Healthier lifestyle 'may not lead to living longer'

People who have lived a long life, and may now be dependent on home care, have not necessarily led a healthier lifestyle than those who did not reach such an age, research indicates.

Individuals aged 95 and over were revealed to be no more virtuous when it came to diet, smoking and drinking than the general population, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

The research, from Yeshiva University, found that the same percentage of older women and those in the general population tried to keep to a low calorie diet.

Furthermore, 24 per cent of centenarian men claimed to have consumed alcohol daily, in comparison to 22 per cent of the males in the control group.

This suggests that nature may have a bigger role than nurture in life expectancy.

However, research from Baylor University has revealed that physical activity increases satisfaction of body appearance and function in older adults, according to a new study.

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