People over 60 who exercise and are fit live longer than their sedentary peers, regardless of weight and body mass, researchers said in a study published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Earlier research showed that obesity and sedentary habits increased the risk of death in middle-aged adults. The study carried out by University of South Carolina researchers tested the premise for the first time among older adults.

“We observed that fit individuals who were obese … had a lower risk of all-cause mortality than did unfit, normal-weight, or lean individuals,” said the study’s lead author Dr Xuemei Sui.