Nine habits that will make you age faster - from the sun to sitting too much

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Ageing is a privilege, and people shouldn't feel pressure to battle what's unavoidable. But it's also true that getting older isn't all down to genetics and our habits play a part.Lifestyle can make a difference in ageing and how you look and feel on a daily basis.

There are well-known factors like drinking and smoking that can age you prematurely, but just sitting too much is an unhealthy habit in itself.

Our everyday habits can impact our life expectancy and another measure called healthspans, says GP Dr Noel Young, clinical innovations associate for the at-home blood testing company Thriva.

He says: "While our life expectancy may be increasing, our healthspans – our time spent in good health – still remains much lower than expected. "Chronic diseases, like heart disease and diabetes, which are driven in the majority of cases by lifestyle, are very common and are associated with faster ageing." He points out that these conditions are linked to shorter telomeres - structures that cap the end of our chromosomes and protect them from damage - but adds: "The good news is adopting certain lifestyle changes can help prevent chronic diseases and the faster ageing that accompanies them." Here are nine lifestyle choices that may make you age faster, as reported by Wales Online.