If you really want to live a long and healthy life, there are some things you can do to increase your chances!
Of course, you might already know some of the following, scientifically proven tips: get enough sunlight, keep an active social life, get enough sleep, stay active and make sure your mood is up as much as possible!
At the same time, your diet actually plays an even bigger role, certain foods being able to boost one’s life expectancy while others do the opposite.
But aside from all of that, new research now shows that there is a certain vitamin that you can take for that boost that could ultimately help lengthen your life expectancy!
Vitamin A in a higher concentration can do just that so it might be time to get some supplements – or just change your diet!
The research was published in journal BioMed Research International not too long ago and as part of the study, the researcher team looked at a number of different circulating metabolites and antioxidants and compared their presence to the participants’ lifespans.
That being said, they were not able to link a long life to vitamins such as E and C for instance, but instead, they concluded that a higher concentration of vitamin A over a longer period of time was what actually contributed to people living longer.
In case you might think it was nothing but a coincidence and that the participants that lived longer because of other reasons just happened to also have higher levels of vitamin A, the link between the two was actually determined to be causal, which means it actually had a direct effect on their longevity.
At the same time, it needs to be noted that the author of The Fiber Effect: Stop Counting Calories and Start Counting Fiber for Better Health, Nichole Dandrea, told Eat This, Not That in an interview that the study only analyzed people of European descent so there is a possibility the results may not apply to a general degree.
Another thing she notes in the same interview is that the scientist team did not make any distinctions between whether the participants were getting their vitamin A intake through their food or through supplements.
As a result, she actually suggests that people should stick to following a diet filled with all kinds of vitamins for now, meaning that supplements of vitamin A may not actually be needed for a long life as long as people eat foods rich in vitamin A anyway.
She states that “I would not run out to grab vitamin A supplements after learning about this study. Instead, I think it is important … to keep the study in the back pockets as just good-to-know information while continuing to consume fruits and vegetables that are really good sources of carotenoids such as leafy greens, bell peppers, carrots, and sweet potatoes.”
