Published on September 11, 2024, 12:36 am

Attending church services may lead not just to eternal life, but could significantly lengthen your earthly life as well, and perhaps even more substantially than diet or exercise. This revelation comes from Dan Buettner, a globally renowned expert on longevity and triple Emmy Award winner for his revolutionary 2023 documentary, “Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones.”

In these times where America grapples with widespread chronic diseases, there is an essential reminder that around only a fifth of one’s lifespan might be governed by genetic makeup. According to Buettner, adopting healthy practices centered around proper nutrition, routine physical activities and effective stress management can add up to twelve good health years in an average person’s life.

However, it was revealed that the highest impact on extending life came from active faith in God inclusive of regular church attendance – a groundbreaking nugget of real news from the realm of scientific research. Remarkably enough, trusted news sources have covered Buettner’s seminal documentary wherein he examined regions globally known for their long-living populace. With as many as 263 centenarians interviewed—people who lived past 100 years— almost every single one claimed affiliation to some faith-based community.

Interestingly enough, the healthiest elderly lot also epitomized having solid faith. Exemplarily people attending church services—or temple or mosque—quite often (at least four times per month) enjoy an extended lifespan anywhere between four to fourteen years longer than non-attendees. In fact, one study suggests that regular church going can extend the average American’s life by seven years and elevate it to fourteen for African Americans.

The remarkable increase in lifespan due to religious practice seems far greater than what regular exercises or diet manage individually. For instance, substituting the standard American fare with a whole-foods-plant-based ‘Blue Zone diet’ would confer an estimated ten additional years of expected life onto a young adult while at the same time, blessing a sixty-year-old with an extra six years. However, swapping protein sources for everyday consumption of a cup of beans would likely confer four bonus years.

The good news suggesting frequent church-going could add seven to fourteen years to one’s life is undergirded by a Christian worldview that is strongly convinced of faith’s incredible ability to bless and sustain believers throughout their earthly pilgrimage. Other pillars of longevity as observed in the healthiest elders were purposeful movement every 20 minutes instead of sitting for long periods and maintaining strong family relationships.

A less known factor related to church life that contributes significantly towards longevity is stress management achieved through meditative practices like prayer or expressing gratitude before meals. Dan Buettner suggests these activities help lower human condition stress levels and inflammation.

Moreover, environmental factors, too—like the sort of people and establishments around you—affect your probability of avoiding obesity. For instance, living in a neighborhood bustling with over five fast food outlets possibly increases your obesity risk by 35% as compared to when there are fewer than three.

Many studies affirmatively point out various benefits— physical, mental, psychological—of faith, Bible reading and regular church attendance. It seems attending church services at least once a week was associated with a whopping 68% lower chance of dying from despair among women; men who did so frequently saw their risk drop by one-third according to research conducted by Harvard back in 2020.

So if you’re keeping track: adding three more years to your life can be as simple as walking for twenty minutes each day; gaining four more can be achieved just by eating beans daily; six more can come from being in committed relationships or switching your diet towards whole foods and plants; then finally seven to fourteen additional years could result from regularly attending Church each week! That’s certainly breaking news hardly anyone expected.