Shift focus from merely living longer (lifespan) to living more years in good health (healthspan) by implementing achievable lifestyle changes, which can add 7-10 years of disease-free living.
Shift focus from treatment as the ’end all’ to prioritizing prevention of age-related diseases, leveraging new layers of data and AI capabilities that were previously unavailable.
Recognize that exercise has the single biggest impact among lifestyle factors, profoundly affecting all three age-related diseases, slowing biological aging, and boosting the immune system through anti-inflammatory effects.
Broaden your understanding of healthy lifestyle to include ‘Lifestyle Plus’ factors: diet, exercise, sleep, alcohol/coffee/tobacco intake, environmental conditions (toxins, air pollution, microplastics, forever chemicals), socioeconomic status, loneliness, and social isolation.
Recognize that major age-related diseases (cancer, heart disease, neurodegeneration) take about 20 years to become symptomatic, providing a significant window for preventative action.
Discard any defeatist attitude about health outcomes, as lifestyle factors, new medications, and improved environmental policies collectively offer the ability to change the natural history of age-related conditions, freeing you from being ‘stuck with your parents’ conditions’.
Understand that it is never too late (or too early) to start making lifestyle changes; studies show that even at age 50, you can gain at least seven years of healthy aging, and benefits continue to accrue at older ages.
Recognize that basic lifestyle factors (movement, diet, sleep, social connection) are essential for healthy aging, and advanced technologies or treatments are supplementary to these fundamentals.
When considering diet, focus on reducing ultra-processed food intake, exploring time-restricted eating, and determining the optimum amount of daily protein specifically for your body.
Be aware that many ultra-processed foods and beverages are toxic and pro-inflammatory; actively work to reduce their consumption, especially given high consumption rates in the US and UK.
Adopt a time-restricted eating pattern by finishing your evening meal early and not consuming any food until breakfast the following morning, aiming for a 12-hour daily fasting window.
Adopt a Mediterranean diet pattern, which has been shown to substantially reduce cardiovascular disease and positively impact cancer and neurodegenerative diseases.
Understand that no single diet is universally right for everyone; explore different dietary approaches and monitor individual responses to find what is most healthy for you.
Consider using a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) for a month to identify specific foods that cause significant or prolonged blood glucose spikes, especially if you are pre-diabetic, to inform personalized dietary choices.
Expand your exercise routine beyond just aerobic fitness to include practices that promote good posture, resistance/weight training, and activities that maintain your sense of balance.
Incorporate at least 60 minutes of walking into your daily routine, whether in one go or broken into shorter segments, as research shows significant health benefits, including a massive reduction in cancer risk.
Increase muscle mass by consistently engaging in resistance or strength training, alongside ensuring adequate protein intake, as these are primary factors influencing muscle development.
Consider getting a DEXA scan to assess your muscle mass, and if it’s not optimal, prioritize increasing strength/resistance training.
Actively work on maintaining good upright posture and engage in balance training, especially as you age, to counteract compromised proprioception, prevent falls, and support overall body health.
Recognize that big toe strength is a critical factor in fall risk and incorporate exercises to strengthen your lower extremities and feet, including your calves, to improve balance and prevent falls.
Understand that around ages 40-50, habits previously tolerated may start to have negative consequences, making it a critical time to re-evaluate and improve lifestyle choices.
Understand that a healthy immune system is fundamental for healthy aging, and lifestyle factors, particularly frequent exercise, significantly contribute to a more robust immune system.
Actively foster community and social connection, as isolation negatively impacts heart health and all three major age-related diseases; prioritize engagement with other people for overall well-being.
Recognize that an upbeat, optimistic outlook on life is correlated with healthy aging and a lack of regrets at the end of life; actively cultivate hope and a positive disposition.
Recognize that both acute severe stress and chronic stress can lead to heart complications, including Takotsubo syndrome and promotion of atherosclerosis; actively work to reduce and manage stress.
Focus on controlling environmental exposures within your immediate control, such as your home environment, to reduce overall toxin burden, even if you cannot control all external exposures.
Be aware that air pollution is highly pro-inflammatory and increases the risk of chronic diseases and type 2 diabetes; take steps to minimize exposure, especially in congested urban environments.
If feasible, consider using indoor air filters in your home and workplace to improve air quality and reduce exposure to pollutants.
Understand that microplastics are pervasive and can incite inflammation in arteries, significantly increasing the risk of heart attacks and strokes; actively work to reduce personal exposure.
Reduce reliance on plastic by avoiding plastic water bottles, microwaving food in plastic, and using plastic utensils, especially when exposed to heat, and consider water filters to reduce plastic intake.
Be aware of the widespread presence of non-degradable ‘Forever Chemicals’ (PFAS) in products like furniture, tires, carpets, and personal hygiene items; actively seek to reduce exposure by choosing products without these chemicals.
Replace non-stick Teflon pans with alternatives like cast iron to avoid exposure to ‘Forever Chemicals’ (PFAS) that can leach into food, focusing on controlling exposures within your home environment.
Understand that receiving personal health data (e.g., BPA levels, glucose spikes) can be a powerful motivator for making durable and significant lifestyle changes, even when general recommendations haven’t been enough.
Advocate for a preventive health approach that integrates all medical records, lifestyle plus factors, and key genetic information, such as polygenic risk scores or whole genome sequencing, to personalize risk assessment and prevention strategies.
Consider obtaining your polygenic risk score, which provides a low-cost readout of your genetic risk for common diseases like cancer, Alzheimer’s, and heart disease, to guide personalized prevention.
Explore the use of advanced blood tests that can measure up to 11,000 proteins to get a readout of each organ’s ‘clock,’ indicating the pace of aging for your brain, immune system, heart, liver, and other organs, for early detection of issues.
If you have increased risk factors for Alzheimer’s (e.g., APOE4 allele, family history, high polygenic risk score), consider getting a P-tau-217 blood test, an important marker for assessing risk and guiding early intervention.
If P-tau-217 levels are elevated, implement lifestyle changes such as exercise, weight loss, and a better diet, as these factors are known to considerably reduce this Alzheimer’s risk marker.
Instead of blanket screening, use personalized risk assessments (e.g., polygenic risk scores, genetic mutations) to determine the appropriate frequency for cancer screenings like mammograms, potentially reducing unnecessary tests for those at very low risk.
Ask your doctor to include Lipoprotein(a) (LP(a)) in your standard heart health blood tests, as it is an important risk factor for which new treatments are becoming available.
Actively manage and control your blood pressure to prevent injury to artery walls and heart muscle, as excessive blood pressure takes a significant toll on your entire vascular system.
If experiencing erectile dysfunction, especially in your 50s or younger, consult a doctor to investigate potential underlying vascular dysfunction, high blood pressure, or other explanations.
Maintain tremendous optimism about the future of preventing age-related diseases, understanding that while aging is biological, significant progress can be made in preventing the ‘big three’ conditions.