Today’s adults are so unhealthy they are 15 years ‘older’ than their parents and grandparents at the same age, researchers say.
They are more likely to suffer from high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity than previous generations because of poor health, according to a study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.
Looking at 6,000 adults aged 20, 30, 40, 50 over a 25 year period, researchers found younger generations had poorer ‘metabolic’ health – a range of issues including blood pressure and weight.
Today’s adults are so unhealthy they are 15 years ‘older’ than their parents and grandparents at the same age
The study revealed men in their 30s were 20 per cent more likely to be overweight than in previous generations, while women in their 20s are twice as likely to be obese than those 10 years ago.
Blood pressure also increased among the younger generation of both men and women, while younger blokes are more likely to have diabetes than their dads and granddads were.
Author Gerben Hulsegge, from the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, said the younger generation are ’15 years ahead’ in terms of ‘metabolic’ health.
He said: ‘The more recently born adult generations are doing far worse than their predecessors.