Ill-effects of unhealthy habits during young adulthood start showing at age 36, suggests study

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A study has suggested that age 36 is when the ill-effects of having unhealthy habits as a young adult -- smoking, drinking and physical inactivity -- start becoming apparent.

Researchers from the University of Jyvaskyla tracked about 370 residents of the Finnish city for over 30 years. Data was collected via surveys and medical tests at ages 27, 36, 42, 50 and 61.

Three bad habits -- smoking, heavy drinking and a lack of exercise -- can lead to declines in health in people as young as 36, according to findings published in the journal Annals of Medicine.

The team said that unhealthy behaviours in mid-life -- 40s and 50s -- are known to increase chances of developing health disorders in old age.

However, their analysis showed that the ill-effects of unhealthy behaviours remained similar through the ages 36 to 61, suggesting that the link exists already at age 36 and not only in the later phases of mid-life.

Crucially, the ill-effects were apparent by the time the participants were in their mid-30s, the researchers said.

"Our findings highlight the importance of tackling risky health behaviours, such as smoking, heavy drinking and physical inactivity, as early as possible to prevent the damage they do to from building up over the years, culminating in poor mental and physical health later in later life," lead author Tiia Kekalainen, a health scientist at the University of Jyvaskyla's Gerontology Research Center.

However, following a healthy lifestyle can cut one's risk of developing non-communicable disorders such as heart disease and cancer, and reduce chances of an early death, Kekalainen added.

A lack of exercise was particularly linked to a poor physical health, and smoking to a poor mental health.

A heavy consumption of alcohol was, however, associated with declines in both mental and physical health.

The three unhealthy behaviours were seen to produce stronger ill-effects over a longer term, through increasing depressive symptoms and metabolic risks.

"The findings of the present study suggest that the associations were mainly similar across time from age 36 to 61. Thus, the cumulative association of earlier risky behaviours exists already at age 36 and not only in the later phases of midlife," the authors wrote.

The study's participants were part of a larger long-term research, in which children born in Jyvaskyla in 1959 were followed until their early 60s.

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