More Americans are living well into their golden years compared to years before — thanks to medical advancements and improvements in health care.
In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s most recent data from 2023, the current life expectancy of both men and women rose to 78.4 years. However, as average life expectancy continues to increase, that doesn’t mean those golden years are healthy ones.
“Here in the (United) States, we’re living longer in sickness — not in health,” says Dr. Michael Greger, a physician, founding member and Fellow of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, and founder of NutritionFacts.org.
To better understand the best healthy aging strategies, U.S. News recently surveyed 53 members of the U.S. News Medical Review Board and Best Diets Panel. These health experts — including medical doctors, registered dietitians, fitness experts and pharmacists — shared their thoughts on habits, factors and trends that affect how well — or poorly — we age.
[READ: Healthy Aging Tips]
U.S. News Healthy Aging Survey 2025
Health experts agree: Healthy aging is more than just adding years to life — it’s about adding life to years.
Healthy aging “is about the preservation of optimal vitality for an optimal span — a bounty of years in life (longevity) and life in years (vitality),” says Dr. David Katz, a specialist in internal medicine, preventive medicine/public health and lifestyle medicine, and founding director of Yale University’s Prevention Research Center. “Aging is inevitable, undeniable and a native aspect of all biology. But we maximize the chance of more vital years by taking good care of ourselves.”
Both Katz and Greger (quoted above) participated in the healthy aging survey.
[READ: Differences in How Cardio and Strength Affect Your Health.]
Top Daily Habits Experts Follow for Healthy Aging
When asked about the daily practices they follow to best support healthy aging, survey participants said their top priorities were:
— Physical activity: 49%
— Healthy diet: 43%
— Mind-body connection (quality sleep, stress management, mindfulness): 11%
Physical activity
Nearly half (49%) of experts pointed to physical activity as the top lifestyle habit. Regular physical activity offers a wide range of both physical and mental health benefits, including:
— Protecting against chronic diseases. As you age, you have an increased risk of developing certain chronic diseases, like dementia, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, arthritis and cancer. However, studies show regular exercise and physical activity can reduce those risks.
— Maintaining muscle mass. Exercising regularly, particularly strength training, helps you build muscle to fight off age-related muscle loss, a condition known as sarcopenia, and protect you from falls.
— Boosting cognitive function. Exercise has been shown to boost cognitive function by increasing blood flow to the brain, stimulating new brain cell production and reducing inflammation and stress that can impair brain function and memory.
Healthy diet
A healthy diet (43%) was the second top healthy aging habit, which reinforces the integral role nutrition plays in longevity and disease prevention.
Experts agree that eating a healthy, well-balanced diet can support healthy aging by providing essential nutrients that protect cells from damage, reduce inflammation and prevent chronic diseases often associated with aging.
A healthy diet is one rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins and healthy fats, while limiting processed foods, excessive sugar and unhealthy fats. Some of the best superfoods for healthy aging include dark leafy greens, berries, salmon, Greek yogurt and eggs.
Mind-body connection
The third top daily habit experts follow is nurturing the mind-body connection (11%), which includes getting quality sleep, managing stress and practicing mindfulness.
Studies have shown that poor sleep, chronic stress and unmanaged anxiety can weaken the immune system, increase inflammation and raise the risk of chronic disease — all of which can increase your risk of premature aging and death.
On the other hand, practicing good sleep hygiene to get sufficient rest, stress management and mindfulness can help support your mental well-being, which not only enhances your quality of life but also keeps your body and mind healthy to support your longevity.
[See: 10 Superfoods for Older Adults.]
Top 3 Factors of Healthy Aging
Similarly, experts identified the following as the most important factors of aging well:
— Healthy diet: 47%
— Regular exercise: 40%
— Quality sleep: 2%
“Food is the fuel that runs every function of the incredible human machine,” Katz says. “If you want a high-performance engine, you need high-performance fuel; the same is true of the human body.”
He notes that healthy food is also the construction material “for the daily replenishment of the adult body. When you consider that diet plays these dual roles — fuel for everything, construction material for everything — you would be shocked if it didn’t influence absolutely every aspect of health.”
While each of these individual factors are scientifically proven to improve our physical and mental health, health experts agree that eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly and getting good quality sleep collectively form the three pillars of slowing the aging process.
3 Least Important Factors of Healthy Aging
The U.S. News survey also asked experts to rank the least important factors that influence aging.
