Landmark 35-year study proves active lifestyle and wholesome diet are key to healthier old age

If you have been looking for a reason to skip the gym today then bad luck, as a 35-year-long study has revealed that a healthier lifestyle could prepare for good health in old age.
A total of 2,500 men in  the 1979 HALCyon experiment were asked to eat well, take regular exercise, drink less alcohol, keep trim and never smoke.

Only 25 participants stuck to the health regime more than three decades later and they have dramatically cut their risk of cancers, diabetes, heart-attack, stroke and dementia. Their overall fitness was far better than the 2,475 pensioners that had given up on the experiment, part funded by Alzheimer's Society, and the development of heart disease was slowed by up to 12 years and dementia six years.

The volunteers, all from Caerphilly in Wales, gave researchers regular updates every five years on their diet and levels of recommended physical activity such as walking, cycling and sports.

Source  - Independent