Want to see 90 candles on your birthday cake? Well, a new study has found
exactly how you can improve your chances of reaching a ripe old age.

A team of researchers in the
United States has carried out the study and found that eating a healthy diet,
exercising and not puffing after retirement are all key to living longer — for
another 30 years.

"Smoking,
diabetes, obesity, and hypertension each are predicted to reduce life expectancy
by one to five years, while higher physical activity may add up to five years,"
lead researcher Dr Laurel Yates said.

The team at the Brigham and
Women’s Hospital in Boston came to the conclusion after questioning a group of
2,000 men from 1981 to 1984 when they were in their early 70s, and then annually
until 2006. A total of 970 men lived to 90 and above.

The researchers found that a
healthy 70-year-old who had never smoked, had normal blood pressure and weight
and exercised up to four times a week had a 50 per cent chance of living until
90.

But, for every bad habit,
the likelihood of passing 90 dropped. That was cut to 44 per cent if he did not
exercise; fell to just over 33 per cent if he had high blood pressure; and he
had just a 25 per cent chance of reaching 90 if he was obese. Smoking cut the
chances of living to 90 to 20 per cent.

A combination of three or more
of these factors reduced the chances of a long life to 14 per cent and having
all five gave men just a four per cent chance of living to the age of 90, the
researchers found.

However,
this study found no link between moderate alcohol consumption and a longer life.
"Our results suggest that healthy lifestyle and risk management should be
continued in elderly years to reduce mortality and disability," Dr Yates wrote
in ‘Archives of Internal Medicine’ journal.

Via Times of India