The daily habits that a person follows form a large part of their long-term physical and mental health.
Identifying the critical age range that most affects health
In this regard, a team of scientists investigated how behaviors such as smoking, drinking alcohol, and lack of physical activity affect an individual's health across different stages of life, with an emphasis on the importance of timing and monitoring these habits.
In the Finnish study, scientists analyzed data from 369 people over more than 50 years, and ranked risk scores based on the number of harmful behaviors an individual engages in and how long they persist over time.
Scientists have proven that the decade between 36 and 46 years of age represents a crucial period for establishing healthy or harmful habits that affect a person's health for life.
The study showed that smoking, alcohol consumption, and lack of physical activity begin to stabilize at this stage, and become difficult to reverse thereafter.
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The research team explained that the continuation of these unhealthy habits exacerbates the damage to metabolic and psychological health, as they become part of the biological makeup after the age of 46. When a person reaches the age of thirty, each additional decade of these risky behaviors leads to a deterioration in their health until the age of fifty and beyond.
It was also found that even a single unhealthy behavior can increase the risk of premature death and disease, but when combined with other unhealthy habits, the effect is cumulative and the risk increases. Furthermore, the accumulation of these behaviors throughout life is associated with increased symptoms of depression and metabolic risks, as well as deteriorating mental health and a negative self-assessment of health status.
The results showed that people who started smoking or drinking alcohol in their twenties were more prone to depression and chronic diseases compared to those who started these habits at an older age.
Scientists stressed the importance of addressing these behaviors early on to prevent the accumulation of risks that could lead to serious health and psychological problems later in life.
The study highlights the importance of the timing and duration of a person's healthy or harmful habits, not just the nature of those habits.
Despite some limitations related to the sample and areas of study, this research provides important insights into the impact of behaviors on lifelong health, with a call for early preventive action to maintain better health.
The study was published in the Annals of Medicine.
