Research presented at the 20th World Diabetes Congress in Montreal provides further evidence that healthy behaviours reduce mortality in people with and without diabetes.

"Few previous studies have measured the effectiveness of healthy behaviours in delaying mortality among adults with diagnosed diabetes," said lead researcher Sharon Saydah. "We looked at the association of health behaviours with mortality in the general US population among adults both with and without diabetes."

The study included 1,177 people with diabetes and 15,217 without diabetes who took part in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 1988 to 1994 and were followed through to 2001.

A greater number of healthy behaviours was linked to a 15 per cent reduced risk of dying from any cause in diabetics and a 17 per cent reduced risk in non-diabetics, after adjusting for various factors that might influence the results.

Subjects in the top 20 per cent of healthy behaviour "summary scores" had a 58 per cent lower death rate than those in the bottom 40 per cent.

Five self-reported healthy behaviours were assessed at the start of the study: physical activity, not smoking, higher healthy eating index, moderate alcohol intake (one to two drinks per week), and maintaining weight or trying to lose weight in the past 12 months.