(CNN) -- A new study shows that taking care of your health not only contributes to your future well-being, it also affects how much society pays for Medicare costs.

In fact, low-risk behaviors can reduce Medicare costs by as much as 50 percent, according to the study results, which were reported in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine.

Researchers established three major cardiovascular risk factors considered preventable and treatable for the study: high blood pressure, high cholesterol and smoking.

Diabetes, abnormal heart beat and previous heart attack were other major risks included in the study, which was headed by Dr. Martha Daviglus of Northwestern University Medical School.

The researchers identified some 14,000 Medicare-eligible men and women in the Chicago area and followed them for more than a decade as Medicare recipients.

Through Medicare, the federal government pays for health care for 35 million older and disabled Americans.

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They found that men at low risk for cardiovascular disease in middle age eventually cost Medicare one-third less than others at higher risk, while women at low risk in middle age cost about half as much as their higher-risk counterparts.

"Being at low risk is not only associated with lower mortality and greater longevity, but also with lower health care costs," Daviglus said.

"The take-home message is, cultivate your good habits," she added.

Critics of the study noted that it does not take into account the price of prevention, such as the cost of prescription drugs.

Still, many seniors in good health agree with the researchers' basic message.

"When one is young, one doesn't think that what one does will have an effect on your future life," said Lucila Woodard, 64, who exercises and watches her diet.

"I have grandchildren and I've talked to them," she added. "I've said, 'first of all forget about smoking, no matter what you read or hear.'"

Medicare, the nation's largest health-care program, pays some 40 million recipients about $217 billion each year. That amount could skyrocket as the "baby boomer" generation ages.

Reporter Louise Schiavone contributed to this report.