthier lives, and it adds calm and better sleep on top. Not yet tested is not the same as not working.

What is the Yoga For Health Conditions Encyclopaedia?

It is our free, growing guide to what yoga and yogic breathing offer for health conditions, one condition at a time.

It starts from a list of 117 conditions published in June 2019 by Dr Timothy McCall. He is a US medical doctor who worked with Mr BKS Iyengar and wrote Yoga as Medicine.

For each condition, we have:

• Checked the trials of yoga and yogic breathing, and labelled each one by study type (a review of many trials, a large trial, a single trial or an early pilot).
• Looked for newer studies published since 2019.
• Included the wider family of yogic breathing, not just one technique.
• Set out what Mr Iyengar and the yoga doctors who worked with him said.

We have done this carefully, and we will keep extending it as new research comes out. So far there are 53 guides. Taking all the research together for each one (we call this the overall evidence), 28 guides are rated Strong, 16 are Moderate, 8 are Limited and 1 is Not yet tested. That rating says how much the research supports yoga for the condition. It is not a promise for any one person. See how we rate the research, condition by condition. The point is simple: so you can see the evidence for yourself and decide how you want to look after your health.

Browse it here: Yoga For Health Conditions. You can also see Dr McCall’s full list: the A to Z view.

How we built the Yoga For Health Conditions Encyclopaedia.

How can you start a healthy lifestyle in Darwin?

The big studies agree on one thing. What we do each week matters.

You do not need to be flexible, fit or young to start. Our classes are adapted to the people in the room, with props to make each pose work for your body. You can come to the studio in Darwin or join LIVE online.

If you have been meaning to start, or to come back, this is a good moment. See our class times here. New to yoga? Beginners start here. Done yoga before, or coming back? Start here.

Come and try a class. See how you feel after a few weeks.

Frequently asked questions

Do healthy lifestyle habits really lower the risk of chronic disease?

In large studies, yes, they were linked with much less chronic disease. In a German study of 23,153 adults, people who kept four healthy habits had a 78% lower risk of developing a chronic disease than people who kept none. These studies show a link, not proof of cause.

Which habits did the big studies count?

Not smoking, being physically active, a healthy diet and a healthy weight came up in the studies. Two of the three also counted moderate drinking. The English study checked fruit and vegetable intake with a blood test.

How many extra years are healthy habits linked with?

In a US study, women who kept five healthy habits were projected to live 14.0 more years from age 50 than women who kept none. For men it was 12.2 years. These are projections, not promises.

Did these studies test yoga?

No. None of the three studies measured yoga, pranayama or breathwork. We are not saying they did. Yoga supports the same habits they counted, such as moving regularly and calming the mind.

How does yoga fit with these habits?

A yoga class is regular movement, and yogic breathing calms the mind. Many students also tell us they become more aware of what their body needs, including food and rest. Our encyclopaedia sets out the yoga research condition by condition.

What is the Yoga For Health Conditions Encyclopaedia?

It is Flametree’s free guide to what yoga and yogic breathing offer for health conditions. It builds on Dr Timothy McCall’s June 2019 list of 117 conditions, labels each trial by study type, rates the overall evidence for each condition and adds newer studies.

Do I need to be flexible or fit to start yoga?

No. Iyengar yoga uses props such as blocks, belts and chairs so each pose suits your body. Classes are adapted to the people in the room, from beginners up.

Where can I do yoga and pranayama in Darwin?

Flametree Yoga Studio teaches Iyengar yoga and pranayama in Darwin, and LIVE online across Australia. Morning yoga and pranayama classes are popular with people who want a calm start to the day. See the class times on our website.

Sources

Each study below was checked against its published abstract on PubMed or Europe PMC on 6 November 2026.

1. Ford ES, Bergmann MM, Kroger J, Schienkiewitz A, Weikert C, Boeing H. Healthy living is the best revenge: findings from the European Prospective Investigation Into Cancer and Nutrition-Potsdam study. Archives of Internal Medicine, 2009. PubMed 19667296
2. Khaw KT and colleagues. Combined impact of health behaviours and mortality in men and women: the EPIC-Norfolk prospective population study. PLoS Medicine, 2008. PubMed 18184033
3. Li Y and colleagues. Impact of healthy lifestyle factors on life expectancies in the US population. Circulation, 2018. PubMed 29712712

Flametree Yoga Studio, Darwin and LIVE online. This page is general information, not medical advice.