If you look old, it is because you are!

People that look younger than others the same age as themselves tend to live longer. Natural deaths occur sooner in people that look like they have had a hard life.

Even adjusting for their real age, sex, and the environment in which they grew up, the perceived age of the twins was linked to their physical and mental agility and with the ability of their cells ability to replicate, a key sign of ageing.

Prof Kaare Christensen from the University of Southern Denmark, who led the study, said that the findings could prove the usefulness of comparing a person’s real age with how old they look as an indicator of their overall health.

“When assessing health, physicians traditionally compare perceived and chronological age, and for adult

patients the expression “looking old for your age” is an indicator of poor health,” the authors of the research write.

“Our study indicates that this practice, which has existed for decades if not centuries, 14is actually a useful clinical approach especially given that in a clinical setting perceived age is based on an array of indicators in addition to facial appearance.”

The research points out that many lifestyle habits which are bad for overall health, including smoking, sunbathing and eating junk food can also cause people to look older.

The findings were published in the British Medical Journal.