Scientists have found that the effects of alcohol use, smoking and insufficient exercise become apparent at the age of 36, the Mirror reports. 

A 30-year study has found that lifestyle changes in early adulthood and mid-life can prevent later years of ill health. But researchers insist it's never too late to change and see the benefits. Experts assessed people on the three lifestyle habits at ages 27, 36, 42, 50 and 61. The study, published in the Annals of Medicine, concludes, "The cumulative association with earlier risk behaviors exists as early as age 36, not just in the later phases of midlife" .

Smoking causes lung cancer and heart and respiratory problems, while lack of exercise and too much alcohol have been linked to problems such as cancer, stroke, heart attack and early death. 

In the decades-long study, 326 people were followed at Finnish universities and their mental health was assessed through questionnaires on depression symptoms and psychological well-being. Physical health was measured by creating a metabolic risk score based on blood pressure, waist size, and levels of blood sugar, cholesterol, and other fats in the blood. Individuals were also asked to rate their health status over the previous year.

Dr Tija Kekalainen, a health scientist at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland, who worked on the study, says: "Non-communicable diseases, such as heart disease and cancer, cause almost three-quarters of deaths worldwide. But if a person leads a healthy lifestyle, they can reduce their risk of developing these diseases and reduce the likelihood of early death." 

"Our findings underline the importance of tackling risky behaviours such as smoking, heavy drinking and physical inactivity as early as possible to prevent the accumulation of damage over the years that can lead to mental and physical health deterioration later in life," the expert added.

In the study, symptoms of depression and general psychological well-being were measured on a scale of 1 to 4; self-rated health was measured on a scale of 1 to 5; and metabolic risk was rated from 0 to 5. Three risk behaviors were assessed at each time point: smoking, heavy drinking, and physical inactivity (exercising less than once a week).

The results of the study showed that if people had all three unhealthy habits at any one time, their mental and physical health was worse than if they had none of them. Specifically, depressive symptoms increased by 0.1 points, metabolic risk score increased by 0.53 points, psychological well-being decreased by 0.1 points, and self-rated health decreased by 0.45 points. Furthermore, the long-term presence of the three unhealthy behaviours was even more strongly associated with a decline in health. 

In this case, depressive symptoms increased by 0.38 points, metabolic risk score increased by 1.49 points, psychological well-being decreased by 0.14 points, and self-rated health increased by 0.45 points. The researchers write that "the results of the present study show that the associations are mostly similar over time from 36 to 61 years of age." | BGNES