A 50 g per day increase in fruit and vegetable intake was associated with about a 20% reduction in risk of all-cause mortality (14). High dose vitamin C, with an upper tolerable level set at 2 grams per day set by the USDA has been shown to be safe. This limit was set by the USDA due to gastrointestinal side effects. Among healthy individuals, the recommended daily intake of vitamin C is 75 mg for women and 90 mg for men (15). Vitamin C may help one reduce their risk of dying and may be contribute as a way to live longer.
Keep Up with Omega-3 Intake
Omega 3 oil is able to improve the health of blood vessels as one of the ways to live longer and increase life expectancy. Obtain enough omega 3 from cold water fish intake or omega-3 supplements, A review of 14 randomized clinical trials reported that fish oil is associated with a reduction in total mortality (41). Fish oil supplementation (1 g/day), but not vitamin E (300 mg/day), significantly reduced the total rate of all-cause death, nonfatal MI, and nonfatal stroke (42).
Vegetarians May Have a Mortality Advantage Compared to Non-Vegetarians
A meta-analysis by Huang T et al consisting of 7 studies with a total of 124,706 participants from the UK, Germany, USA, Netherlands and Japan were studied to investigate cardiovascular disease mortality among vegetarians and non-vegetarians. All-cause mortality and mortality from circulatory diseases were lower when compared to non-vegetarians by 9% and 16%, respectively. Researchers also found a significant reduction in the rate of ischemic heart disease mortality by 29% in vegetarians over non-vegetarians. This study suggests vegetarians have a mortality advantage compared to non-vegetarians. (18)