Latest news with #PhilipBorg
The Age
5 days ago
- Health
- The Age
Why 36 to 46 is the most important time of your life for your health
For many of us, our 20s are a decade of hedonism – of giving barely a passing thought to our health. It's the era where we might smoke, binge-drink and shun exercise. But new research shows that by our mid-30s, this kind of party lifestyle will take its toll. Researchers in Finland found there were relatively few consequences for heavy drinking and smoking in people's 20s, but those who continued these habits found their health begin to deteriorate at 36. Over the course of their lifetime, they were found to result in a plethora of health problems including higher rates of depression, cancer, heart disease, lung disease and early death. In fact, the decade from 36 to 46 is a pivotal one for our future wellbeing. 'What you do in that window shapes the health you'll experience in the decades to come,' says Dr Philip Borg, an NHS oncologist and founder of The Longevity Doctor, a clinic specialising in preventative medicine. Accumulative damage It's in our mid to late 30s that we stop 'getting away' with unhealthy behaviour, as the cumulative effects of our lifestyle begin to show their impact. 'Chronic diseases are caused by long-term, silent processes like inflammation, triggered by habits including poor diet, stress, drinking, smoking and lack of exercise, which can slowly damage your cells, arteries and brain, starting decades before symptoms appear,' says Borg. Loading Prior to this age, much of the damage can be undone – for instance, people who quit smoking by the age of 35 were shown in a 2022 study of half-a-million Americans to have a similar long-term mortality risk to people who have never smoked. But the rates of lung cancer caused by smoking begin to rise steadily in the 40-44 age range, steadily for women and more rapidly for men, according to Cancer Research UK.
Sydney Morning Herald
5 days ago
- Health
- Sydney Morning Herald
Why 36 to 46 is the most important time of your life for your health
For many of us, our 20s are a decade of hedonism – of giving barely a passing thought to our health. It's the era where we might smoke, binge-drink and shun exercise. But new research shows that by our mid-30s, this kind of party lifestyle will take its toll. Researchers in Finland found there were relatively few consequences for heavy drinking and smoking in people's 20s, but those who continued these habits found their health begin to deteriorate at 36. Over the course of their lifetime, they were found to result in a plethora of health problems including higher rates of depression, cancer, heart disease, lung disease and early death. In fact, the decade from 36 to 46 is a pivotal one for our future wellbeing. 'What you do in that window shapes the health you'll experience in the decades to come,' says Dr Philip Borg, an NHS oncologist and founder of The Longevity Doctor, a clinic specialising in preventative medicine. Accumulative damage It's in our mid to late 30s that we stop 'getting away' with unhealthy behaviour, as the cumulative effects of our lifestyle begin to show their impact. 'Chronic diseases are caused by long-term, silent processes like inflammation, triggered by habits including poor diet, stress, drinking, smoking and lack of exercise, which can slowly damage your cells, arteries and brain, starting decades before symptoms appear,' says Borg. Loading Prior to this age, much of the damage can be undone – for instance, people who quit smoking by the age of 35 were shown in a 2022 study of half-a-million Americans to have a similar long-term mortality risk to people who have never smoked. But the rates of lung cancer caused by smoking begin to rise steadily in the 40-44 age range, steadily for women and more rapidly for men, according to Cancer Research UK.
