clean. In its "simple secrets to longevity", the ministry also advises three proper meals a day, 30 minutes exercise three times a week, six to eight glasses of water a day and six to eight hours rest. It also prescribes a health check-up once a year, avoidance of narcotics, a moral lifestyle, a low-fat diet and maintenance of close ties with family and friends. Local media reports quoted Deputy Health Minister Decha Sukrarom as saying the recommendations were based on a 1996 study of 156 Thais over the age of 100 - 120 women and 36 men.