Hangovers seem to hit harder the older people get. While university years are filled with carefree afternoons sinking pints, after-work drinks just a decade later could result in a severe headache.
New research has found that a party lifestyle will have an impact on your health by the age of 36 –and the side effects are far more troubling than having to spend the day in bed.
Researchers at the Laurea University of Applied Sciences in Finland tracked 371 people born in 1959 into their sixties, observing how binge drinking, smoking and not exercising impacted their health.
The group underwent health checks at 27, 36, 42, 50, and 61, and had full medical examinations from the age of 42 onwards.
Although there were relatively few repercussions to smoking and heavy drinking while the participants were in their twenties, the effects of the party lifestyle had kicked in by the time they hit their thirties.
These unhealthy habits were found to result in higher rates of depression, cancer, heart disease, lung disease and early death. These results persisted throughout the group’s forties, fifties and sixties.
Scientists said the study demonstrated the importance of cutting down on alcohol consumption and giving up smoking before hitting middle age, in order to stave off decades of health issues.
Writing in the journal Annals of Medicine, study author Dr Tiia Kekalainen said: “Diseases such as heart disease and cancer cause almost three-quarters of deaths worldwide. But by following a healthy lifestyle, someone can cut their risk of developing these illnesses and reduce their odds of an early death.
“Our findings highlight the importance of tackling risky health behaviours, such as smoking, heavy drinking and physical inactivity, as early as possible to prevent the damage they do to from building up over the years, culminating in poor mental and physical health later in life.” she said.
“However, it is never too late to change to healthier habits. Adopting healthier habits in midlife also has benefits for older age,” Kekalainen assured.
Gwyneth Paltrow, 52, is among notable celebrities who’ve spoken openly about cutting down on alcohol and smoking in the latter years of their life.
The Shakespeare In Love star, who’s also known for her lifestyle brand Goop, admitted in 2021 that she had been drinking “seven nights a week” during the pandemic but later kicked the habit as it’s “not healthy”.
Paltrow wrote in her Goop newsletter just a year later of her drastically altered alcohol consumption: “I have one drink a week – a whiskey or a little glass of red wine. Boring!”