Three U.S. universities have conducted a joint study that has found a solid link between those who are more educated and lower mortality rate.

Researchers from New York University, the University of North Carolina, and the University of Colorado have found that those who go back and get their high school diploma or a bachelor’s degree could lower their risk of death as much as if a smoker quit smoking, according to a UPI report. The study was published in the journal PLOS ONE.

Scientists believe that this link between having a high school diploma or a college degree and a lower mortality rate is largely to do with having more income, a better social status, improved cognitive development, and a healthier lifestyle in general.

And it’s a good indication that education may be just as important as recommending that people change up their diet and exercise more or quit drinking and smoking. Because more educated people tend to live healthier lifestyles, perhaps it’s important for the government to push education as a national health issue rather than just an economic or social benefit.

The research team examined 1 million people between the years 1986 and 2006 based on data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Health Interview Survey and other surveys. They determined that a whopping 145,000 deaths could have been postponed by those people all having GEDs, and another 110,000 could have been postponed with a bachelor’s degree.

There was a particularly large disparity in those born between 1925 and 1945.

The scientists found that these results were consistent across races and genders.