One Day MD | Evidence-Based Wellness

Short answer: A healthy lifestyle may add years to life—and potentially a decade or more in some populations—but there is no scientifically valid number that applies to everyone. The strongest evidence suggests that the biggest gains come from a combination of not smoking, regular physical activity, a high-quality diet, maintaining a healthy body weight, and controlling major cardiovascular and metabolic risk factors . One influential U.S. analysis estimated that people who followed five low-risk lifestyle factors at age 50 had a projected life expectancy about 14 years longer for women and 12 years longer for men than people following none of those factors. However, this was a prospective observational analysis combined with life-table modelling—not a randomized trial proving that each person will live exactly 12–14 years longer. That distinction matters. It is tempting to interpret longevity studies as if they were a prescription for an extra number of years: exercise gi...

By Dr. Frank Yap, MD  |  Medically reviewed by One Day MD Review Team  |  Last updated: August 2026 Quick Answer SELECT showed that semaglutide 2.4 mg cuts major cardiovascular events by 20% in people with overweight/obesity and existing heart disease who do not have diabetes. The STEP program (STEP 1–5, STEP 8, and the newer STEP UP trials) established semaglutide's weight-loss profile, with losses ranging from roughly 10% to over 20% of body weight depending on dose, population, and duration. The SURPASS program showed that tirzepatide — a dual GIP/GLP-1 agonist — produces larger HbA1c and weight reductions than semaglutide in type 2 diabetes, and the newly published SURPASS-CVOT (December 2025) confirmed tirzepatide is at least as cardioprotective as dulaglutide. FLOW showed semaglutide cuts major kidney disease events by 24% in people with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease, which led the FDA to approve a dedicated kidney-protection indic...