Healthy Lifestyle Equals Longer Life

A new U.S. study confirmed what most already know, that a healthy lifestyle will in fact result in a longer life.

The elements most of us think of for a healthy lifestyle were part of the conclusions of this study. Regular exercise or physical activity, not smoking, modest alcohol use and a good diet contributed to living longer.

Smoking was found to be the worst contributor to premature death in the study.

Study findings:

"Those who practiced all four healthy habits were 66 percent less likely to die early from cancer, 65 percent less likely to die early from cardiovascular disease, and 57 percent less likely to die early from other causes."

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researchers, 47.5 percent of those participating in the study had never smoked, 51 percent were moderate drinkers (no more than two drinks per day for men and one drink per day for women), 40.2 percent got enough physical activity, and 39.3 percent had a healthy diet.

The findings are from an analysis of data in the CDC's National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III Mortality Study, which included people recruited from 1988 to 1994 and followed through 2006.

Even with the findings, it was found that few Americans engage in all four healthy behaviors, while smoking has been drastically reduced.