Eating a healthy diet, taking regular exercise, stress management, and having a good social life have long been known to promote healthy aging. However, for the first time researchers have found that making positive lifestyle changes can actually lengthen telomeres—the protective caps on the ends of chromosomes that affect how quickly cells age.

Observing that: "Recent scientific advances suggest that slowing the aging process (senescence) is now a realistic goal…yet most medical research remains focused on combating individual diseases," Dana Goldman, from the University of Southern California (USC; California, USA), and colleagues submit that research to delay aging and the infirmities of old age would have better population health and economic returns, as compared to advances in individual fatal diseases such as cancer and heart disease.

The more you use your brain - and the more you enjoy doing it - the more likely you are to stay mentally sharp in your golden years, so suggest results of a study by researchers from Concordia University. Larry Baer and colleagues, analyzed data collected over 4-years from 333 recent retirees.

People who walk to work are 40 percent less likely to have diabetes, and 17 percent less likely to have high blood pressure, as compared to those who commute via driving or taking a taxi.