The average American thinks they’ve reached their peak of health at 34 – and old age begins at just 42
- The New York-based pollster surveyed 2,000 people between the ages of 18 and 76
- The majority believed that health peaked at age 34
- But it would take another eight years on average to feel old
They say 40 is the new 20 — but most Americans believe they’ve peaked physically at 34, according to a poll.
And the majority of people already feel old by the age of 42.
That’s according to a survey of 2,000 Americans from four different generations – Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X and Baby Boomers.
Joint pain has been considered one of the main warning signs of old age, as has a slowed metabolism and spread in middle age.
A poll of 2,000 Americans found they believe health peaks at age 34 (file photo)
Men age FASTER than women — and they’re biologically “FOUR years older by the time they’re 50”
Men technically age faster than women, experts claimed last month.
Antiaging researchers found that men in their 50s were, on average, four years biologically older than their female counterparts.
And according to the first study of this kind, the gap already exists among 20-year-olds.
Scientists compared the chronological ages of thousands of volunteers – how many birthdays they had – to their biological ages.
This was done using tests that estimate the body’s decay based on subtle markers attached to our DNA.
Anna Kankaanpää, PhD student and lead author of the study, said: “We found that men are biologically older than women of the same chronological age, and the difference is significantly larger in older participants.
“We observed a gender difference in the pace of aging that could not be explained by lifestyle-related factors.”
New York-based pollster OnePoll conducted the poll for California-based weight-loss company Found.
Respondents were interviewed between September 1 and 12 of this year and came from across the United States.
Just as many were Gen Z (aged 18 to 25), Millennials (aged 26 to 41), Gen X (aged 42 to 57) and Baby Boomers (aged 58 to 76).
The majority said they believe signs of aging appear by age 42 – including joint pain, graying hair and a slowed metabolism.
However, about 15 percent said they noticed signs of aging before their 35th birthday.
A majority also said they believed they had reached their peak of physical and mental fitness by age 34.
Additionally, one in five participants said they were happiest in their 20s and 30s.
dr Rekha Kumar, Found’s Chief Medical Officer, said: “While aging is inevitable, making healthy lifestyle changes are preventive care measures that can help alleviate age-related problems such as weight gain and chronic conditions.
“In the last 100 years, we’ve almost doubled life expectancy, so it’s critical to be proactive to extend both our health span and lifespan.”
She added: “Programs that include guidance that not only helps people manage their weight but also improve general lifestyle habits, such as improved sleep, daily exercise or taking care of their mental health, can help people to maintain their health in old age.”
American life expectancy has been increasing for decades, peaking in 2019 at 76 years for men and 80 years for women.
But amid the Covid pandemic and the strain on healthcare systems, it has fallen as men born in 2021 are now expected to live to 73 and women to 79.
Aging is a natural process that affects all people and living beings.
It is caused by the gradual accumulation of cell damage over time and the deterioration of their function.
These changes are slow at first, but begin to accelerate in later years.
Muscle mass increases during the mid 20’s but begins to decrease thereafter.
Skeletal mass also increases up to the age of 30, before also decreasing, first around the pelvis and spine and finally in the fingers and toes.