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.

他们应该正值人生的黄金时期。但英国的一项调查发现，二、三十岁的年轻人的健康状况还不如他们的父母。

酗酒、吃方便食品、缺乏锻炼均对年轻人的健康造成了不良影响。

所以，年轻人比55岁以上的人更易患偏头痛和感冒，而且更容易焦虑。

该调查表明，18岁至34岁之间的人患感冒或流感的几率为他们父辈的三倍。

近四分之一的年轻人经常患头痛或偏头痛，而这一比例在55岁以上的人中仅为14%。

此外，年轻人精神压力过大的几率高出近一倍。

年龄较大的人饮食习惯也更加健康，超过40%的人每天摄入五份或五份以上的水果和蔬菜，为年轻人的两倍。

在55岁以上的受访者中，20%的人不酗酒，而在18岁至34岁的人群中，这一比例仅为10%。

60%年龄较大的人每天做新鲜饭菜，而年轻人的这一比例还不到三分之一。

在55岁以上的受访者中，有四分之三的人称自己饮食平衡，而仅有一半的年轻人这样做。

此外，近10%的年轻人承认他们每顿都吃方便食品，2%的人称他们只去餐馆吃饭。

老一辈的人经常进行适度锻炼，12%的受访者每天至少锻炼30分钟。

可能年轻人看起来比较健康，但仅有9%的人每天锻炼。

该项为“佛罗里达柚”水果品牌开展的调查显示，55岁以上的受访者努力保证每天至少六个小时的睡眠时间，并尽量让自己呼吸大量的新鲜空气。

住院医生克里斯?斯蒂尔在ITV《今晨》节目中说：“我发现，现在有越来越多的年轻人患感冒、流感和头痛等病症。”

“工作时间长、精神压力大和缺乏锻炼是导致人们健康状况下降和生病的主要因素。”