Looking old for your age may lead to health problems: study

Well, this is a new wrinkle to getting older.

People who look older than they actually are could be more prone to developing age-related conditions such as cataracts and osteoporosis, according to a new study published Tuesday in the British Journal of Dermatology.

“In other words, if you look younger than you are, then the health of your organ systems, body and mind are likely to reflect this,” lead author Tamar Nijsten, a dermatologist at Erasmus University Medical Center Rotterdam, told the Daily Mail.

The Netherlands study involved gathering photographs and medical histories of 2,679 European people between the ages of 51 and 87. An independent panel assessed the photos.

Researchers found the people who looked five years younger than their actual age performed better on cognitive tests and were 24% less likely to get osteoporosis and 15% less likely to develop chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

People who looked younger were also at less risk for cataracts and age-related hearing loss, the study determined.

The panel of 27 people were asked to guess the age of the person in the image.

Each subject was assigned a perceived age score, which the study authors calculated by taking the difference between the person’s actual age and estimated age.

If the panel thought someone looked four years younger than their photo, they would receive a perceived age score of four — meaning the higher you score, the younger you look.

The medical specialists also examined the subjects’ health and lifestyle habits, finding those who looked younger had better results in key areas.

Researchers believe there’s a link between health conditions, the facial aging process and changes in tissue and bone density.

“The study clearly demonstrates that something is going on, likely on a biological level and beyond the usual lifestyle factors such as UV exposure or smoking,” Nijsten told the Daily Mail.