Longevity · Prevention
Preventive health and longevity
Most years lost to disease come from conditions that can be prevented or caught early. How screening, vaccination and risk-factor control fit into a longevity plan.
Written by LON6EVITY Editorial Team · Last updated
Why prevention matters
WHO reports that noncommunicable diseases — mainly cardiovascular disease, cancers, chronic respiratory disease and diabetes — cause most deaths worldwide, and that tobacco use, physical inactivity, harmful alcohol use, unhealthy diets and air pollution increase the risk.
Three layers of prevention
Preventing disease (not smoking, activity, diet, vaccination), finding it early (evidence-based screening such as blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes and cancer screening), and managing risk factors once found.
Evidence-based screening
Organisations such as the USPSTF publish which screenings are recommended for which ages. More testing is not always better; tests without evidence can cause false alarms.
Factors that can affect the result
- Tobacco
- Physical activity
- Diet
- Alcohol
- Blood pressure
- Access to screening
Questions people commonly ask
- Is a full-body scan a good idea?
- Screening without a clear indication can find incidental findings that lead to unnecessary procedures; evidence-based screening is preferred.
Related topics
Build your longevity profile
What does this mean for your own health data? Log your results, follow trends over time and bring an organised summary to your next doctor's appointment.
Sources
- Noncommunicable diseases — fact sheet. World Health Organization.
- Recommendation Topics. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.