Approved Research

The health impacts of lifestyle and environmental factors exposed at different life stages on aging and non-communicable chronic diseases

Lay summary

Aims: This project aims to investigate how different factors at different stages of life can affect the aging process and the development of non-communicable chronic diseases. This project also aims to understand whether these factors can work independently or together, or modify each other's effects.

Scientific rationale:

Studies have shown that our bodies work differently during different stages of our lives, from when we're growing, to when we're developing, to when we're aging. This means that the same lifestyle and environment factors can have different impacts on our health depending on when we experience them. For example, losing weight in early and middle adulthood can help us live longer and avoid non-communicable chronic diseases, but losing weight later in life could actually cause us to age faster and be at greater risk for health problems. It's also possible that different factors can work together or have different effects depending on when we experience them. One study found that exposure to tobacco during pregnancy and childhood affects non-communicable chronic diseases differently depending on whether or not the person smokes as an adult. While we know that different factors can affect aging in different ways at different life stages, we still have a lot to learn about this topic.

Project duration and public health impact: this project duration is estimated for 3 years.

Public health impact: Non-communicable chronic diseases are important aging-related diseases. The elderly population in the UK is still on the rise, with projections indicating that by 2050, individuals aged 65 and over will comprise one quarter of the total population. This trend is also rapid growth globally, and the United Nations predicting that the number of individuals aged 60 and over will more than double, from 962 million in 2017 to 2.1 billion in 2050. However, elderly diseases management requires more effective healthcare and long-term care. Research estimates that extending healthy life by one year can save about £2,000 annually in healthcare costs. Thus, extending healthy life can improve quality of life, reduce healthcare costs, and foster stable social development. Identifying risk factors at each life stage and offering scientific interventions are critical in delaying aging,prevent chronic non-communicable diseases and improving longevity.