Are all those veggie salads and laps around the track worth it? Yes, according to a report in The New England Journal of Medicine that says that careful attention to eating and exercise habits goes a long way toward keeping women "heart healthy."

In this latest analysis, researchers from Harvard Medical School polled more than 84,000 women several times over a 14-year period, asking them about their eating, exercise, and smoking habits, and keeping track of how many of the women developed cardiovascular disease during that time.

As expected, the women in this study who were least likely to develop heart disease were non-smokers who ate a low-fat, high-fiber diet, exercised vigorously for 30 minutes on most days, maintained a healthy weight, and consumed a moderate amount of alcohol (about one drink per day). In fact, the women who met all five of these criteria were more than 80% less likely than other women in the study to suffer a heart attack or stroke.

It was not necessary for the study participants to have a "perfect score," though, for them to benefit from good diet and exercise habits. For instance, women in this study who did not smoke, ate a healthful diet, and exercised regularly but who weighed more than their "ideal body weight" were still about 30% less likely than sedentary women to suffer from heart disease.

The researchers point out that only 3% of the women in this study met all the diet and lifestyle criteria that placed them in the group at lowest risk of developing heart disease, suggesting that the majority of women still struggle to make time to eat right and exercise regularly. The results of this study highlight the fact, though, that lifestyle factors can have a significant impact on a woman's risk of heart disease, and that any improvement in dieting and exercise habits is a step in the right direction.