— Reducing social media use: 57%
— Taking vitamins and supplements: 53%
— Minimizing screen time: 43%
Experts highlight that while reduced social media use can improve mental health by lowering the risk of depression and anxiety and limiting screen time can enhance focus and sleep quality, these factors are not considered primary drivers of healthy aging.
Most Common Mistakes That Make People Age Faster
Experts were asked what mistakes people often make that can age you faster.
— Lack of regular exercise: 57%
— Smoking: 34%
— Having poor sleep hygiene: 30% (tie)
— Eating processed foods: 30% (tie)
A lack of exercise not only weakens muscles and bones but also undermines heart and brain health, making it the top healthy aging mistake (57%) experts identified.
Smoking (34%) continues to be a major risk factor for premature aging, as it increases the risk of numerous diseases and health problems and damages skin elasticity to make you look older.
Meanwhile, poor sleep hygiene (30%) disrupts hormone regulation, decreases immunity and reduces cognitive function, underscoring the important role that good quality rest plays in keeping the mind and body resilient over time. Similarly, eating processed foods (30%) promotes inflammation, weight gain and risk of various health conditions, including heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and mental health disorders.
Most Surprising Healthy Aging Insight
We asked health experts what the most noteworthy scientific or clinical insights on healthy aging are. Some of their perspectives include:
Social connection
Several health experts highlighted the increasing awareness of the important role social connection and engagement has on how we age. Indeed, studies show that loneliness and social isolation have negative effects on our physical and mental health, including increasing the risk of heart disease, sleep disturbances, depression, suicidality and premature death. So, it comes as no surprise that making friends and cultivating social connection can protect our health and longevity.
In fact, a separate U.S. News survey on loneliness showed that older adults who lived in senior living communities experienced less loneliness and improved senior health, with 63% reporting improved health conditions thanks to engagement with other residents.
Gut health
Health experts noted the importance of gut health on aging.
A balanced gut microbiome is essential for healthy aging and cognitive function, whereas an unhealthy gut can lead to systemic inflammation, increasing the risk of chronic diseases, cancer and mental health conditions — all of which can accelerate aging.
To nourish beneficial gut bacteria, incorporate fermented foods and diverse plant-based foods into your diet.
Strength training
Many experts emphasized the critical role of strength training and resistance training in preserving muscle and cognitive function, with one expert noting that muscle is the organ of longevity: Muscle mass is a significant predictor of mortality and maintaining muscle strength and function through strength training as we age can help us live longer, healthier lives.
This is especially important because older adults can develop sarcopenia, a condition characterized by gradual muscle loss due to aging, that increases the risk of malnutrition, decreased function and, ultimately, poor aging.
Promising new research
Several experts pointed to emerging interest in various products and areas of research, including:
— Advanced glycation end products (AGEs). Several experts mentioned AGEs, which are compounds formed when glucose (the main sugar in your blood) binds with proteins and lipids, and their role in the aging process. They naturally accumulate as we age, but high levels of AGEs have been linked to premature aging, increased inflammation and the development of several diseases, including heart disease and Alzheimer’s disease.
— Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) supplements. NAD supplements have become increasingly popular due to claims that this particular enzyme can combat aging, support brain health and boost metabolism. Experts mentioned that the current research on NAD supplementation as an anti-aging treatment is intriguing, but there’s not enough robust data in human studies to support the latest health trend.
Best Supplements for Healthy Aging
When we surveyed experts to see what supplement they most recommend people to support healthy aging, vitamin D came out on top:
— Vitamin D: 28%
— Multivitamin: 19%
— Omega-3 fatty acids: 15%
— None (no supplementation): 15%
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is both a nutrient our body absorbs from foods and a hormone our body produces when the skin is exposed to sunlight.
It is essential for supporting bone strength, immune function and regulating calcium and phosphorous absorption and retention. However, studies have shown that vitamin D may play an even larger role in our health, including reducing cancer cell growth, reducing inflammation and even slow cellular aging.
In fact, a recent study showed that vitamin D supplements may slow biological aging by preserving telomeres, the DNA caps at the end of chromosomes that protect genetic material. Telomeres shorten as we age, which researchers have linked to aging and age-related diseases. But findings from the VITamin D and OmegA-3 TriaL (VITAL) trial, a large randomized controlled trial that evaluated the telomere length of approximately 26,000 men and women over five years, demonstrated that participants who took 2,000 IUs of vitamin D3 daily had longer telomeres.
