Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute health plan focuses on prevention

WE must invest in all aspects of our health if we want to live longer, experts have revealed in a new plan. And it’s never to late to start. See what you should be doing at your age.

We must invest in all aspects of our health if we want to live longer. And it is never too late to start. Generic picture: Supplied

WE must invest in all aspects of our health — physical, psychological and emotional — if we want to live longer, experts have revealed.

The Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute has released a new health plan that focuses on prevention, with the message that it’s never too late to turn your life around.

Institute director Professor Tom Marwick said many people felt dissatisfied with their overall wellbeing.

Feeling fatigued, stressed, depressed and being physically inactive were common.

“Many chronic illnesses; being overweight, obese, having Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and heart failure, these are diseases of lifestyle,” Prof Marwick said.

“The terrible thing is they a major burden ... and yet these are avoidable.

“The lifestyle things we need to do are things our grandparents knew, but I think in our busy lives that commonsense has got lost.”

SCROLL DOWN TO SEE WHAT YOU SHOULD BE DOING AT YOUR AGE

Antigone Komodromos says being kind to her body has long been a daily mantra. Read her story below. Picture: Ian Currie

The institute’s Professor Garry Jennings said it was through learning about the spiral of disease that people could start to understand how important it was to make the healthy choice the regular one.

Prof Jennings said increased weight gain could lead to blood glucose intolerance, which led to Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and abnormal blood fats.

Obesity wasn’t just about not fitting into your old clothes. Excess weight gain triggered a range of immune responses that could damage organs, increase the risk of cancer, damage arteries that led to heart or kidney disease, and increase blood pressure, raising the chance of a stroke.

“Over a lifetime, a person’s wellbeing often takes the shape of a spiral,” Prof Jennings said. “For many people, this is a downward movement, with factors that are small to begin with growing into larger problems.

“However, by adopting some healthy choices and practices, this spiral can be transformed into an upwards-moving one. It’s never too late to take action.”

The new lifestyle plan, released as a book The Baker IDI Wellness Plan, presents the scientific secrets to a long and healthy life.

The Baker IDI Wellness Plan.

Lead author Prof Jennings, who is now chief medical adviser at the National Heart Foundation, said different aspects of wellbeing were more important to get on top of at different life stages.

Mental health, substance abuse and risk-taking behaviours were big challenge to wellbeing in adolescence and young adulthood.

Adulthood and its responsibilities were a risky time for poor habits with excess drinking, nutrition, sedentary behaviour, too much stress and too little sleep.

For older adults, wellbeing meant maintaining independence, moving without pain and good cognitive function.

Girls born today will live, on average, into their mid 90s. Boys will typically live to see their 91st birthday.

Prof Marwick said there was more incentive than ever to make sure the one life we got was as healthy as possible.

“Some people say to me; cardiovascular disease is a disease of old age and you have to die of something,” Prof Marwick said. “That’s true, but you don’t have to be sick for the last 20 years of your life.”

HOW TO ACT YOUR AGE

IN YOUR 30s

As responsibilities increase, learn to manage your stress. Check your own mental health, and that of your family. Look for the physical symptoms of depression such as weight loss, tiredness and irritability.

Sexual

Get screened for chlamydia each year. Those with multiple new partners should also be tested for other STDs.

Cholesterol and glucose

Recommended if there is a family history of diabetes or heart disease, or risk factors such as being overweight.

BMI and waist circumference

Every two years in overweight adults, where waist circumference is above 94cm for men and 80cm for women.

Vaccination

Adult dTpa (diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis) vaccine recommended for pregnant women and their partners in the third trimester to protect against whooping cough. Pregnant women also advised to have flu vaccination.

HEATH CHECK AT 31 SAVED FRANCINE

REGULAR health checks and ingrained healthy habits ensured that when Dr Francine Marques faced the biggest health challenge of her life, she was in the best shape.

The Baker Institute cardiovascular researcher had seen her GP each year for a scan referral, after a small cyst was found on one of her ovaries.

Two years ago, at age 31, this routine scan detected a tumour on her other ovary.

Francine Marques. Picture: Rebecca Michael

Next month will mark two years since Dr Marques was diagnosed with cancer. She is in remission and relishing the end of five months of chemotherapy, now that her energy levels have returned.

“I am doing really well and I have no doubt that healthy eating and exercise has played a big part,” Dr Marques said.

As an Early Career Fellow through the National Health and Medical Research Council and Heart Foundation, Dr Marques is investigating how the bacteria that live in our gut, called gut microbiota, could become new treatments for preventing heart failure.

She urges others looking for motivation to kickstart their own healthy habits to first work on changing their thinking.

