South Korea's "Korea Times" article on December 12, original title: Intergenerational health paradox: Millennials are aging faster than baby boomers A worrying trend is that millennials born between 1981 and 1996 are deteriorating faster than their previous generation, despite becoming more fitness-conscious. This confusing phenomenon was first identified in the United States, and today a similar trend is observed in major Asian regions such as South Korea, Hong Kong, and Singapore. According to a 2020 study by Blue Cross and Blue Shield, a U.S. health insurer, millennials face accelerated deterioration in their physical and mental health, with conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, depression and anxiety developing earlier than older generations. Jeong Hee-won, a geriatrician at Asan Hospital in Seoul, South Korea, also pointed out that young people in South Korea may become the first generation to experience an accelerated aging process compared to their parents. He explained many of the factors that contribute to this phenomenon, such as the consumption of large amounts of ubiquitous processed foods, lack of physical activity, mental stress, work-life imbalance, and financial constraints.
Many studies have linked obesity to accelerated aging, in part because obesity causes DNA damage. In 2021, more than half of men in their 30s and 40s in South Korea were classified as obese, according to a study by the Korea Disease Control Agency. The obesity rate among women is not as high as that of men, but in 2022, 19% of women in their 30s and 197% of women in their 40s are considered "skinny and fat", which means they have a relatively high percentage of body fat and low muscle mass. Studies have shown that this combination of sarcopenia and increased body fat increases the risk of cognitive impairment, which is another accelerator of aging.
Ouyang Dongwei, an ageing scholar at the University of Hong Kong's Chinese University, has observed a similar trend. More and more young people are getting older than their chronological age, or cellular age, than their chronological age, he said. Due to sedentary lifestyles, age-related diseases such as obesity and diabetes develop earlier than before. "In the past, we had to walk and do a lot of physical activity," he said. But after the rapid economic growth in the 70s of the last century, people spent less time exercising, and spent a large part of their leisure time on socializing rather than physical exercise. ”
In 2022, health insurer Bupa surveyed 500 young people aged 25-40 in Hong Kong. Surveys show that young people are not resorting to action, even though they know that health should be a priority. More than 60% consider themselves health-conscious, but less than half (48%) are satisfied with their overall physical condition, more than half (53%) do not have enough time to maintain a healthy lifestyle, nearly half (48%) believe that stress has made them less healthy, and they often suffer from office-related illnesses such as neck and shoulder pain, excessive eye fatigue and headaches.
The accelerated ageing of young people in Singapore is also a topic of concern. Lashma, an associate professor at the National University of Singapore Faculty of Medicine, points out the long-term socio-economic effects of accelerated aging among today's younger generations: "If the prevalence of chronic diseases rises, productivity also decreases. "Singapore** is working to raise public awareness of healthy ageing and encourage people to actively participate in social activities, such as better walking and cycling paths and lower sugar content in beverages to help Singaporeans make healthier choices. (Written by kwakyeon-soo, translated by Ren).