People who read live longer. Thirty minutes a day is good. Reading keeps our mind busy. It lowers our stress. Books are better than newspapers and magazines. Researchers looked at the lifestyles and reading habits of 3,500 men and women for 12 years. Everyone was over 50 years old at the start of the research.

People who read for up to 3.5 hours a week are 17 per cent less likely to die than people who do not read. Older people live longer when they read. A researcher said it didn't matter if you were male or female, healthy, rich or went to a good school. People over 65 years old watch too much TV. They should read more.