A new study finds that Gen-Xers and millennials are much more likely to suffer from physical and mental conditions that result in disability compared to previous generations at the same age.
According to the study, Gen-Xers and millennials fare poorly on a number of physical and mental health markers. Young people now seem to be in much worse shape, both physically and mentally than their parents and grandparents at the exact same age. Researchers note that there has been a downhill slide in the health of young people over the past several years. This slide seems to have been especially higher among people born between 1965 and 1980, typically referred to as Gen-X, and millennials which refers to people born between 1980 and the mid -1990s.
In both of these generations of people, there have been marked declines in physical health, with higher levels of cholesterol and hypertension, and a much higher incidence of inflammatory conditions. People of these age groups are now much more likely to suffer from excess abdominal fat, a prominent marker for cardiovascular disease. One factor in the poorer health of younger generations in 2021, could be the higher levels of obesity among both Gen-Xers and millennials.
The study confirms that you do not have to be a baby boomer or someone above the age of 65 to suffer from a medical condition that makes it difficult for you to live a normal productive life. A serious physical or mental condition that makes it impossible to go back to your job could occur in your 20s or 30s as well.