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Diet is probably a larger factor than exercising in living a long life. If you have to pick one I would go with diet.

Also, here's a different perspective from Arthur De Vany:

Death by Exercise: The Aging Running Generation: http://www.arthurdevany.com/?p=797

That's a fairly inconclusive link, somebody died who led a full life. They accomplished many things and lived their passions.

A interesting tidbit in today's NY Times (AP story) http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/health/AP-MED-Healthy-Obesit... points out that BMI and risk factors are not necessarily connected.

At the end of the day, if you want to live a long life... live healthy. Or: Reduce Stress, Exercise, Eat Well and Smile.

And choose grandparents that lived a long life.

According to one 32,000 person study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (1999), "fit persons with any combination of smoking, elevated blood pressure, or elevated cholesterol level had lower adjusted death rates than low-fit persons with none of these characteristics". The same study found that aerobic fitness had a far more important impact on longevity than obesity did.

Fantastic Voyage, Kurzweil and Grossman, Chapter 22.

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