We can prevent age-related decline in performance and prolong our lives
Modern medicine is increasingly focusing on preventive measures to stay healthy and prevent chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, dementia and cancer.
These diseases do not happen overnight; they are the result of decades of accumulating minor damage that could have been prevented, stopped or even reversed. Once too much damage has accumulated and the disease becomes visible, it is often too late to treat it effectively, leaving only symptom relief. For example, atherosclerosis – damage to the blood vessel wall – can start as early as 30 years before the first heart attack, which is usually the first visible manifestation of the disease. Before that, there are no noticeable problems, but then the condition suddenly changes. During these 30 years, many opportunities for prevention have been missed, but now the condition is difficult to correct.