Follow These Tips and Reduce Your Risk of Major Chronic Illness Up To 80 Percent

While it's no secret that many health experts believe diet and exercise are the keys to living a healthy life, a new study out of Germany claims that making four lifestyle changes can help reduce the risk of major chronic illness by much more than previously thought.
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Four lifestyle changes can cut risk of disease by nearly 80 percent.

According to the seven-plus-year study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, people who do not smoke, have a body mass index lower than 30, exercize for at least three and a half hours each week and eat a healthy diet with many fruits, vegetables and whole-grain bread can reduce the risk of chronic illness like diabetes, heart attack, stroke and cancer by an average of nearly 80 percent.

Before his new show, "The Dr. Oz Show," gets started in September, Dr. Mehmet Oz dropped by "Good Morning America" to help explain what the study can mean for you and how you can make small changes in your life to potentially drastically improve your health.

Healthy Tip 1: Quit Smoking

The most important of these four changes, according to Oz, is to quit smoking. According to the American Heart Assocation, smoking accounts for more than 440,000 deaths every year.

Cigarette smokers have a higher risk of developing several chronic disorders including cancer, heart disease and stroke, according to the AHA.

"It's really hard to do it by yourself," Oz said. "Get some help."

Healthy Tip 2: Know Your Body Mass Index

Web sites like the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute allow users to quickly calculate their body mass index to see how it compares to the study's ideal BMI of under 30.

n order to help improve your body mass index, Oz suggests cutting out 100 calories from your daily diet and sticking to a sustainable weight loss program.

Oz stressed that "we're not looking for people with a little extra weight on board," but rather those whose weight is putting their health in danger.

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