“Don’t face making healthy choices as an obligation,” she said. “You can make healthy diet and exercise enjoyable, but you need to make a change in your mindset that you’re not just on a diet, but it’s part of your new routine.”

IN YOUR 40s

BMI and waist circumference

Check annually.

Eyes

Every two years for glaucoma.

Chronic disease

A free one-off health check is offered to people aged 45-49 who are at risk of developing a chronic disease such as type 2 diabetes or heart disease.

Type 2 diabetes

Every three years.

Fasting lipids/Hyperlipidaemia

Checking cholesterol and blood lipids in those without other cardiovascular risk factors is recommended every five years.

Stroke

All those over the age of 45 should be screened for risk factors such as hypertension, dyslipidaemia and nonvalvular atrial fibrillation.

Calculate absolute cardiovascular risk

This check should be performed whenever your blood pressure, cholesterol and blood fats are measured.

Bones

Women should have their GP review fracture risks.

FITNESS HELPED MICK GAYFER FACE HEART CHALLENGE AT 49

HEALTHY eating and keeping to a regular exercise schedule weren’t a problem for Mick Gayfer after hanging up the boots on his AFL career.

The benefits of increased energy and mental clarity he got from relying on a healthy lifestyle during his 142-game career at Collingwood, including the 1990 premiership, have continued off the park.

Gayfer took up cycling, kayaking and running marathons after finishing football in his late 20s. But three years ago, the then 49-year-old suffered ventricular tachycardia. This dangerously fast and irregular heartbeat was caused by a weakened and enlarged heart that the father of three was unknowingly carrying.

Mick Gayer has kept fit all his life. Picture: Alex Coppel

“They said it was probably only my fitness levels that stopped me from going into straight cardiac arrest,” Gayfer said.

He now cycles at least twice a week and fits in a couple of gym sessions.

“There are so many benefits to exercise and a good diet — your mental alertness improves, you sleep a lot better and you feel better,” he said.

“One of the things I find that makes it a lot easier is group exercise. You have that commitment to each other and it allows you to set goals.”

IN YOUR 50s

Bowel cancer

The home faecal occult blood test (FOBT) should be done every two years.

Breast cancer

Mammogram every two years.

Prostate cancer

PSA test if a family history.

Bones

Review fracture risks for women and men.

Vaccinations

Consider influenza and pneumococcal vaccination if at high risk, and whooping cough if a grandparent.

Eyes

General examination every two years.

BEING KIND TO BODY HAS LONG BEEN MANTRA OF ANTIGONE, 57

BEING kind to your body and listening to its needs have long been Antigone Komodromos’s daily mantra.

The 57-year-old’s first health challenge came at age 16 when she was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Ten years later she was found to have ovarian cancer.

Ms Komodromos said her cancer diagnosis, in particular, reinforced the need to make the healthy choice the regular choice. Thanks to her Greek Cypriot parents, enjoying a diet packed with vegetables, fruits, legumes and healthy fats is her standard repertoire.

Being kind to your body and listening to its needs have long been Antigone Komodromos’s daily mantra. Picture: Ian Currie

“I just decided that I had to be really gentle on my body,” she said.

“I ride my bike, I go for walks and I swim a couple of times a week. But even those two swims I have really affect my blood sugar. My body really likes it.

“The healthy choice isn’t a struggle. It makes sense. You want to respect your body.”

Ms Komodromos said she also worked hard at her mental and social health, which were the foundation for her overall wellbeing. This including nurturing a strong relationship with husband Bob and her siblings, and engaging in the community by singing in a choir and playing pan pipes in a Bolivian band.

IN YOUR 60s

Maximise brain health by keeping active, eating a healthy diet, keeping social, challenging cognition through new activities, and looking after physical health.

Keeping active is a key to maximising brain health in your 60s.

Bones

Bone density scan over the age of 65.

Eyes

Annual from 65.

Vaccination

Annual influenza injection, pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccination and single dose of zoster is recommended. Whooping cough for new or expectant grandparents.

Falls

GP screen for risk factors every 12 months.

Dementia

Screen if have symptoms.

IN YOUR 70s

Stay independent and mobile through regular exercise. Reduced appetite or ability to cook can put older people at risk of poor diet. Discuss with doctor. Reduce risk of dementia by stopping smoking, reducing high blood pressure and avoiding type 2 diabetes.

Vaccination

Consider annual influenza.

Regular exercise is important in your 70s. Generic picture: Supplied

The Baker IDI Wellness Plan by The Baker Institute of Heart and Diabetes is available for the special reader price of $34.99, including delivery.

Order online at heraldsun.com.au/shop or call 1300 306 107 from 10am Monday. For mail order, post a cheque/money order to Herald Sun Shop, PO Box 14730 Melbourne VIC 8001

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