People who are considered healthy in middle age have a very small risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke, according to a new study by researchers at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

The study, which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine, measured participants' risk factors for cardiovascular disease - blood pressure, cholesterol levels, smoking status and diabetes status - at ages 45, 55, 65 and 75. They found that people who reach age 55 without developing any one of these risk factors had a significantly lower chance of having a heart attack or stroke by age 80 than others.

"If you make it to middle age with an optimal profile, it's really like the fountain of youth for your heart," said lead researcher Dr. Donald Lloyd-Jones, chair of preventive medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago and principal investigator of the study.

USA Today reports that cardiovascular disease is the leading cause for death among U.S. adults.

"We need to do a better job of getting our children and young adults off to a healthy start so that more of them can make it into middle age with optimal risk factors," Lloyd-Jones told the news outlet. "All of these risk factors are preventable, or at least modifiable, by lifestyle."