Just when you thought you could get away with being ‘young at heart’.
You might think that looking young for your age is blessing enough.
Wrong!
New research has found that looking older than you should is associated with a range of physical morbidities and cognitive decline, on top of the worse psychosocial wellbeing found in previous studies.
Researchers took data from the large Rotterdam study, obtaining “perceived age” for about 2700 people aged between 50 and 90 (with an independent panel of observers using a validated method to judge high-res photos). They also measured smoking status, BMI and UV exposure.
They then looked at the difference between a subject’s perceived age and their chronological age (DeltaPA) against a range markers of age-related decline across organ systems, including renal impairment, atrial fibrillation, ischaemic CVD and COPD; osteoarthritis, bone mineral density and osteoporosis; age-related macular degeneration, cataracts and glaucoma; age-related hearing loss; and “the g-factor” as a measure of cognitive impairment.
They found those with a positive DeltaPA (i.e. those who looked younger than their chronological age) had a lower prevalence of COPD (even adjusted for smoking), osteoporosis, cataracts, age-related hearing loss and cognitive decline than those who looked old for their age. They found no association with the other markers.
The authors offer a range of plausible mechanisms for the associations, e.g. wrinkling is associated with cell senescence, which could also drive morbidities in other tissues; osteoporosis might be associated with facial bone loss and decline in connective tissue production, both causing a more aged look; cataracts share risk factors with wrinkling, i.e. sun and smoking, though the authors do not explicitly say they adjust for UV exposure.
They tentatively suggest that how old someone looks may be used as an additional clinical sign in physical assessment.
If you’re looking for penny@medicalrepublic.com.au she’s out getting some tatts and dyeing her hair ultramarine.
