An often overlooked - but no less important - way of staying healthy into middle age is simply to make sure we spend a decent amount of time with our friends.
Sharing troubles and having a good old laugh are incredibly important for our well-being, a new study has found.
Having a bunch of mates and family close at hand in our late 40s can even reduce the risk of illnesses such as cancer and heart disease.
Researchers say the happier we are with our social lives, the more we are protected from mental health problems - and the more likely we are to visit the doctor.
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A study was carried out by the University of Queensland in Australia, who used data from 7,700 Aussie women ranging in age from 45 to 50.
Study author Dr Xiaolin Xu said: “Our findings show the benefits of starting or maintaining high quality social relationships throughout middle age to early old age.
“Social connections should be considered a public health priority.”
The study quizzed women about relationships with their partners, friends and family members - and how happy they were with each.
For more than two decades, researchers then tracked rates of 11 key conditions: diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer, arthritis, osteoporosis, heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, depression and anxiety.
The women who started off unhappiest about their social lives were 2.4 times as likely to come down with more than one illness.
Writing in the journal General Psychiatry, Dr Xu said: “Given that well-established risk factors only contribute to a small part of the link, social relationship satisfaction itself may be involved.”
The link between socialising and wellbeing is well established, with NHS doctors pushing more 'social prescribing' and sending patients to groups and clubs to boost their overall health.
Mental health charity Mind describes 'social prescribing' as a way of helping people deal with the things in life that can make you feel unhappy or anxious.
Addressing these troubles often takes a little extra time and support, and Mind can help you access a wide range of activities and support in your local community.
For more information, click here
Keeping your brain sharp
Another study found exercising just once a month is enough to keep your brain sharp.
According to a team at University College London, when it comes to staving off dementia, it isn't necessarily the amount of physical activity you do but rather how regularly you do it.
They examined the benefits of exercise on brain ageing and memory, discovering that going for a jog as infrequently as once a month can help ward off dementia - providing you stick to it.
Scientists said in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry: “The maintenance of activity across adulthood may be more important than the timing.”
