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Longer work, according to researchers life-prolonging
Have you ever thought about getting enough sleep every day and enjoying life to the fullest? The idea of simply retiring from one day to the next and leaving the work behind has already been thought of by many older people. Researchers have now discovered that it can help people live longer if they retire later.
The time when people retire from work and retire could have an impact on how long we live. Researchers from Oregon State University found in an investigation that people older than 65 years of age had a lower risk of dying. The physicians published the results of their study in the journal "Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health".
Scientists found that our life expectancy will be positively impacted if we retire later. (Image: contrastwerkstatt / fotolia.com) Study examines nearly 3,000 subjects on their life expectancy
The long-term study collected data from 2,956 people for more than 18 years. The study looked at whether the timing of our retirement affects longevity, the authors explain. By the year 2010, all of the participating subjects were finally retired. At the beginning of the study, the participants were divided into two groups: a "healthy" group (with two thirds of all participants) and a "non-healthy" group (with one third of the subjects). In the span of nearly two decades, about half of all participants before the age of 65 retired. One third of all participants worked until 66 years or even beyond. Twelve percent worked exactly to the age of 65, the scientists report.
Reduced risk of death from prolonged employment
Overall, 12.1 percent of the subjects died from the healthy group and 25.6 percent from the unhealthy group during the course of the study. After taking into account the lifestyle and the financial and educational differences in the healthy group, the researchers found that people who worked at age 65 had a 11 percent lower risk of dying during the study period.
The risk continued to decline, the longer the subjects continued to work, say the experts. If participants withdrew from their professional life only at the age of 67, this could be linked to a 21 percent lower risk of death. For people who retired at the age of 70, the risk had dropped by 44 percent. The participants worked until the age of 72, then their risk decreased by 56 percent, compared to people who had already retired at the age of 65, report the doctors.
Activity and involvement in old age seem to bring health benefits
The healthy group has a general advantage in terms of education, wealth, health and lifestyle. But even if all these factors were taken into account, the pattern persisted, explains co-author Professor Robert Stawski. People who remain active and committed seem to derive health benefits.
Of course, this observation may not apply to all people, but working gives many individuals economic and social benefits that can affect the length of their lives, says lead author Chenkai Wu of Oregon State University. Not only among the healthy pensioners could these benefits be determined. Even the so-called unhealthy group had a nine percent lower risk of death when it retired at the age of 66 years. If these persons worked until the age of 72, their risk dropped by 48 percent, explain the authors.
When should people retire??
Analysis of this data could have a significant impact on the average age at which workers retire. The years of work could be a factor that increases our lifespan, similar to exercise and healthy eating, the doctors suspect. Some research has already shown that retiring later leads to a greater zest for life and can reduce our stress. However, further studies are needed to fully understand the link between retirement and life expectancy, the researchers add. (As)