Scientists have defined eight health measures that can slow the body’s aging process. Experts will present their findings at the American Heart Association (AHA) Scientific Sessions conference in Philadelphia this week.

Researchers examined data from 6,500 men and women with an average age of 47.  They concluded that eight key elements promote good heart health, which in turn may slow the pace of biological aging by up to six years.

Special: New Aging Research Reveals Key to Long, Healthy Life

According to The Guardian, researchers said that people with the best cardiovascular health were approximately six years younger biologically than their actual age.

“These findings help us understand the link between chronological age and biological age and how following healthy lifestyle habits can help us live longer,” said Dr. Donald Lloyd-Jones, the chair for the writing group for Life's Essential 8, the AHA assessment tool.

Life’s Essential 8 includes four modifiable lifestyle measures and four modifiable health markers to help you life healthier, longer, says Lloyd-Jones. The researchers found that as heart health went up, biological age went down.

For example, if the average actual age of those with good heart health was 41, their average biological age was 36. Conversely, if the average actual age of those with poor cardiovascular health was 53, their average biological age was 57, says The Guardian.

The eight health measures named by the AHA are:

1. Eat a healthy diet.
2. Be more active.
3. Quit smoking.
4. Get healthy sleep.
5. Maintain a healthy weight.
6. Control cholesterol.
7. Watch blood sugar.
8. Manage blood pressure.

“Greater adherence to all Life’s Essential 8 metrics and improving your cardiovascular health can slow down your body’s aging process and have a lot of benefits down the line,” said study author Nour Makarem, an assistant professor of epidemiology at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University Irving Medical Center.