Study reveals just how obsessed people are with staying young

How obsessed are Americans with remaining young? Enough that two out of five say they’d be willing to try a brand-new experimental procedure to stave off aging — that doesn’t actually exist, according to new research.

A study of 2,000 respondents asked them to choose options from a list of treatments to help slow aging, only to find they were willing to agree to a completely fictional one.

When asked to identify real anti-aging procedures, people opted for made-up “Xenon” injections (17%), “stratum fillers” (17%) and even the real, but dubious young blood transfusions from the TV show “Silicon Valley” (14%).

But it’s not surprising, given that more than three-quarters of respondents (77%) claimed that “aging gracefully” was considered a priority — in fact, in order to age gracefully, survey takers considered trying everything from blood masks, a “vampire facial” and caffeine gel to self-tanner, flour and vinegar, and “a lot of sex.”

Some of these “anti-aging hacks” sound silly? Blame the internet. More than half (54%) have tried anti-aging tricks they learned about on YouTube.

Conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Tru Niagen^®, the survey also found people are no less gullible when it comes to nutrition myths.

One in five believe if something is considered “healthy,” it must taste bad, and more than one in three thinks if a food is green, it must be healthy.

A quarter of respondents still fall for the common misconception that “carbs are bad for you.”

More than half also think that if they eat something healthy later in the day, they can cancel out the fast food they ate beforehand. Furthermore, just over half of respondents (51%) believe that they can cancel the effects of eating poorly by working out later in the day.

Still, two-thirds said they try not to worry about whether their eating habits are healthy at all, and nearly seven in 10 (68%) just want to eat what they want and enjoy it.

But although the average person indulges in fast food or big meals about 12 times a month, they also regret it, as one in four instances of overeating leaves them feeling “hungover.”

Three times a month, the average respondent will also reluctantly eat a healthy meal they dislike.

“With so much information to sift through online these days, it’s often difficult to separate fact from fiction. This is particularly true as it applies to health; it’s easy for misinformation to become mainstream, says Dr Alyssa Dweck, MS, MD, FACOG and medical advisor to Tru Niagen®.  If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”

Thankfully, seven out of 10 (74%) would much rather embrace their age than force themselves to look or act younger than they are.

But two out of five Americans admit they don’t regularly exercise their mind or body, and don’t get enough sleep.

“Developing long-term healthy habits early on is the most effective way to optimize health and well-being as you age, “Dr. Dweck added. “Age gracefully by maintaining a healthy diet, exercising regularly and managing stress at each stage of life."

THE MOST UNIQUE THINGS AMERICANS HAVE TRIED TO FIGHT THE AGING PROCESS

• Blood masks
• Vampire facial
• Caffeine gel
• A lot of sex
• Drinking lots of water and thinking positive thoughts
• Hot yoga four times a week
• Trying to retrieve an “anti-aging crystal” from a waterfall in the Amazon rainforest
• Marrying a much younger partner
• Mud and honey lotion
• Radiofrequency microneedling
• Self-tanner
• Flour and vinegar
• Water and candy