Leading healthy lifestyles may reduce our risks of cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer's, type II diabetes, liver failure and "so-called" age-related diseases of all kinds. But, what is the healthiest lifestyle?

Researchers have attempted to answer that question for many years. They have looked at traditional diets, as well as good and bad habits, in isolated and semi-isolated populations from around the world.

There are several noteworthy populations, including the Greenland Eskimos, the Japanese and people that live in the Mediterranean area and the south of France. The Eskimos and the French have been considered paradoxical, because the incidence of heart disease is very low in the populations, despite diets that are relatively high in fat.

It was those observations that lead researchers to investigate the idea of "good" and "bad" fats. They called into question the idea that high triglycerides and high cholesterol in the bloodstream are risk factors for heart disease.

Today, most doctors agree that it is the ratio of "good" HDL cholesterol to "bad" LDL cholesterol that is most important. You might say that HDL comes from good fats and LDL comes from bad fats. It's a little more complicated than that, but not much.

The healthy lifestyles that seem to greatly reduce the risk of disease are those that are very active. All of the populations mentioned above are physically active. In the Mediterranean and the South of France, the weather is lovely and people spend a great deal of time outdoors. Instead of stocking up on groceries, they often walk to the market every day, buying just enough for the next meal or two.

In Japan, people walk a great deal. The Eskimo population was traditionally very active, as well.

Another paradox was observed in Japan. Many Japanese people break one of the major rules of healthy lifestyles. They smoke cigarettes. Yet, they have a lower than expected incidence of throat and stomach cancer.

Their lung cancer risk is equivalent to other smokers around the world, however. So, no one is saying that smoking is okay. It's just that something about the Japanese diet seems to protect the men from throat and stomach cancer. Some researchers believe it is genetic. Others think it is the green tea.

One of the things that all of these healthier people have in common is a love for fish and seafood. They eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, too.

Researchers have concluded that these healthy lifestyles and dietary habits contribute to longevity. People in Japan commonly live more than 100 years.

The components of the diets that are particularly beneficial are antioxidants and natural anti-inflammatories. Fruits, vegetables and other plant foods are loaded with both of those things. They provide a great deal of dietary fiber, too, which is good for digestion.

So, eat more plant foods and fish. Drink more green tea and get more exercise. A little red wine might not be a bad idea and dark chocolates are good for you, too. By leading healthy lifestyles and making good dietary choices, you could live to 100 or beyond.