The key to a long, healthy life? Go to church!

'The one (aspect) that is significantly more predictive of good health is about religious service attendance.'

Researchers looking at data of nearly 75,000 middle-aged women nurses in the United States and discovered something wonderful!

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The Nurses' Health Study, had the thousands of participants answer several questions, including whether they attended religious services regularly between 1992 and 2012.

Researchers discovered a 33 percent lower risk of death in women who claimed they regularly attended religious services than women who did not.

Women who attended church once a week or less often had a 26 percent lower risk of death and women who did not attend church at all were discovered to have a 13 percent lower risk.

As Catholics, it should come as no surprise to hear that the researchers discovered other health benefits as well, such as social support, optimism, lower rates of depression and a smaller chance of self-harming activities such as smoking.

According to CBS Philly, researchers were able to understand what many believers already know - that regular church attendance promotes self-discipline and increased senses of purpose in life.

Tyler J. VanderWeele, a professor of epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, explained, "Our study suggests that for health, the benefits outweigh the potentially negative effects" such as anxiety, guilt or intolerance.

The majority of the women participating were Catholic or Protestant, leaving researchers unsure about other religious service attendance, such as other Christian religions and denominations, Judaism or Islam.

Men were not studied, leaving researchers incapable of knowing for certain that service attendance promotes physical and mental health in both sexes, but previous studies suggest it does.

"There have been literally thousands of studies" concerning the link between religion and health, Dr. Dan German Blazer II, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Duke University Medical Center, explained.

Of the thousands of studies, certain aspects such as prayer, levels of spirituality, reading the Bible or other religious texts remain inconclusive but do indicate an improved longevity.

"The one (aspect) that is significantly more predictive of good health is about religious service attendance," Blazer stated.

Blazer explained how most people think they are spiritual, but the level of spirituality - as well as the optimum level of spirituality - is difficult to accurately measure. Dr. Blazer claimed, "You have a more integrated life in this sense," but any and all positive results remain speculative.

Though the study revealed positive links between regular religious attendance, Dr. Blazer warned: "This study does not suggest that clinicians prescribe attending religious services as a way to be more healthy."

As seen in his comment, scientists continue to struggle to understand the positive relationship between the effects of religion - perhaps more specifically, the inclusion of God in people's personal lives - and the scientific evidence of longevity and health.

Blazer admitted the study suggests patients who know their doctor extremely well might benefit from encouragement to become more active in their religious institutions.

"[C]linicians who know their patients well and follow them over a period of time, like primary care doctors, inquire when it is appropriate about their religious beliefs and practices" to help ensure the patient maintains a healthy relationship with their church, temples or mosque.

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