Researchers advise there is no “magic bullet” for better health, but that a combination of lifestyle factors such as eating a healthy diet, using dietary supplements and exercising regularly will reduce risk of chronic disease. A study published recently in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that individuals who followed four healthy lifestyle habits—including never smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly and following a healthy diet—together reduced their risk of developing the most common and deadly chronic diseases by as much as 80%. Specifically, the four factors were associated with a 93% reduced risk of diabetes, 81% reduced risk of heart attack, 50% reduced risk of stroke and 36% reduced risk of cancer.

Moreover, a study published at the end of July in the Journal of the American Medical Association looked at a combination of healthy lifestyle choices in regard to hypertension and found that women with six healthy lifestyle habits (having a body mass index of less than 25, a daily mean of 30 minutes of vigorous exercise, a high score on the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension diet, modest alcohol intake, use of non-narcotic analgesics less than once per week and intake of 400 mcg/day or more of supplemental folic acid) resulted in a nearly 80% reduction in the risk of developing high blood pressure, which can often lead to heart attack, stroke and other chronic diseases.