Two new science-backed tips for a long life

LOS ANGELES - Emma Morano of Verbania, Italy-- who is believed to be the world’s oldest person-- recently celebrated her 117th birthday. Her doctor credits her long life to great genes, and says it’s particularly remarkable because when she was young, she was considered weak and sick.

So often it seems super-centenarians who make headlines have counterintuitive habits, like eating bacon every morning with a whisky chaser. Since those lucky few are surely the exception and not the rule, we’ve gathered some science-backed tips for how we call can live for many long years.

A healthy diet is essential, but what specifically should we be eating? Morano is Italian, and the Mediterranean diet has been shown to be factor in long life. Here’s your reminder to stock up on fruits, vegetables, olive oil, and nuts in particular. According to new research published in BMC Medicine, people who eat 20 grams of nuts a day are less likely to develop diseases like cancer and heart disease. That include walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, and even peanuts. Twenty grams is the magic number-- no need to go overboard.

Any form of exercise is good for your health, but new research published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine pinpoints three sports that are particulalry good for longevity: tennis (or raquetball), swimming, and aerobics. Participants who engaged in these activities had the lowest risk of dying over the course of the study.

So if your goal is to live to be 100, fuel up with a handful of almonds and hit the tennis courts-- and look forward to old age. Watch the video above to see what happens when older folks and young people go head-to-head!