According to new research, health kicks could actually reverse ageing at the cellular level. A team of researchers from the University of California found that a strict regime of exercise, diet and meditation is enough to provide a genetic effect equating to reversal of cell ageing.

The team of scientists found that the subjects who undertook health kicks gradually experienced a lengthening of their telomeres - the protective caps at the end of chromosomes which prevent the loss of genetic information in cell division by ten percent.

The study looked at 35 men with prostate cancer and in a group of 10 who switched to a vegetarian diet and undertook a scheduled course of exercise, meditation and yoga, the telomeres were observed to lengthen.

Telomeres degrade with time, and when they're no longer left, chromosomes can no longer be replicated accurately. Research suggests that exercise slows that down.

While the observed effect is small in sample size, it's still a good idea to lead a healthy lifestyle nonetheless. Check out the study published in Lancet Oncology: [Lancet Oncology via BBC]