Men’s Top Health Threats

Do you know what threatens your life the most? The list is surprisingly short.

• Heart disease — heart disease is the leading cause of death in both sexes. Because men usually develop heart disease 10 to 15 years earlier than women do, they’re more likely to die of it in the prime of life. You can reduce your risk of heart disease by making healthier lifestyle choices and getting appropriate treatment for other conditions that can damage your heart, such as high cholesterol, diabetes, and high blood pressure.
• Cancer — cancer is the second leading cause of death. Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer. Prostate cancer and colorectal cancer—both of which are associated with a high-fat diet—are the second and third leading causes of cancer death.
• Stroke — although stroke occurs in equal proportions of men and women, men have better chances of surviving than women do. You can’t control some stroke risks, such as family history, age, and race, but you can control the leading cause—high blood pressure—as well as contributing factors such as smoking and diabetes.
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) — this is a group of chronic lung conditions that include emphysema and chronic bronchitis. It’s strongly associated with lung cancer. The main cause is smoking. Men who smoke are 12 times as likely to die of COPD as men who’ve never smoked.
• Diabetes — excess body fat, especially around the middle, is an important risk factor for diabetes. About 80% of people with diabetes are overweight or obese. The diabetes complications most likely to be fatal are heart disease and stroke. An estimated one-third of men with the most common form of diabetes don’t know they have it. Many are unaware of the disease until they develop complications such as impotence, nerve damage, vision loss, or kidney disease.

Be concerned about health risks. Do all you can to lead a healthy lifestyle—eat healthy foods, stay physically active, don’t smoke, and get regular checkups. By making these preventive measures a way of life, you’ll increase your chances of staying vital and active.