A new report prepared in England has revealed that the main cause of health problems in old age is individual lifestyle choices.
AzEdu.az reports, citing foreign media, that within the framework of the study titled “Living Longer, Living Better,” scientists stated that at least 80 percent of chronic diseases and physical weakening observed in old age are related to people's own behaviors and habits.
The report, published within the Oxford Longevity Project, notes that people's influence on life expectancy and health in old age is greater than previously thought. The authors of the study believe that this indicator could actually rise to 90 percent.
The report also included a number of recommendations for healthy aging. Experts advised avoiding processed foods, paying attention to sleep patterns, not eating after 6:30 PM, and reducing meat consumption. It was emphasized that alcohol is a harmful substance, and stricter legal restrictions on its use, similar to those on tobacco products, were proposed.
The results of the study were not unequivocally received in the scientific world. Scientists from Harvard and Edinburgh universities stated that the percentage indicators in the report oversimplified human biology and social realities.
Critics believe that factors such as poverty, environmental pollution, access to healthy food, and working conditions significantly affect people's health and are not entirely under individual control. In their opinion, placing responsibility solely on individuals may overshadow the role of the state and companies.
