Diet and Exercise Improve Longevity

Healthy diet, regular exercise cited as keys to longevity.

In the New York Times (1/12, D7) "Personal Health" column, Jane E. Brody writes, "There is no virtue in simply living long; the goal should be to live long and well." She says that while Americans have come a long way in the past decade when it comes to eating healthy, "we are a long way from consuming the kind of diet most closely linked to a low risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, stroke and dementia." She makes several recommendations to for increasing lifespan, including switching to a diet that involves "relatively little meat and poultry," and maintaining the habit of "regular physical exercise."