Yes, the pandemic really has aged you (but here's what you can do about it)

In an Ipsos survey conducted earlier this month, a third of those questioned said their mental and physical health had declined - with women particularly affected. Photo / Abbie Bernet, Unsplash

If you look in the mirror and those crow's feet around your eyes seem a little deeper, the dark circles a little darker and grey hairs more numerous… I've got bad news for you. A recent paper in the scientific journal Nature announced the news that no-one wants to hear. The pandemic's final kick in the proverbials – precisely two years after Lockdown 1 started – is that it could have made us old before our time.

Nature's research is backed up by an Ipsos survey this month in which a third of those questioned said their mental and physical health had declined – with women particularly affected – and the same proportion had put on weight since the start of the pandemic.

Personally speaking, it figures. I'm 43 but I feel much older. Before Covid, I was a socially energetic woman. Now, the prospect of going out or staying up past 10pm fills me with dread. Then, thrice weekly pre-Covid reformer pilates classes kept me in shape but now I find my ankles cracking with every step up the stairs, I'm less cardiovascularly fit and moan about my aches and pains on a regular basis.

Then there's the personality changes. After years of socialising with the same close-knit group, my patience is tested by the tiniest of things other people do... Of course, age is only a number, but have I become the stereotypical "old fart"?

If so perhaps it's not surprising. Many of us have felt the strange timewarp inflicted by repeated lockdowns, global shutdowns and what feels like a lifetime of increased isolation. Over the last two years, time has felt elastic; simultaneously speeding by and also never-ending. I can barely remember anything that happened in 2020 after Lockdown 1 was announced and 2021 was not much better. Indeed, I recently caught up with a friend I thought I last saw about a year ago… turned out it was 2019.

"Over the last two years, time has felt elastic; simultaneously speeding by and also never-ending." Photo / Michael Craig

"As the pandemic continues, we might feel we're ageing faster than before," writes Emily Sohn in Nature. "That's not as strange as it sounds. Accelerated ageing can result from several factors, some of which have been highlighted by the pandemic. Exposure to infectious diseases, chronic stress and loneliness can all affect the ageing process, exacerbating health conditions and shortening lives."

Here's how to counteract the effects of the last two years:

Eat more veggies to reduce inflammation

Exposure to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, can result in chronic inflammation and accelerated biological ageing, says Luigi Ferrucci, a geriatrician and epidemiologist at the US National Institute on Aging in Baltimore.

Ferruci told Nature that older people, especially those with underlying medical conditions, are particularly likely to experience uncontrolled inflammatory responses called cytokine storms. This inflammation contributes to elevated risks not just for a severe case of Covid, but also for cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, dementia and cancer.

Ferruci cautions that these processes can affect people of all ages, particularly when inflammatory reactions to coronavirus are high. The immune system can become less resilient in the long term, potentially leaving some people less able to resist the effects of ageing. "Their compensatory mechanisms have already been consumed by fighting Covid," he said.

Aside from doing everything you can to avoid catching coronavirus in the first place (hand washing, mask wearing in crowded places and the like), there are ways to lessen inflammation in the body. Eating foods high in antioxidants – such as kale, red cabbage, pecans, blueberries, strawberries, to name but a few – exercising, limiting your exposure to stress, sleeping well and intermittent fasting have all been shown to reduce inflammatory markers in the body.

Protect yourself from 'screen face'

"Inflammaging" is a term coined by Professor Claudio Franceschi at Italy's University of Bologna in 2000 to describe a state of low-grade chronic inflammation going on inside the body, the effects of which can also be seen on the skin as dark circles, increased pigmentation, uneven tone, fine lines, wrinkles and a lack of plumpness.

"While cellular inflammation is, to a certain extent, a natural side-effect of ageing, it's also exacerbated by an unhealthy lifestyle or a period of intense stress," says Dr Mica Engel of Cosmetica London. "Inflammaging is 'chronic' (meaning it's going on all the time) and occurs on a cellular level; we're not even aware of it.

Eating foods high in antioxidants - such as kale, red cabbage, pecans, blueberries and strawberries - has been shown to reduce inflammatory markers in the body. Photo / Nathan Dumlao, Unsplash

"Until the age of about 25, the plentiful supply of antioxidants in our bodies shields the skin's cells from inflammation, protecting it from damage. It's why our skin doesn't 'age' before then. After your mid-20s, microscopic changes destroy our collagen and elastin (the proteins responsible for keeping our skin plump and supple)."

Smoking, pollution, a diet high in sugar and spending too long at a screen can also exacerbate this process, prematurely ageing skin. "UV light emitted by screens also causes inflammation, accelerating the destruction of our collagen and elastin," says Dr Engel. "UV light is everywhere. It's emitted by computer screens which is why, come rain or shine, indoors or outside, you should wear high-factor sun protection every day."

