"You know the story: Somebody's 99-year-old aunt never exercised, smoked her whole life, and lived on a diet of red meat and ice cream. So why bother with healthy living, right?
"For every one person who lives a long life of unhealthy choices, there are countless others who die prematurely because of them," says Robert Schreiber, MD, physician-in-chief at Hebrew SeniorLife, an elder health care provider and affiliate of Harvard Medical School. Betting that you will be one of these people is playing a game of Russian roulette, Schreiber says.
The seeds for illness in many of Schreiber's patients in their 70s and 80s were sown in their 30s, 40s, and 50s, he says. "Probably 50% of cases of the most serious conditions -- heart disease, diabetes, stroke, many forms of cancer -- are related directly to lifestyle and behavior," Schreiber tells WebMD."
"For every one person who lives a long life of unhealthy choices, there are countless others who die prematurely because of them," says Robert Schreiber, MD, physician-in-chief at Hebrew SeniorLife, an elder health care provider and affiliate of Harvard Medical School. Betting that you will be one of these people is playing a game of Russian roulette, Schreiber says.
The seeds for illness in many of Schreiber's patients in their 70s and 80s were sown in their 30s, 40s, and 50s, he says. "Probably 50% of cases of the most serious conditions -- heart disease, diabetes, stroke, many forms of cancer -- are related directly to lifestyle and behavior," Schreiber tells WebMD."
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