Everyone gets older, everyone is going to die eventually. These are the realities of life that we can’t turn away from, even if we want to. However, we can ensure that as we age, we take care of ourselves and our bodies as best as possible. That’s why it’s important to talk about the health issues that can affect us, and what we can do about them.
Cardiovascular disease
This term covers a range of heart and blood vessel disorders, including coronary artery disease, heart attack, and stroke. As we get older, men are a lot more likely to experience trouble with their hearts, especially as we get over 45. This is heightened by risk factors like hypertension, high cholesterol, and diabetes, as well as smoking and sedentary living. Regular exercise, a healthy diet, and maintaining a healthy weight are all vital ways to manage your risk of heart disease, but your annual physical at the doctor is the most important for spotting any issues and intervening early. Lower levels of heart health can also impact our chances of developing other chronic conditions, so it’s important to stay on top of it at all ages, but especially so as we age.
Prostate cancer
At any age, men should know how to self-examine for testicular cancer. However, there is no way to check yourself for prostate cancer, which becomes much more likely after age 50. Since the early stages often show no symptoms, it’s important to go for regular tests, including PSA tests and digital rectal exams, every year at age 50. If there’s a family history, you should check on a regular basis. There is a wide range of treatment options, such as surgery, radiation therapy, and hormone therapy, but they all work better when the cancer is caught early. Because of its location, a lot of men can feel embarrassed when talking about their prostate health, but the risk of cancer and the potential long-term impacts it has should make it clear how important it is to be aware of the issue.
Osteoporosis
While this condition does affect women more, men are still susceptible to weakening bones and an increased risk of fractures, especially as they get to over 70 years of age. This is especially true if they have a family history, low testosterone levels, or certain lifestyle factors like smoking and excessive alcohol consumption. Calcium and vitamin D supplementation, weight-bearing exercises, and medications can help maintain bone density, but you should ensure that you get a bone density scan from your doctor during your annual physical if you’re over 70 or are affected by any of the above-mentioned risk factors. As we get older, we are already more prone to accidents due to a general decrease in physical independence. Staying fit and exercising regardless of what age can decrease your chances of an accident, but you want to make sure that the consequences of a fall need not be so severe, all the same.
Type-2 diabetes
One of the most common chronic health conditions affecting people of all ages, is more likely to affect men over the age of 45, particularly if they are overweight, have a sedentary lifestyle, or a family history of diabetes. This condition is characterized by a resistance to or low production levels of insulin, which can result in a wide range of health issues, including the chance of slipping into a diabetic coma. Maintaining a healthy weight, regular physical activity and a balanced diet can prevent or delay the onset. Monitoring blood sugar levels and medications is essential for those diagnosed. There has been a drastic increase in the levels of sugar in the average diet over the past couple of decades, and this needs to be more carefully managed to ensure good health in our later years.
Low testosterone levels
As men get older, their bodies produce less testosterone, at a rate of about 1% per year. This is a natural part of aging, but modern testosterone levels are already lower than in past generations, so this decrease can have a great impact on things like muscle growth, mental health, and sexual health, and acts as a risk factor for many other conditions named here. Regular exercise, a healthy diet, and the use of supplements can help improve testosterone production levels. However, there are also hormone replacement therapy treatments that can help men improve testosterone levels if they are significantly below the average. A mixture of direct treatment and lifestyle changes tends to offer the best chances of long-term improvement.
Erectile dysfunction
In part related to the low levels of testosterone, as mentioned above, but also related to a host of other issues common in older men, erectile dysfunction, or ED, is the inability to achieve or maintain an erection sufficient for sexual activity. This is an extremely common issue, affecting up to 40% of men at age 40 and nearly 70% of men at age 70. Healthy lifestyle choices, managing chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease, and medications such as phosphodiesterase inhibitors (Viagra, Cialis) can help manage ED.
Depression and mental health issues
As we get older, we also get more prone to depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues. Because men are socialized to be less likely to seek help for mental health issues, and because changes in testosterone levels can make us even more prone to depressive episodes, this can affect our overall quality of life across the board. Regular physical activity, staying socially connected, and seeking professional help when needed are essential. Therapies and medications can effectively manage symptoms. Society needs to go a long way, still, to help men talk about their mental health, but there are options available.
The health issues above are not something to avoid or to be ashamed of. There are ways to manage every risk mentioned here, you just have to make sure that you’re active, aware, and regularly working with your doctor to stay on top of them.