Peter on the four horsemen of chronic disease

This audio clip is from AMA #14: What lab tests can (and cannot) inform us about our overall objective of longevity, originally released on May 18, 2020.

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Show Notes

The four pillars of chronic disease, and the three components of healthspan [14:30]

The Four Horsemen of Chronic Disease

-The following amounts over 80% of deaths in people over 50 who do not smoke…

1. Atherosclerotic disease (comprised of cardiovascular disease and cerebrovascular disease)
2. Cancer
3. Neurodegenerative disease (Alzheimer’s disease being the most common)
4. “Foundational disease” ⇒ a spectrum of everything hyperinsulinemia to insulin resistance to fatty liver disease to type 2 diabetes

3 Components of Healthspan

1. Cognitive
2. Physical/structural
3. Emotional

-With the cognitive piece…

• Most of the efforts we put into preserving cognition are basically directly in line with the efforts we will make to reduce the risk of dementia

–With the physical component…

• This is really the first thing that starts to compromise quality of life (knee pain, back pain, etc.)
• It occurs decades before someone dies
• “There’s no time that’s too soon to start caring about [physical/structural health].”

-With the emotional piece… 

• By far least tethered to age
• The labs are not as relevant with this piece so it won’t be the focus of this episode