The purpose of Men’s Health Month in June is to heighten awareness of preventable health problems and encourage early detection and treatment of disease among men and boys. More boys than girls are born every year in the U.S. but from infancy to old age, women are simply healthier than men. Out of the 15 leading causes of death, men lead women in all categories except Alzheimer’s disease, which many men don’t live long enough to develop. Although the gender gap is closing, men still die five years earlier than their wives, on average.While the reasons are partly biological, men’s approach to their health plays a role too.
Men often put their health last. Men go to the doctor less than women and are more likely to have a serious condition when they do go, research shows. As long as men are working and feeling productive, most aren’t considering the risks to their health or taking preventative steps.
But even if you’re feeling healthy, a little planning with your doctor can help you stay that way. Men’s top health risks are known, common and often preventable.
Cardiovascular disease is the leading men’s health threat. Heart disease and stroke are the first and second leading causes of death worldwide, in both men and women. In cardiovascular disease, cholesterol plaques gradually block the arteries in the heart and brain. If a plaque becomes unstable, a blood clot forms, blocking the artery and causing a heart attack or stroke.
One in five men and women will die from cardiovascular disease. Men’s average age for death from cardiovascular disease is under 65; women catch up about six years later. What can a guy do to help avoid cardiovascular disease?
Have your cholesterol checked beginning at age 25 and every five years.
Control your blood pressure and cholesterol with medication, diet and lifestyle changes. If you smoke, get help to stop. Walk, run, or lift weights for 30 minutes four times a week. Middle-aged men who exercised vigorously for two or more hours cumulatively per week had a 60 percent less risk of heart attack than inactive men did, according to the New England Journal of Medicine.
Eat more fruits and vegetables and less saturated or trans fats.
Ask your doctor about vitamin E and aspirin. Men who took the antioxidant and a blood thinner daily cut the plaque in their clogged arteries by more than 80 percent, according to a University of Pennsylvania study.
Count to 10. Creating a 10-second buffer before reacting to a stressful situation may be enough to cool you down. Men who respond to stress with anger are three times more likely to be diagnosed with heart disease and five times more likely to have a heart attack before turning 55, say researchers at Johns Hopkins University.
The most important first step any man can make to lower his risk of heart attack, stroke and other life-threatening illness is to make an appointment for an annual check-up.This month, as we observe Men’s Health Month, make that call and take that first step toward a longer, healthier life.
Dr. Khan specializes in internal medicine and cardiology. His office is located in the Medical Pavilion at Woodbridge, 740 Route 1 north, Iselin, NJ. Appointments can be made by calling 1-800-DOCTORS.