No study has followed top performers and listed their secrets. What exists is large research on which habits are linked to longer lives. The findings are plain. This guide treats each habit as a case file. Every case has the evidence, the size of the effect and the catch.
Case 1: Never smoking
Not smoking is the first of five low risk factors in a Harvard study published in Circulation in 2018. The study followed 123,219 people for 28 to 34 years in two large cohorts. Men who had all five low risk factors at age 50 lived on average 12.2 years longer than men with none. They reached an average of 87.6 years. Women with all five lived 14 years longer. The catch is that both cohorts are observational. A cardiologist who was not involved noted that the study did not look at how social circumstances shape lifestyle choices.
Case 2: Fitness
The 2018 study by Mandsager and colleagues in JAMA Network Open followed 122,007 patients who had treadmill testing at one clinic over 24 years. The median follow up was 8.4 years. Death risk fell as fitness rose in every group and in both sexes. The elite group had the lowest mortality. A commentary on the study says that low fitness carried more risk than smoking, diabetes and hypertension. The catch is that the study was retrospective, fitness was measured once and the data cannot prove that fitness causes the lower risk. Genetics and other habits could explain part of it. The practical target is the weekly floor from the WHO guidelines, which is 150 to 300 minutes of moderate activity plus muscle strengthening on two or more days.
Case 3: Food and weight
A healthy body mass index and a healthy diet are two more of the five factors in the Harvard study. The German Nutrition Society's ten rules turn the diet into something concrete. They ask for at least three portions of vegetables and two of fruit a day, whole grains, fish once or twice a week and no more than 300 to 600 g of meat a week. The catch is that nutrition research is mostly observational and that the diet and weight factors are hard to separate from each other.
Case 4: Alcohol
The Harvard study counted moderate drinking, defined as no more than two drinks a day for men, as a low risk factor. The German Nutrition Society goes further and states that alcohol is not recommended. The honest reading is that less is simpler and that the moderate category should be read as an upper limit and not as a target. Anyone worried about their drinking should ask a doctor.
Case 5: Sleep
In a 2015 consensus statement the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society recommended that adults aged 18 to 60 sleep seven or more hours per night on a regular basis to promote optimal health and reduce the risk of adverse health outcomes. The panel said it was uncertain whether sleeping more than nine hours is linked to health risk. The catch is that the recommendation is a consensus of experts based on a body of research and not a single trial.
Case 6: People
A 2010 meta analysis in PLoS Medicine by Holt-Lunstad and colleagues pooled 148 studies with 308,849 participants. Stronger social relationships were linked to about a 50 percent higher likelihood of survival. The authors called the effect comparable with well established risk factors such as smoking. The catch is that the studies were observational, the studies differed a lot from one another and most did not measure the quality of the relationships. The habit is cheap all the same. It means keeping friends, showing up and calling back.
The bonus case: showing up for check ups
The Barmer health insurer reports that just over 44 percent of eligible men attend the check up offered from age 35, against about 50 percent of women. Fewer than half of eligible men use cancer screening. Statutory screenings for men start with a check up every three years from age 35 and skin cancer screening every two years from 35. Prostate cancer screening is offered from 45 and colorectal screening from 50. This is the habit that most top performers skip.
What is not on the list
Supplements are missing for a reason. A 2025 meta analysis of eight randomised trials found no significant benefit of NMN for blood sugar or lipids. The Verbraucherzentrale says there is no scientific evidence that NMN makes people healthier or extends life. NMN is also a novel food that may not be used in supplements or other foods in the EU. The sources checked show no authorisation yet. The habits above have far stronger evidence and cost almost nothing.
Why men should care
Destatis reports life expectancy at birth in Germany of 78.8 years for men and 83.4 for women in its 2023 to 2025 life table. The gap is 4.6 years. The habits above are not guarantees, since the studies show associations in groups and say little about any single man. They are still the best odds on offer.
Questions men ask
Which habits are linked to a longer life for men?
Not smoking, regular fitness, a healthy weight and diet, limited alcohol, enough sleep and good relationships have the best evidence.
How many years can a healthy lifestyle add?
In one large Harvard study men with five low risk factors at age 50 lived on average 12.2 years longer than men with none.
Is fitness really that important?
A study of 122,007 patients linked higher fitness to lower mortality. It cannot prove cause.
Do supplements add years?
No evidence shows that NMN does. It is a novel food that may not be used in EU supplements.
Should men get check ups?
Yes. The statutory system offers check ups and screenings. Fewer men use them than women.
The unglamorous list: what we would emphasise
If we had to hang a list on the wall at LongevityLife, it would be the one above. We do sell Uthever® NMN Pulver. A fair article should say so. According to the product page it uses the branded Uthever® raw material without additives or fillers and states a purity of over 99.1 percent, with a lab report for each batch that is tested in Germany and open to view. It is not a habit and it is not on the list. The legal position described above applies to us as well. We keep it under review with specialist advice. A brand that puts the boring list first and shows its paperwork could be the best one to ask. Questions are welcome at mylongevitylife.com.
The bottom line
Longer lives are linked to habits that men already know. They are not smoking, staying fit, eating plainly, drinking less, sleeping enough and keeping people close. A check up belongs on the list too. None of it is glamorous and all of it works in groups of men.
This article is for information only and does not replace medical advice.