Avoid these unhealthy lifestyle habits

Nine doctors who specialize in anti-aging were asked to rank the impact of dozens of lifestyle components on future health. Use their intriguing answers to make smarter choices about your health, diet, and lifestyle.

1. Drinking a lot of soda
2. Eating four or more meals a week at fast-food restaurants
3. Eating ice cream, cake, doughnuts, or candy bars every day
4. Rarely eating vegetables
5. Skipping breakfast most mornings
6. Losing and gaining back the same 10 to 20 pounds over and over

1. Smoking cigarettes
2. Living in deep debt
3. Using sleeping pills to get a good night's sleep
4. Drinking too much on a weekly basis
5. Taking painkillers every day

1. Being angry, worried, or stressed more than happy
2. Feeling a loss of control over home, career, or family
3. Living in an unhappy relationship
4. Ignoring most health problems and symptoms
5. Not exercising beyond everyday living

• What do you think would be the worst health mistake you made in your youth? According to experts, it probably wasn't drinking too much, using marijuana, or having lots of sexual encounters with different partners. An innocent and often-unavoidable risk earned the top spot: frequent sunburns in childhood or adolescence.
• Research confirms that early sunburns are an important risk factor for skin cancer later in life.
• Meanwhile, more than half of the panel thought that several other unavoidable childhood health experiences like a major illness, accident, or exposure to pollution could also play important roles in shaping your future health.
• Research confirms that all three can shape the course of a person's well-being decades later. Yet studies show that most survivors of childhood illnesses and accidents don't receive the follow-up care they need, and long-term effects of environmental toxins are often not well-known.
• The smartest way to catch problems early is to keep up with all of the recommended screenings for things like skin cancer and lung health.

Though you can't change the past, you can make healthier decisions for the future. Use these lists as a guide to help you avoid the most detrimental behaviors and habits.