We all know that sunlight adds years and smoking gives you wrinkles, but there are other, less obvious, ‘agers' you might not be quite so aware of. Here are some of the worst...

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Your mobile phone and in-car sat nav

When Japanese researchers tested the memory of healthy people in their 20s and 30s, they found that one in 10 had memory problems more commonly associated with people in their 60s. It turns out that increased reliance on things like mobile phone address books and in-car navigation systems prevent people from exercising the part of the brain that helps us recall things or work out spatial orientation. And it's a case of - if you don't use it, you lose it!

Halt the decline Exercise your mental muscles. Call phone numbers from memory or try to remember your shopping without taking a list; use numbers instead, such as recalling 10 things to buy. "Using your mind strengthens the connections between brain cells and so boosts mental sharpness," says neuropsychologist Professor Ian Robertson of Trinity College in Dublin.

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Not eating enough fruit and veg

Yes, even your ears would like you to eat up your greens. And here's why: "There's evidence that antioxidants help prevent noise-induced hearing loss," reveals Professor Richard Salvi, who's studying this link at the Center for Hearing & Deafness at the University of Buffalo in the US. When noise hits your ears, the cells produce free radicals - and the louder the sound, the more they produce. Your body uses antioxidants to fight off these damaging free radicals but, "If you don't eat enough antioxidant-rich foods to keep up your levels, damage will occur to the ear," explains Professor Salvi.

Halt the decline Ensure you eat your ‘five a day' at least. And adding a protein shake to your diet will be beneficial too. Whey protein helps increase levels of the antioxidant glutathione - low levels of which are specifically linked to noise-induced hearing loss. Try Solgar's Whey To Go Protein Powder, £22.79, from health food stores or www.solgar.co.uk.

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Too much red meat

That's the finding of new research from Dr Elaine Chong of the Centre for Eye Research at the University of Melbourne. She found that people who ate red meat (beef, lamb and processed meats such as salami) more than 10 times a week were 47 per cent more likely to develop age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which is the leading cause of blindness in old age, than those who had it five times a week. Exactly why isn't known, but it might be down to compounds called nitrosamines, which form when red meat is eaten. It's thought these could be toxic to your retina.

Halt the decline Swap red meat for fish or chicken. Dr Chong's trial found that people who ate chicken three times a week lowered their AMD risk by 57 per cent. Other research has shown that one portion of oily fish a week also cuts your risk by half.

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Lack of exercise

The more you exercise, the more flexible you are - and the length of your fingers may indicate how much you enjoy exercise.

Researchers at Canada's University of Alberta discovered that mice who had digits where the ‘index finger' was closest in length to their ‘ring finger' were more likely to exercise. And they think this holds true for people too.

Halt the decline "You can trick your mind into enjoying exercise," says Peter Gilmour of www.hypnosport.com. He suggests: Sit down and relax. Visualise yourself sitting on the sofa, feeling lazy. Turn this into a small black and white photo in your mind. Now see yourself exercising in a vibrant colour photo. Feel yourself enjoying the workout and gradually push that black and white picture away, filling your whole mind's eye with
bright colours and positive feelings. This will trick your mind into feeling good about exercise.

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Not giving up your seat on the bus!

Sitting causes heart-damaging metabolic changes. Studies have shown that it lowers healthy HDL cholesterol by 22 per cent and it's linked to raised blood sugar, increased levels of triglycerides and more chance of abdominal fat; all of which are harmful to heart health.

Halt the decline By doing everything you can upright - but you won't be keen if standing makes you ache. "The commonest reason for pain-related standing is incorrect foot position," says physiotherapist Saul Yudelowitz of London's CityPoint Club. "Around 70 per cent of us tip our feet out when we stand and this causes pain in our legs and lower back." Try this: Lie down. Stretch out your legs. Stretch the calf muscle and curl toes upwards. Rotate your trunk slightly to the left, then right.

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Yo-yo dieting

One of the reasons why women live longer than men is that our immune system ages more slowly – but if you’re constantly battling with your weight you could be damaging this natural longevity advantage. Doctors at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle have found that yo-yo dieters produce lower levels of immune cells than other women - and that the decline is pro rata. In other words, the more times women gained and lost weight, the worse their immune system performed.

Halt the decline By finding out why you regain weight. "Yo-yo dieting is a sign that whatever you're doing to slim down isn't agreeing with you - and if you don't find out why that is, you'll never escape from the diet trap," says weight loss counsellor Chrissie Webber, author of 'Weight Loss, Life Gain' (Accent Press, £9.99). "It could be that you're not addressing emotional eating issues, which see you going for high calorie comfort foods; that the diets don't fit in with your lifestyle; or the weight you've reached is unsustainable for your body." So address these before you start a diet.

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Lack of alcohol

No, really... It's been found that a moderate amount of alcohol boosts bone density. In trials by Dr Katherine Tucker at Massachusetts' Tufts University, women who had two drinks a day had thicker bones than teetotallers. "Silicon, a major constituent of beer, is linked to bone growth," says Dr Tucker, adding that in wine, it's likely to be the antioxidant resveratrol that's playing a role.

Halt the decline By having one or two drinks a day only, four or five times a week. If you're teetotal, focus on dairy products for good bone health. Other trials have found that bones are eight per cent stronger when they get calcium from food sources than from supplements. Four servings of
milk or yoghurt a day will do the job.

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Plastic containers

Chemicals leaching from these are one of the major sources of synthetic oestrogens in your body. In 'From Belly Fat to Belly Flat' (Vermilion, £6.99), US hormone expert Dr CW Randolph links these to age-related weight gain. "In your late 20s and early 30s, oestrogen becomes the dominant hormone in your body," he says. "Oestrogen triggers fat deposition, and this is worsened if you're also exposed to synthetic oestrogens in the environment."

Halt the decline Use glass containers, keep plastics out of sunlight and never reheat food in plastic trays. And eat three portions of cruciferous veg and one citrus portion daily to stimulate oestrogen metabolism as, Dr Randolph reminds us, "Citrus fruit and cruciferous veg, such as broccoli, contain substances that can help increase the rate at which oestrogen leaves your system."

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