Age discrimination could have a negative impact on the physical health of people.

It is not surprising that age discrimination negatively affects people's mental health but, according to new research, it could also affect physical health.

University College London badyzed data from the English Longitudinal Study on Aging, which surveyed more than 7,500 people over the age of 50 and followed them for six years.

Participants were asked to respond to statements such as "you are treated with less respect or courtesy", "you get poorer services than other people in restaurants and shops", and "you get services or treatments worse than other people from doctors or hospitals ".

They were also asked about their experiences of being considered "unintelligent", threatened and harbaded.

According to the results, one-quarter of those over 50 who participated in the survey said they were treated unfairly because of their age.

In addition, reported victims of ageism were also more likely to develop or develop health problems over time, suggesting that there is a link between age discrimination and poor health. .

The members of this group were more likely to say that their health was "fair or poor" than those who had not met with ageism, the researchers said.

They were also more likely to have depressive symptoms or long-term debilitating diseases and develop serious conditions.

Of those who reported not having recently experienced age-related discrimination, 13% reported suffering from coronary artery disease, 38%, arthritis, 33%, long-term and 12 %, depressive symptoms.

In contrast, among participants who reported having recently faced ageism, the numbers were 17% for coronary heart disease, 44% for arthritis, 39% for a long-standing illness and 19% for % for depressive symptoms.

The lead author of the study, Dr. Sarah Jackson, of University College London, said, "As a society, we need to increase public awareness of what is wrong. Ageism and how it can affect health and well-being, so that we can create collective movements brought legislative and social change to other forms of discrimination.

"Clinically, raising the issue of age discrimination against older patients could help identify people at risk for future health problems.

The results also suggest that the higher the number of age discrimination situations, the greater the chances of reporting poor health.

When researchers reviewed data collected from 5,595 participants six years after the first survey, they found that participants who had previously reported an ageism were more likely to report a deterioration in their health status.

However, the team said the results could also work in the other direction, suggesting that people in poor health could be victims of more age-related discrimination.

Commenting on the conclusions of The Lancet Public Health Professor Martin Gulliford, of King's College London, writes: "The public health community has been slow to recognize the central role of discrimination in health inequality.

"Although the relationships between age, socioeconomic status, health status and discrimination experienced are complex, these findings suggest that not only does age discrimination cause psychological distress to in the elderly, but could also have a significant effect on their long-term term mental and physical health. "

Louise Ansari, from the Center for Aging Better, insists that "later in life, no one should feel like a second-clbad citizen".

"It is totally unacceptable that age discrimination plays a role in our society, but unfortunately, it is still too common. And ageist attitudes and age discrimination do not affect your health. "