If people would do just four things — engage in regular physical activity, eat a healthy diet, not smoke and avoid becoming obese — they could slash their risk of diabetes, heart attack, stroke or cancer by 80 percent, a new report has found.

The multiyear study, published today in the Archives of Internal Medicine, also found that less than 10 percent of the more than 23,000 people in the study actually lived their lives this way.

Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and in Germany examined the habits of 23,153 German participants aged 35-65 years who enrolled in the study between 1994 and 1998.

Manly men shun doctors

Middle-age men who value masculinity are almost 50 percent less likely than other men to go to the doctor for preventive care, such as regular check-ups, according to a study presented Monday at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association in San Francisco. Men with strong masculine beliefs who worked in blue-collar jobs were more likely to report obtaining care than other men. But highly educated macho men were just as unlikely to obtain preventive health care as less educated macho men.

Colorado: Bear kills woman

A 74-year-old woman who was known for leaving food outside her home for bears — despite several warnings that it was illegal and dangerous to do so — was killed by one of the animals, an autopsy confirmed. Donna Munson’s body had been partially eaten by a bear or bears when it was found outside her home in Ouray County, in southwestern Colorado, on Friday. State wildlife officers had received “numerous” complaints during the past decade that Munson was feeding bears.

New York: Divers find body

Hudson River divers on Monday found the wreckage of a small plane and one of two victims missing following a midair collision with a sightseeing helicopter that killed nine people. The wreckage of the single-engine Piper was found in about 60 feet of water in the middle of the river. NYPD divers couldn’t remove the man’s body from the aircraft wreckage.

Illinois: Blagojevich aide plans to run for Senate

A political rookie who was a top aide to former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich announced Monday that she intends to run for the U.S. Senate seat once held by President Barack Obama. Chicago Urban League President Cheryle Jackson’s entry into the race makes her the best-known black candidate to seek the seat that has been held by three of the nation’s four black senators in modern times.