"Exposing the skin to UVA and UVB rays causes inflammation which accelerates the destruction of our collagen and elastin. Wearing SPF is the only way to minimise this inflammation response." She recommends the brand Heliocare.

While the effects of inflammation cannot be reversed on a cellular level, there are ways to slow its pace. "Consume antioxidant-rich foods," advises Dr Engel. "Pack your supermarket trolley full of colourful vegetables and dark berries. Collagen is 70 per cent water, so staying well hydrated will preserve the collagen you already have."

Exercise is a win-win

Dr Federica Amati PhD is a Public Health Scientist and Chief Scientist for Never Go Alone who also specialises in nutrition, working alongside Professor Tim Spector on the ZOE Covid Study.

She says recent research has shown a significant change in the nation's weight over the course of the pandemic. "The biggest gain is in children and teenagers, and that's a very big problem. Overweight teens often become overweight adults, which carries a higher risk of ill health and skeletal problems, not to mention a shorter lifespan. Overweight children also go through puberty earlier, which has been associated with a variety of health problems and shorter lifespans."

The solution is "simple". Eat less and move more. As well as helping us lose weight, exercise has been shown to reduce inflammation by encouraging the body to excrete harmful toxins.

Conversely, Dr Amati says, the over 65s have reported a big weight loss, which isn't good. "In older people being under-nourished is more dangerous than being over-nourished," she says. "Because weight is linked to muscle mass, having a higher BMI over the age of 65 is protective against frailty."

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Perhaps surprisingly, being more sociable may hold the key to this issue for the older generation. "Some older people struggle to note the cues for hunger or thirst and social situations – having tea or lunch with someone – provide much needed cues for that. Once they become a little less isolated the hope is some of those cues will return alongside better dietary habits."

Getting back to work is good for you

West London Physiotherapy in Kensington is seeing so many clients since the pandemic, it's had to move to bigger premises. "Demand for physiotherapy has increased a lot," says clinical director Cameron Tudor. "Quite simply, people got less fit. At the beginning, everyone was doing Joe Wicks, but then all of that dropped off. There was no incidental commute, people's step counts went down… Some people were working out badly and getting injured, but mainly people became more sedentary and stiffened up.

"Over the age of 40, people's strength drops by two per cent a year unless action is taken to maintain or increase it."

Tudor's practice also saw an increase in bad backs and necks. "Working from home meant people were sitting in dining chairs with no arm support looking at laptops for hours every day," he says. "That's always going to prove problematic. And socialisation plays a part. When people are less happy they feel more physical pain."

The good news? Tudor says our physical or skeletal decline is reversible and it may involve getting back to that daily commute. "Simply move more," he says. "Build up gradually. You'll feel sore when you start again. That's normal after months of being sedentary, but the important and protective thing is to get fitter again."

Start socialising again

Research by Bei Wu, a gerontologist at New York University, has found that social isolation and loneliness increases the risk of developing dementia by 50 per cent, heart disease by 29 per cent and stroke by 32 per cent. "Isolation and loneliness have also been linked with higher rates of heart disease, obesity, depression, anxiety, high blood pressure, cognitive decline and premature death," says Emily Sohn in Nature.

"Loneliness also contributes to neurocognitive decline," says Dr Amati. "The pandemic has isolated the elderly and vulnerable. Research is still being done on how many life years have been lost, but those individuals reported a huge increase in illness. Physical touch is really important to people. How much social interaction people have in a day very accurately predicts your tendency towards anxiety or depression. On a chemical level, the amount of stress, of enforced isolation, and fear of disease… it really impacts our overall biology and ultimately makes us more prone to disease."

Amati says it will be "10 years at least" before we can look back at what the pandemic did to our health and whether it is reversible, but that ultimately "we won't know the true effects on our collective health for a few decades".

The perfect daily diet

Whole grains: 225g fresh weight (seven servings; for instance, two thin slices of rye bread, one small bowl of whole grain cereal and some white rice)

Vegetables: 400g (five servings; for example, one big tomato, one sweet pepper, mixed salad leaves, half an avocado and a small bowl of vegetable soup)

Fruits: 400g (five servings; for example, one apple, banana, orange, kiwifruit and a handful of berries)

Nuts: 25g (one handful)

Legumes: 200g (one big cup of soaked beans, lentils or peas)

Fish: 200g (one big slice of herring)

Eggs: 25g (half an egg)

Milk/dairy: 200g (one cup of yogurt)

Refined grains: 50g (1.5 slices of white bread)

Red meat: Zero

Processed meat: Zero

White meat: 50g (one chicken thigh)

Sugar-sweetened drinks: Zero