Want to Live to 85? Stay Trim.

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests middle-aged men who lose excess weight and avoid other risk factors such as smoking, significantly increase their odds of living longer without the disease and disability that often accompanies old age. The findings also suggest that the damage from a harmful habit in mid-life, like smoking or over-indulgence in alcohol, can be reversed and will payoff in longevity, says Thomas Perls, director of the New England Centenarian Study at Boston University.

--As Reported by USA Today