The secret to a long life could lie in following four golden rules - exercising regularly, staying slim, eating a healthy diet and never smoking, a new study suggests.
Researchers found that people who lead a healthy lifestyle by meeting these standards reduce the chances of developing common chronic diseases by nearly 80 per cent.
People who followed the formula were 93 per cent less likely to develop diabetes than those who adhered to none of the four factors, according to the findings.
They were also 81 per cent less likely to have a heart attack, 50 per cent less likely to have a stroke and their chance of developing cancer was reduced by 36 per cent.
To meet the criteria for staying fit, people had to exercise for at least three and a half hours a week, which is equivalent to just half an hour a day.
They also had to have a BMI lower than 30, above which they are considered obese.
Eating a diet high in fruit, vegetables and whole grain as well as being low in red meat was also a requirement. Finally, to maximise the chances of living a long life people must never have taken up smoking cigarettes.
Overall, the researchers found that making the correct lifestyle choices by following all four rules could cut the risk of developing the conditions looked at by 78 per cent.
"Our results reinforce current public health recommendations to avoid smoking, to maintain a healthy weight, to engage in physical activity appropriately and to eat adequate amounts of fruits and vegetables and foods containing whole grains and to partake of red meat prudently," said Dr Earl S. Ford, of the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, who led the study.
"Because the roots of these factors often originate during the formative stages of life, it is especially important to start early in teaching the important lessons concerning healthy living."
The team who carried out the research believe that their findings, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine journal, suggest that some cases of chronic disease can be preventable through healthy living.
The study looked at 23,513 adults aged between 35 and 65.
They were asked to fill in detailed questionnaires about their body weight and height, habits and diet.
Every two or three years follow up questionnaires were given to see if any of the volunteers had radically changed their lifestyle. Around nine per cent of those tested conformed to all four factors necessary for a healthy lifestyle after eight years of follow up.
The most important factors in reducing the risk of developing chronic disease was to have a BMI lower than 30, the researchers found.
This was followed by never having smoked, regular physical activity and, lastly, a healthy diet.
BMI is a comparison of a person's weight and their height.
A score of between 20 and 25 is considered normal, while above 25 is overweight and above 30 obese. The score is calculated by dividing a patient's weight in kilograms by their height in metres squared.
Pav Kalsi, from Diabetes UK, said: "At time of diagnosis, around 80 per cent of people with Type 2 diabetes are overweight or obese so there is a very clear link between the two.
"Diabetes UK recommends that people eat a healthy, balanced diet which is low in fat, salt and sugar and includes plenty of fruit and vegetables and do at least 30 minutes of physical activity at least five days a week."
Hazel Nunn, Cancer Research UK's health information manager, said: "Decades of research have shown that leading a healthy lifestyle can reduce the risk of many chronic diseases including cancer."
June Davison, senior cardiac nurse with the British Heart Foundation, said: “These results should highlight the importance of not smoking, doing regular physical activity and eating a healthy balanced diet - all of which can make a big difference to our heart health.”
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