While age can start to creep in during our twenties, it may not be the most critical decade of our lives in terms of impact on our health.
New research from Finland says that how we live during the ten years from age 36 to 46 may have the biggest outsized influence on our health later in life. In other words, dropping bad habits, eating nutritious food, and exercising regularly might elicit the most benefit during this critical decade.
“What you do in that window shapes the health you’ll experience in the decades to come,” said Dr. Philip Borg, an NHS oncologist and founder of The Longevity Doctor, a clinic specializing in preventative medicine, per The Telegraph.
According to the researchers, around our mid-30s, we start to lose the ability to get away with unhealthy behavior. Excessive drinking, smoking, and other bad habits quickly begin to accumulate and wreak havoc on our bodies.
“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,” said Dr. Borg.
Before we hit this critical window, much of the damage inflicted by bad behavior may be reversible. In fact, a study from 2022 that examined half a million Americans found smokers who quit by age 35 enjoyed roughly the same long-term mortality risk as peers who never smoked at all.
Once the 40s hit, however, luck starts to run out, when rates of lung cancer caused by smoking rapidly climb.
The outsized impact could be due to changes in our bodies. For women, in particular, this can be a period of significant hormonal changes.
“The decade from 36 to 46 is when our metabolic forgiveness begins to wane, but we still have tremendous capacity to course-correct… Every positive change you make during this window contributes to your future health and potential longevity,” said Dr. Wilson.