Looks older than friends the same age? this is the cause

You may have felt that your friends are the same age but look older. Or maybe you yourself look older than your friends? It turns out that there is a scientific explanation behind the appearance of someone who looks younger or older than people their age. Check out the explanation in this article.

Factors that determine how fast or slow a person's aging process is

Through journals published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , the researchers revealed that each person has a different aging process. Using 18 factors, the researchers determined how fast and slow a person's aging process was. Some of these factors include blood pressure, lung function, cholesterol, body mass index, inflammation, DNA integrity, teeth, blood vessels behind the eyes, the immune system, cardioreceptic fitness, and telomere length (protective caps at the ends of chromosomes that are thought to shorten age).

Of the 18 kinds of measurements, the research team performed a biological age calculation that was carried out on participants aged under 30 to approaching 60 years. In the following year, researchers again measured 18 factors and calculated the biological age of each participant. After that the researchers made a comparison of the two calculation results to determine the speed of the aging process for each individual.

The result?

1. 80 percent of the factors that influence aging are genetic

Some of the study participants who had an older biological age experienced a faster aging process than their peers. In contrast, the researchers also found that other participants who were biologically younger experienced a slower aging process than people their age.

After conducting further research, the researchers said that 80 percent of the factors that influence the speed of the aging process in each person are genetic. This is because genetic factors are beyond human control. However, several factors such as chronic disease and psychological changes also play a role in determining the rate at which a person ages.

2. Drink alcohol

Alcohol can cause dehydration and can affect the salt content in the body. In addition, alcohol can also clog up new cells that are supposed to replace cells that have died. That is why, consuming alcohol mostly makes dead skin cells accumulate on the face so that the face looks more dull and shabby.

3. Smoking

As is well known, smoking has bad effects on health. A study shows, in addition to shortening your life by increasing the risk of heart and lung disease, smoking can also activate enzymes that break down skin elasticity, you know!

Smoking cigarettes makes the muscles around the face, especially the mouth, become stretched or stretched. In addition, the smoke produced from cigarettes will cause facial skin to become dry so that it makes the face wrinkle quickly.

4. Lack of sleep

As you get older, you still need to get between 7 and 8 hours of sleep each night for optimal health. Lack of sleep not only makes eye bags, but can also accelerate the aging process. Therefore, getting enough sleep at night is very important.

5. Lazy to clean your face

After a day of activities, it's a good idea to take the time to clean your face from dirt and dust that sticks to the face area. The reason is, if not cleaned, dirt will accumulate on the face, giving the opportunity for skin problems such as dull, worn out skin or even pimples that affect your appearance.

How can you keep your face from getting old quickly?

Apart from the 18 factors used by the research team to measure the aging process, it turns out that a healthy diet and lifestyle can also slow down a person's aging process, one of which is by eating foods low in fat and salt. In terms of a healthy lifestyle, maintaining body weight, reducing stress, increasing the strength of the body's immune system, and doing regular exercise can also have a positive impact and prevent premature aging.