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Keeping a healthy heart while young may help prevent future disease and disability, suggests a new study. 

In this study spanning more than three decades, participants who were at low risk for heart and blood vessel disease when young adults were 60 percent less likely to report disability as older adults, the press release added.

For determining the risk levels, researchers used blood pressure, cholesterol and body mass index measurements, including diabetes and smoking status. 

"People should adopt and maintain a healthy lifestyle at all ages," said Thanh Huyen T. Vu, M.D., Ph.D., study lead author and research assistant professor at Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois, in the press release. "It is important that healthcare providers promote a healthy lifestyle early in life for their patients, as healthy lifestyle has been shown to be associated with favorable levels of cardiovascular disease risk factors."

Researchers include more than 3,500 men and 2,000 women from The Chicago Heart Association Detection Project in industry with participants' later response to a 2003 health survey about functional disability and quality of life, the press release mentioned. 

The study was presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2014.