Avoiding or delaying is better than surviving

Delaying or escaping chronic illness is better than surviving it.

Why it matters:
The table below shows the top 10 causes of death by age group. Beyond age 55, chronic illnesses top the list - mainly heart disease, cancer, emphysema/COPD, and Alzheimer's disease.

Studies of centenarians, folks who've lived to age 100, demonstrate 3 potential "strategies" for dealing with chronic illness.

1. Survive it. Live for a long time after the diagnosis of heart disease, for example.
    
2. Delay it. Push the diagnosis of chronic illness as far into the future as possible. Develop heart disease in your 90's rather than in your 70's.
    
3. Escape it. Never develop heart disease.

The punchline:
Approximately 85% of centenarians delay or escape the most lethal chronic illnesses, rather than surviving with them.

What you can do:
Assess your risk profile and develop a proactive strategy to escape or delay chronic disease. Start now.

Going Deeper:

• J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci: Morbidity profiles of centenarians: survivors, delayers, and escapers.
• Front Genet: The Genetics of Extreme Longevity: Lessons from the New England Centenarian Study.

Have a wonderful week,

Dr. Topher Fox

P.S. Below are the pictures from my exam room walls which are the inspiration for this email series. Thanks for your interest, comments, and questions!