While more research is needed, the new findings suggest that vitamin D supplements may be a promising approach for slowing the biological aging process.
Multivitamin
Multivitamins can help fill in nutritional gaps and prevent deficiencies that could accelerate age-related decline. These dietary supplements are particularly important for certain people, such as older adults who often have a reduced appetite and may need more of certain nutrients as their nutritional needs change over time.
Omega-3 fatty acids
Omega-3 fatty acids are essential fats that support heart, brain and joint health, making them a particularly important nutrient as we age. Studies have shown they can reduce inflammation, improve circulation and lower the risk of cognitive decline and age-related diseases, especially when combined with vitamin D supplements and exercise.
While most people can get their recommended intake of omega-3s from natural, whole food sources — such as fatty fish, flaxseeds, walnuts and other foods — some people may need omega-3 dietary supplements to reap the benefits these nutrients offer to support healthy aging.
Next Top Trends in Healthy Aging
We asked experts for their predictions for the next major trend in healthy aging. The top three were:
— AI-mediated health care: 47%
— Personal health monitoring devices: 23%
— GLP-1 medications: 17%
Artificial intelligence in medicine
Their responses suggest that the future of healthy aging will be driven by cutting-edge technology and medical innovation. Almost half (47%) of experts see AI as a powerful tool in health care. Indeed, AI is already rapidly transforming the health care industry, offering significant potential to improve patient care, drug development and advancements in diagnostics and treatments.
In the field of healthy aging, AI technologies can evaluate massive datasets to gain a deeper understanding of aging and age-related factors. For example, the National Institute on Aging is harnessing the power of AI to identify new aging biomarkers, as well as drugs and therapeutics to prevent age-related diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease.
Health monitoring devices to support healthy aging
The second top growing trend in healthy aging based on our experts’ insights was personal health monitoring devices, such as the Oura Ring, Apple Watch and Whoop, as well as continuous glucose monitors.
Wearable devices help older adults stay healthy by giving them constant updates on their body’s health metrics. These devices can keep an eye on how much they move, how well they sleep, their heart rate and even if they’ve fallen. They can also spot potential health issues early. For example, most devices can count daily steps and remind users to get up and move, helping them avoid sitting too much. And they can also monitor heart rhythms for anything unusual, nudging users to see a doctor for conditions like atrial fibrillation
Beyond just general health tracking, there are now special wearables designed for specific aging needs. GPS-enabled devices can help people with memory issues stay independent by letting caregivers know where they are, so they don’t get lost. Smart insoles or sensors can analyze how someone walks and can tell if they’re at risk of falling, providing early alerts and helping them improve their balance. Plus, continuous glucose monitors, though not your typical fitness wearable, are important for managing diabetes in older adults.
GLP-1 medications
The growing interest in GLP-1 medications points to a shift in how we think about treating metabolic health as a key part of aging well. Though initially developed for Type 2 diabetes, GLP-1 medications show promise in supporting healthy aging by promoting weight loss, improving cardiovascular health and reducing inflammation. Their effects on glucose regulation and metabolic function can contribute to a healthier lifespan, potentially mitigating age-related conditions.
Bottom Line
Ultimately, the U.S. News Healthy Aging survey shows that while new technologies and medications are on the horizon, the fundamentals of healthy aging remain rooted in simple, daily lifestyle choices: staying active, eating well and getting enough quality sleep.
“We’re looking for these pie-in-the-sky things, but day-to-day, we could be doing things that have tremendous power over our health destiny and longevity,” Greger says. “The vast majority of premature death and disability is preventable with diet and lifestyle. It’s the day-to-day stuff that adds up.”
Practicing healthy behaviors consistently over time can make a meaningful impact on your lifespan and healthspan.
“It’s like investing for your retirement with compound interest. The earlier you start, the greater your nest egg of health,” Greger says. “The thing about compound interest is that it doesn’t take much, but it builds over time.”
Methodology
The U.S. News Healthy Aging survey was conducted between June and July 2025 and included responses from 53 health experts, including medical doctors, registered dietitians, fitness specialists and pharmacists. Participants answered seven questions focused on healthy aging habits and trends, which included multiple-choice formats, ranking exercises and a few open-ended responses.
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Top Habits and Trends for Healthy Aging: 2025 U.S. News & World Report Healthy Aging Survey originally appeared on usnews.com
