Looking older may not be bad health sign

TORONTO, Nov. 14 (UPI) -- Medical practice assumes people who look older than their actual age are likely to be in poorer health, but this isn't always true, Canadian researchers say.

Dr. Stephen Wang of St. Michael's Hospital and the University of Toronto said a study found a person needed to look at least 10 years older than their actual age before health assumptions could be made.

"Few people are aware that when physicians describe their patients to other physicians, they often include an assessment of whether the patient looks older than his or her actual age," Wang says in a statement.

"This long standing medical practice assumes that people who look older than their actual age are likely to be in poor health, but our study shows this isn't always true."

The researchers studied 126 people ages 30-70 who visited a doctor's office and completed a survey that accurately determined whether they had poor physical or mental health.

Each person was photographed and the photographs were shown to 58 physicians who were told each person's actual age and asked to rate how old the person looked.

The study, published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, found when a physician rated an individual as looking up to five years older than their actual age, but it had little value in predicting whether or not the person was in poor health.