In which countries do people age better?

At what age does old age begin? A new study suggests that the answer depends not only on the number of years, but also the place where the person lives and the conditions in which she lives.

At age 65, the average global population begins to develop a large number of diseases related to old age.

However, these symptoms appear earlier in some people than in others.

Health problems such as hearing loss, heart attacks, falls and neurodegenerative diseases can manifest themselves at very different ages, depending on the person's place of residence. The difference between those who "age well" and those who "age early" can go up to three decades or more.

For example, a Papua New Guinea aged 45 at the age of 75 in France or Singapore.

These are just some of the findings of a study published in The Lancet, in which a group of scientists badyzed health data from 195 countries.

For example, a Papua New Guinea aged 45 at the age of 75 in France or Singapore

Years do not come alone

The study badyzed aging from the point of view of well-being and not longevity.

Research has focused on the growing burden of age-related diseases.

"These disparate findings show that longer life expectancy at older ages can be an opportunity or a threat to the general well-being of people, depending on the aging-related health problems experienced by the population, regardless of its chronological age, "says Dr. Angela Y. Chang, lead author of the study. The researchers identified 92 conditions that lead to irreversible deterioration of physical and mental health. The most common are cardiovascular disease and cancer.

The calculations are adjusted to socio-demographic indices (SDI, for its acronym in English), a measure that, in general, shows the development of each country.

The IDS is based on indicators such as average income, education level and total fertility rate. But if developing countries with low IDS have a shorter life expectancy, they also feel the impact of old age much earlier.

How does your country compare?

The badysis showed that age-related diseases accounted for more than half of all adult health problems in the world.

"Age-related health problems can lead to early retirement, reduced manpower and higher health costs," Chang said.

"Heads of government and other stakeholders that influence health systems need to consider when populations begin to experience the negative effects of aging." Scientists are now focusing their attention on deciphering the factors that can delay the symptoms of aging.

These factors could be related to physical activity and smoking cessation, through a better organization of the health system.

Understanding this would be crucial to meeting the challenge of an aging population.