They should be in the prime of their lives. But instead, those in their twenties and thirties are in worse health than their parents, a British survey has found.

    Binge drinking, ready meals and a lack of exercise all take their toll.

    As a result, the young are more likely to have migraines, catch a cold or become stressed than the over-55s.

    According to the research, those aged between 18 and 34 are three times more likely to have a cold or flu than the older generation.

    Nearly a quarter of the young regularly have headaches or migraines, compared to just 14 per cent of over-55s.

    And they are almost twice as likely to have high stress levels.

    The elderly also tend to eat more healthily. More than four in ten eat five or more portions of fruit or vegetables a day, double the number of young men and women.

    And when it comes to alcohol, 20 per cent of the over-55s don't indulge, while just 10 per cent of those aged 18-34 abstain.

    Six in ten of the elderly make fresh meals every day, compared to less than a third of the young.

    And while three-quarters of over-55s say they eat a balanced diet, just half of the younger generation does so.

    Less than a third of them regularly cook with fresh ingredients, compared to almost two-thirds of the older people.

    What is more, almost 10 per cent of them admit to eating ready meals for every meal - and two per cent say they only eat at restaurants.

    The older generation is also more likely to take a healthy amount of exercise, with 12 per cent spending at least 30 minutes doing so each day.

    They may appear fitter, but only nine per cent of the young do that.

    Over-55s also try hardest to have at least six hours' sleep and plenty of fresh air, according to research done in the UK for fruit brand Florida Grapefruit.

    Chris Steele, the resident doctor on ITV's This Morning programme, said: "I have seen a rise in young people suffering from illnesses such as colds, flu and headaches.

    "Long working hours, high stress levels and lack of exercise lead to people getting run-down and ill.

    他們應該正值人生的黃金時期。但英國的一項調查發現，二、三十歲的年輕人的健康狀況還不如他們的父母。

    酗酒、吃方便食品、缺乏鍛煉均對年輕人的健康造成了不良影響。

    所以，年輕人比55歲以上的人更易患偏頭痛和感冒，而且更容易焦慮。

    該調查表明，18歲至34歲之間的人患感冒或流感的幾率為他們父輩的三倍。

    近四分之一的年輕人經常患頭痛或偏頭痛，而這一比例在55歲以上的人中僅為14%。

    此外，年輕人精神壓力過大的幾率高出近一倍。

    年齡較大的人飲食習慣也更加健康，超過40%的人每天攝入五份或五份以上的水果和蔬菜，為年輕人的兩倍。

    在55歲以上的受訪者中，20%的人不酗酒，而在18歲至34歲的人群中，這一比例僅為10%。

    60%年齡較大的人每天做新鮮飯菜，而年輕人的這一比例還不到三分之一。

    在55歲以上的受訪者中，有四分之三的人稱自己飲食平衡，而僅有一半的年輕人這樣做。

    此外，近10%的年輕人承認他們每頓都吃方便食品，2%的人稱他們只去餐館吃飯。

    老一輩的人經常進行適度鍛煉，12%的受訪者每天至少鍛煉30分鐘。

    可能年輕人看起來比較健康，但僅有9%的人每天鍛煉。

    該項為“佛羅里達柚”水果品牌開展的調查顯示，55歲以上的受訪者努力保證每天至少六個小時的睡眠時間，并盡量讓自己呼吸大量的新鮮空氣。

    住院醫生克里斯•斯蒂爾在ITV《今晨》節目中說：“我發現，現在有越來越多的年輕人患感冒、流感和頭痛等病癥。”

    “工作時間長、精神壓力大和缺乏鍛煉是導致人們健康狀況下降和生病的主要因素。”