It's Never Too Late to Get Healthy

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Unfortunately, only 8.5 percent of people in the study practiced these four healthy behaviors, and only 8.4 percent adopted these lifestyle changes after age 45.

King noted that men, blacks, those without a college education, those with lower income, or those with a history of high blood pressure or diabetes were all less likely to adopt a healthy lifestyle past age 45.

One expert noted that living healthy reduces your risk of other diseases, too.

"Most experts agree that a health-promoting lifestyle -- eating well, being active, not smoking -- can cut overall risk of heart disease by 80 percent, cancer risk by 60 percent, and diabetes risk by 90 percent," said Dr. David Katz, director of the Prevention Research Center at Yale University School of Medicine.

King and his colleagues show that it may never be too late to start over, Katz said. "Healthy living is the most powerful medicine of all. It requires no prescription, and all of the side effects are beneficial, too. It can, admittedly, be tough at times to get there from here, but it's well worth it, and anytime is a good time to start."

Another expert agreed.

"These are very encouraging results," said Alice H. Lichtenstein, director of the Cardiovascular Nutrition Lab and Gershoff Professor of Nutrition at the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center at Tufts University.

"They confirm that adopting heart-healthy behaviors, regardless of age, can lead to clear benefits," Lichtenstein said. "Additionally, by identifying individuals who are more likely to adopt heart-healthy behaviors and who is not, more targeted programs to help the more unlikely ones to change can be developed."

More information

For more information on healthy living, visit the American Heart Association.