What a payoff this is! Make four lifestyle changes and you'll likely live 14 years longer than people who do none of these things.

That's the word from a 13-year British study led by Kay-Tee Khaw that involved more than 20,000 people who lived in the English county of Norfolk. They ranged in age from 45 to 79 and came from all walks of life, although they were overwhelmingly white. None had heart disease or cancer at the start of the study in 1993. In addition to individual interviews with each of the participants, the team tested every person's blood to measure vitamin C intake, an indicator of how much fruit and vegetables people eat. Each person was assigned a score of between 0 and 4--with one point give for each of the healthy behaviors.

So what are the four secrets to a longer life?
1. Don't smoke.
2. Eat five servings a day of fruits and vegetables.
3. Drink alcohol in moderation.
4. Exercise regularly 30 minutes a day.

Even when age, weight, income level and other factors that could affect the likelihood of dying were considered, those who had a score of 0 were four times more likely to have died during the study period, particularly from cardiovascular disease, reports Reuters. And that's not all. A person who had a score of 0 had the same risk of dying as someone with a health score of 4 who was 14 years older!

While much previous research has shown that these lifestyle habits do help us to live longer, healthier lives, this latest study from the University of Cambridge and the Medical Research Council is the first to actually quantify their combined impact, reports Reuters. Even small changes in lifestyle--starting to eat vegetables with dinner every night--can make a big difference to your overall health and longevity.

The lifestyle change that packs the biggest wallop is stopping smoking. Breaking this habit leads to an 80 percent improvement in health. This was followed in order by eating fruits and vegetables, moderate drinking and keeping active.

"Armed with this information, public health officials should now be in a better position to encourage behavior changes likely to improve the health of middle-aged and older people," the researchers wrote in the journal Public Library of Science Medicine.

--From the Editors at Netscape