An international research team tracked the health of hundreds of individuals from birth in 1959 until they reached the age of 61, aiming to study the long-term effects of unhealthy habits.
اضافة اعلان
The study focused on habits such as smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, and lack of physical activity, observing the link between these behaviors and both physical and mental health disorders.
The follow-up revealed that the first clear signs of health deterioration began to appear at the age of 36 in individuals who had maintained these habits during their youth. These individuals were more likely to suffer from diseases and depression compared to those who adopted a healthy lifestyle.
Dr. Tia Kiekalainen from the University of Luria in Finland stated that the study's results emphasize the importance of addressing risky behaviors early, saying: "Our findings highlight the importance of early intervention to reduce the accumulation of health damage over time."
The research team revealed that each unhealthy habit has its own specific effects: smoking was linked to poorer mental health, lack of physical activity was associated with deterioration in physical fitness, and excessive alcohol consumption was connected to a general decline in both mental and physical health.
The findings indicated that the impact of these habits increases the longer they are practiced. For example, smoking contributes to lung cancer and heart disease, while lack of exercise and excessive alcohol consumption lead to fatal diseases like organ failure, stroke, and heart attacks.
Although previous studies focused on the effects of these behaviors in middle age, this study, published in the Annals of Medicine, examined the early formation of these habits and their impact from youth through to old age.
The researchers noted that the relationship between bad habits and poor health may be reciprocal, with depression or physical problems potentially leading to the adoption of harmful behaviors such as smoking, lack of exercise, or excessive drinking.
The study also pointed out that its findings apply more to individuals born in the late 1950s and early 1960s, while lifestyle patterns and sources of risk may differ in newer generations, especially with the rise of behaviors like electronic cigarette use.
The study clarified that it did not address all aspects of lifestyle, such as diet. Daily Mail
