It is widely accepted that the consumption of unhealthy food and booze can contribute to the ageing process. The big four are smoking, alcohol, inactivity and poor diet. Though sobering new research suggests the price of indulgence could be higher than we factored.

A study that tracked nearly 5000 British 18 and older, with an average age of 44 years old on average adults, for 20 years. They were randomly selected from participants in a separate nationwide British health survey. It found that 314 people studied had all four unhealthy behaviours. Among them, 91 died during the study, or 29 per cent. The most common causes of death included heart disease and cancer, both related to unhealthy lifestyles. Among the 387 healthiest people with none of the four habits, only 32 died, or around eight per cent.

The parameters set were those who smoked tobacco; downed over three alcoholic drinks per day for men and more than two daily for women; putting aside less than two hours for physical activity per week; and less than three serves of fruits and vegetables per day.

Lead researcher Elisabeth Kvaavik, of the University of Oslo, says the study demonstrated that these habits combined dramatically increased the risk of death. She says the subjects who engaged in them appeared 12 years older than people in the healthiest group.

It's therefore obvious to say that the teetotallers, who had never smoked and those who had quit, were the healthiest. However, all is not lost as we can get away with a little bad behaviour. ‘You don't need to be extreme to be in the healthy category,' Kvaavik said. ‘These behaviours add up.'

The findings don't mean everyone who maintains a healthy lifestyle will live longer than those who don't, but if it will increase our odds then we're on board.

1. Smoking

There's no way to sugar-coat this. Apart from our Aussie sun, smoking cigarettes will age you faster than anything else. Plethora of health issues associated with smoking aside, if you care about wrinkles and want to look younger for longer then smoking is not on.

Back in 1965 the study first identified what came to be known as 'smokers face' - grey, pale and wrinkled skin. In recent years is has become broadly accepted that smokers skin gets damaged, ageing them beyond their non-smoking peers. In fact, UK studies recently highlighted the link between smoking and skin damage saying that smoking adds between ten to 20 years to your natural age.

Sadly its not just the smokers - research has proved conclusively that passive smoking is also damaging to your skin and to your health. Increased wrinkling, sagging and skin damage go beyond the face to inlcude inner arms, neck and décolleté.

Smoking speeds up skin aging by promoting free radicals in your body, which are highly unstable and powerful molecules that can cause disease and damage to cell DNA. The cells of your body start behaving erratically producing a range of responses that make your skin age faster. Smoking restricts blood flow through the capillaries preventing oxygen and nutrients getting to the skin; increases production of an enzyme that breaks down the supply of collagen to the skin's structure; reduces the body's store of vitamin A which provides protection from skin damage and reduces absorption of vitamin C - a vital antioxidant for skin protection and health.

Dull, discoloured or ashy skin, deep wrinkles and loss of tone and elasticity are all in your skin's future if you continue to smoke. So is it reversible? In a word, no. You will never be able to completely reverse the damage that smoking has done. Much damage to the skin won't actually appear until ten to twenty years after you began to smoke - don't assume it hasn't happened to you. However, if you quit smoking it will stop more damage being done.

2. Drinking

We all like a tipple or two - wines after work and cocktails on a night out. However, this may be doing more damage to our skin than we realise. Alcohol contributes to ageing skin by dilating small blood vessels in the skin and increasing blood flow near the skin's surface, every single time we have a drink.

The blood vessels continue to be enlarged until they lose their quality or tone. Over time, these blood vessels can become permanently damaged, creating a flushed appearance and broken vessels on the skin's surface. Exhibit A would be Lindsay Lohan's tired complexion (beneath all the fake tan, that is).

Those who suffer from a skin conditions, including acne rosacea or rosacea, will find drinking inflames this. Blemishes and blotchy bumps can appear on the face and wrinkles will occur after an extended period of alcohol abuse because the water in the body and skin is continually evaporated - alcohol is a powerful dehydrator.

