Washington: Want to know the secret how one can add years to his or her lives? If researchers at the United States are to be believed, elderly people who weighed the least when they were 21 and regularly exercised when they were older, were more likely to see their 90th birthday than those who did not take care of such factors.

Although previous studies have suggested that weight, body mass index (BMI) and physical activity are associated with lower risk of death, very few studies have looked at whether this also counts for older adults.

The results of the research, which was conducted by Dr Maria Corrada, Dr Annlia Paganini-Hill and Dr Claudia Kawas from the University of California, was presented at the 55th annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology in Hawaii.

The survey involved more than 10,000 adults, aged 75 on an average, who were studied for more than 20 years. The participants had to answer questions about their height, weight, BMI, level of outdoor exercise and weight at age 21, according to a report published in 'News24'.

The elderly men and women who tipped the scale the furthest at age 21 were more likely to die before the age of 90. It was also found that the risk of dying increased with every 2.5 kg increase in weight at 21 years of age.

Another finding was that the seniors with the highest BMIs were more likely to die before their 90th than those who had a lower BMI.

ANI