Evergreen guide · Practical foundations
10 things you can do for a longer, healthier life
What human evidence actually supports—and where the longevity claims get ahead of the science.
This is a reading order, not a score or efficacy ranking. The sections are not interchangeable prescriptions. Eligibility, risks and treatment choices belong in an individual clinical conversation.
- Observational evidence
Don’t smoke—and quit if you do.
What the evidence shows
Two large linked-cohort analyses found roughly threefold higher mortality with current cigarette smoking and lower excess mortality after stopping. Earlier cessation was associated with larger population survival gains.
What it does not prove
The cohorts do not promise anyone a particular number of years, compare quitting products, or turn a population model into an individual forecast.
- Function
Keep moving—and protect strength and mobility as you age.
What the evidence shows
Published trials support mobility and physical function in defined populations. Supervised resistance training and tailored programs answer narrower questions about strength, bone and falls.
What it does not prove
No one program has proved that it slows biological aging, prevents every fall, or extends every participant’s life.
Exercise and healthy agingLate-life mobilitySupervised resistance training
- Clinical outcomes
Know and manage your blood pressure.
What the evidence shows
SPRINT found fewer cardiovascular events and deaths with its intensive strategy in eligible high-risk adults without diabetes, while adverse-event tradeoffs remained visible.
What it does not prove
SPRINT does not set one universal target or treatment plan for every person.
- Risk-factor evidence
Protect metabolic health and reduce diabetes risk.
What the evidence shows
DPP/DPPOS measured diabetes incidence and microvascular outcomes; Look AHEAD measured weight, risk factors and cardiovascular events; SELECT tested cardiovascular outcomes in a defined population.
What it does not prove
Weight change, diabetes prevention and cardiovascular events are not interchangeable with slower aging or guaranteed longevity.
- Clinical outcomes
Favor an eating pattern with clinical-outcome evidence—not a longevity fad diet.
What the evidence shows
PREDIMED reported cardiovascular outcomes, with its correction history attached. CALERIE and time-restricted-eating trials measured shorter-term metabolic, risk-factor and biomarker outcomes.
What it does not prove
The calorie-restriction and eating-window studies did not demonstrate extra human lifespan, and PREDIMED does not make one menu universal.
- Function
Protect sleep—and treat real sleep problems rather than chasing “sleep optimization.”
What the evidence shows
Sleep-duration and regularity studies are observational. CBT-I trials address insomnia outcomes. CPAP trials distinguish symptoms and quality of life from cardiovascular events.
What it does not prove
Observational sleep patterns do not establish a causal longevity formula, and treating one sleep problem does not guarantee cardiovascular or lifespan benefit.
- Clinical outcomes
Stay current on vaccines appropriate for age and risk.
What the evidence shows
These vaccine studies lead with prevention of shingles, influenza or RSV disease in their tested populations. A shingles rollout also created observational dementia evidence worth studying.
What it does not prove
Vaccination is not “immune rejuvenation,” and the shingles analysis does not turn a vaccine into a proven dementia treatment.
- Clinical outcomes
Use cancer screening where the evidence and individual risk make sense.
What the evidence shows
NLST, NordICC and ERSPC measured different cancer diagnoses, cancer-specific deaths and all-cause mortality in defined eligible populations, with participation and harms attached.
What it does not prove
These trials do not support a blanket instruction to obtain every test. False positives, overdiagnosis, eligibility and individual risk remain part of the decision.
- Function
Protect bones, balance, and independence.
What the evidence shows
Fracture, mobility, serious injury, self-reported falls and fall incidence are distinct outcomes. Zoledronic acid, LIFE, STRIDE, LiFE and tailored Tai Ji Quan each answer a defined question.
What it does not prove
A change in falls, bone density or a functional test is not automatically permanent independence, healthspan or lifespan.
- Evidence boundary
Don’t let “anti-aging” pills and hacks crowd out the boring things that work.
What the evidence shows
Large trials can overturn plausible prevention ideas. Smaller supplement studies may establish target engagement, feasibility or short-term signals without demonstrating longer healthy life.
What it does not prove
A biomarker shift, small pilot or animal mechanism is not evidence that a pill or hack adds healthy human years.
What isn’t on our Top 10
Popular ideas can be worth researching without belonging among the foundations. Sauna and cold exposure currently lean on observational or short-term evidence; hyperbaric oxygen reports biomarkers in small studies; rapamycin, NAD precursors, resveratrol, spermidine and GlyNAC remain limited by small trials, surrogate outcomes, null primary results, product specificity or other boundaries. Promising biology is not the same as demonstrated extra healthy years.
SaunaCold exposureHBOTRapamycinNAD precursorsResveratrolSpermidineGlyNAC
How this guide was assembled
The nine established sections summarize only conclusions already released through the MoreYears evidence workflow. The smoking section relies on a new three-pass evidence review and frozen claim map. The ordering is editorial, not quantitative. No pooled longevity estimate, dosage, personal target, screening schedule, vaccine schedule or individualized treatment plan was created.
AI disclosure: AI-assisted research and drafting were used after the smoking evidence map was frozen. Editors traced every medical statement to governed MoreYears coverage or the new smoking claim map. This guide is educational and not medical advice.