Bad habits can age you by 12 years, study suggests

New research suggests that having four common bad habits can age you by 12 years.

The four bad habits are smoking, drinking too much, not getting enough physical activity and a poor diet.

The findings highlight yet another reason to adopt a healthier lifestyle. The study tracked nearly 5,000 British adults for 20 years. Of those with all four bad habits, 29 percent died. That compares to 8 percent of the healthier people who didn't have those unhealthy behaviors.

The study appears in Monday's Archives of Internal Medicine.