University of California researchers tracked data on around 1,700 people who were in their nineties in 2003.
They found modest drinking (two glasses of wine or beer per day) and carrying a few extra pounds (gaining five to ten pounds per decade) were both associated with longevity.
Other findings: those who spent at least two hours per day on a hobby had a 21 percent lower risk of premature death, doing between 15 and 45 minutes of moderate exercise a day had an 11 percent lower risk, and those who drank two cups of coffee a day had a ten percent lower risk of premature death.