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

Chocoholics Rejoice! More Health Benefits Found

Research originally designed to measure the effects of aspirin on blood has yielded additional information about the health effects of chocolate. The study found that the platelets in the blood of chocolate-eaters were slower to clot than the blood of volunteers who resisted eating chocolate. In a urine test, the chocolate lovers also were discovered to have lower levels of thromboxane or platelet waste. This biochemical effect is similar to aspirin in reducing platelet clumping, a major risk-factor for heart attacks, researchers say.

As Reported by CNN