Overindulgence also causes a decrease in the body's level of vitamin A. Lastly, what happens on the inside is reflected on the outside. Drinking too much alcohol damages the liver, which works to rid the body of alcohol and other toxins. Harmful toxins remaining inside the body and eventually damage the skin, manifesting as unhealthy, blotchy, poor looking skin. Cheers!

3. Lack of exercise

We all know we need to exercise if we want to stay lean and healthy, however most of us don't realise we're also doing our youthful looks a massive favour. Exercise is one of the best ways to remain young by
 not helping to improve your health but also helping to make you look younger.

Being a lazy bum contributes to ageing skin, because exercise helps to tone your muscles and get your blood flowing. Circulation is an important factor in maintaining good skin because increased circulation brought about by exercise raises the temperature of the blood and pushes it towards the surface of the skin. In doing so it carries more oxygen and nutrients to the skin - and voila! Hello glowing complexion.

The additional blood that the exercise will bring to the surface of the skin also reduces the degeneration of the skin cells and the breakdown of collagen. By reducing the degeneration and helping with the production of collagen, exercise slows down the aging of the skin and in particular the
‘bagginess' and slackness that comes with age.

In addition to the obvious physical benefits of exercise, the benefits of a regular exercise shows on your face by keeping your skin glowing, your energy radiating and a smile on your face.

4. Poor diet

Whichever wise person said "you are what you eat" couldn't have been more spot on. It's no secret that a diet of sweets and fried foods will lead to the dreaded muffin top. But what foods could keep us radiating the glow of youth?

If you're trying to look your best without going under the knife, some experts say one answer to aging gracefully can be found in the grocery store - in fruits, vegetables, green tea, and a host of other healthful foods that are rich in antioxidants and other potentially age-deterring compounds.

As we age, we become more susceptible to the long-term effects of oxidative stress (a condition where the body basically has too many free radicals) and inflammation on the cellular level. The theory is that antioxidants and other age-defying compounds help cells ward off damage from free radicals and minimise the impact of ageing.

Beyond antioxidants, some other compounds in foods can affect aging. ‘All foods fit into three categories: pro-inflammatory, neutral, or anti-inflammatory,' says dermatologist and author, Nicholas Perricone, MD. ‘Age-related changes may be reversed by consuming foods and beverages that are rich in a variety of compounds, including antioxidants, and are anti-inflammatory, such as cold-water fish and richly coloured fruits and vegetables.'

Foods classified as pro-inflammatory can accelerate aging, including saturated or trans fatty acids, sugars and starches cause insulin levels to surge and trigger an anti-inflammatory response, accelerating the aging process.

Limit carbohydrates to beat bloating and focus your diet heavily on vegetables that are low in starch and high in fibre. Don't crash diet because if you get into the quick fix habit your body will eventually not recover as well from constantly dropping and gaining weight.
Keep a check on your hormones by adding in metabolisers such as ground flaxseed and apples, as well as a balance of vegetable and animal proteins like tofu, beans, lentils, and wild fish.

Omega-3 fatty acids and B vitamins play a key role in heart health and are excellent anti-inflammatories so stock up on fatty fish, soybeans, whole grains and broccoli. Fill up on fruits and veggies high in vitamins C and E, such as citrus fruits, broccoli, tomatoes, chard and mustard greens.

So-called super-foods such as Acai fruit can also be of benefit. The general rule of thumb is to opt for coloured produce, which is said to indicate high anti-oxidant levels.

Whole grains provide soluble fibre to help lower blood cholesterol levels, and nuts are a great source of B vitamins (good for your heart, brain and benefit the elastin and collagen in skin and maintaining skin's structure and keep it resilient).

Lastly, you should try and drink two litres of water per day, which is essential for hydration of the skin, muscles, circulation, and all organs in the body.

Eat smaller meals more often to reduce the stress of eating on your body and keep your metabolism from being overworked. Some research suggests eating less can mean a longer life span.

Bella Beauty Magazine