Find out 3 secrets to help you live longer

That's the encouraging message from a groundbreaking new international study, which found older adults who maintain healthier lifestyles have a significantly higher chance of living to 100, according to the research journal Study Finds.

Research published in the medical journal JAMA Network Open has found three simple things that can help you live longer, no matter what your age.

The study authors said: Adhering to a healthy lifestyle is increasingly important as people age, because improving lifestyle in older adults may play an important role in promoting healthy aging and longevity.

To investigate the link between lifestyle and longevity, the researchers mined data from the China Healthy Longevity Survey, one of the largest studies of older people in the world . The study included 1,454 people who lived to at least 100 years old and 3,768 controls.

The authors constructed a healthy lifestyle score based on three main factors:

Smoking : Never, past or current smoker.

Exercise : Currently, previously, or never exercised.

Dietary variety : Consumption of fruits, vegetables, fish, beans and tea.

For each factor, participants were given a score from 0 to 2. Thus, the total score for all 3 factors could range from 0 to 6.

The researchers then compared the centenarians' scores with those of people who hadn't reached 100 to see whether healthier habits led to longer lives.

The results were surprising. People with the highest scores, 5 to 6 points, had a 61% higher centenarian rate than those with the lowest scores, 0 to 2 points, according to Study Finds.

For each element, the specific results are as follows:

Never smoking increases your chances of living to 100 by 25% compared to current smokers.

Regular exercise increases the chance of living to 100 by 31% compared to never exercising.

Following a varied diet increased the likelihood of reaching 100 by 23% compared with the least varied diet.

This study provides compelling evidence that it is never too late to make positive changes.

By targeting an older age group (>80 years), we can conclude that people with a healthy lifestyle, even at advanced age, may still have better health outcomes than their age-matched peers, the study authors concluded.

And the lesson is clear: Small, sustainable lifestyle changes, even at a fairly advanced age, can help increase your chances of joining the 100-year-old club.