Jean-Benoit Legault, The Canadian Press
MONTREAL — Young people who smoke, are obese or have mental health problems are aging an average of three months faster each year than their peers, New Zealand researchers have found.
This finding stems from the Dunedin study, which examines the health status of some 900 participants born between April 1972 and March 1973 in the New Zealand city of the same name, between the ages of 3 and 45.
The researchers found that at the age of 45, participants who had suffered between the ages of 11 and 15 with two of the three problems in adolescence walked 11.2 centimeters slower than the others; had a brain that was 2.5 years older; and an older facial age of almost four years.
“Smoking as a teenager, having mental health problems or being obese is associated with a host of overall health issues, including having more facial features. aged at a younger age, to have a brain that shows signs of degradation compared to other people of the same age, and then to have (…) overall health indicators that are less favorable”, summarized the doctor Nicholas Chadi, from the CHU Sainte-Justine.
Conversely, he added, if we prevent smoking and obesity, and if we take care of mental health issues, we increase the chances “of having better health indicators over the course of life”.
The researchers measured multiple factors to come to this finding, including body mass index, blood pressure, tooth and gum health, and cholesterol. They also assessed cardiorespiratory health and performed brain imaging.
Smoking, obesity and psychological problems can increase inflammation and oxidative stress in the body, leading to accelerated aging. Young people who had mental health problems such as anxiety, depression or ADHD were also possibly less likely than others to eat well or be physically active.
“We cannot say that mental health problems only affect the psychological,” said Dr. Chadi. It affects physical health just as much, and that is now confirmed in the study.”
This work highlights the importance of prevention by clearly illustrating the adverse health consequences of choices made during the first half of life, he said, which might serve as motivation for those seeking, for example to quit smoking or lose weight, showing them what to expect in middle age if nothing changes.
In addition, the New Zealand study does not yet say how the health of the participants will evolve until the age of 60, 80 or 100 years, recalled Dr. Chadi. Will the adverse effects intensify as we age? Is there an optimal time when it would be most effective to change these behaviors? Only time will tell.
However, multiple studies have shown over the years that it’s never too late to do the right thing and decide to take charge, and that even those with the most damaged bodies will benefit from an improvement in their habits. of life.
“We clearly know that making changes between adolescence (…) and 45 years old has a big impact, but that certainly does not mean that it is a waste of time and that it is too late”, concluded the doctor. Chadi.
The findings of this study were published by the journal JAMA Pediatrics.
