JUNE IS MEN’S HEALTH MONTH, which is not just a calendar event but a call to action. What action can a man take? See a doctor.
Men’s average life expectancy is 77, while women's life expectancy is 81. There are many reasons for the gap, one of which is that women frequently check in with their doctor.
“One of the main reasons is that women always check with their doctor; they’re attentive to some regular medical resource, versus men, who are reluctant,” said Dr. Moshir Jacob, chief medical officer of The Toledo Clinic, who specializes in longevity and health span optimization and weight loss/obesity medicine and has been in practice for over 35 years as an internal medicine specialist, added, “Patients who follow up with their doctor do much better.”
Part of that follow-up regimen is health screenings.
Jacob recommends getting a screening for colon cancer at age 45, for lung cancer–if a smoker or former smoker–at age 50, and for prostate cancer at 55 or, if there’s a history of prostate cancer in the family, earlier than 55.
He mentioned a study that says more than 100,000 new lung cancer cases will be diagnosed this year solely because of the lung cancer screening. “Lung cancer screening is something new, in the past few years,” Jacob said.
Jacob discusses a “three things and one” model with his male patients:
• Exercise. “Muscles are important to longevity,” he said. Only three out of 10 men on average meet aerobic and strength-training guidelines.
He recommends that men do cardio and strength training at least twice a week for 30- 45 minutes. He suggests using resistance bands or light weights, doing simple sit-and-stands without using your hands 20 times a day. For cardio, walking will be fine.
• Sleep. “You need seven to eight hours every night, deep sleep and REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep. During sleep, you cleanse your brain and your body. If you do not get good sleep, toxins accumulate,” Jacob said. When you get enough sleep, you will feel different. This advice applies to all ages, particularly senior citizens, because, as a rule, older people sleep less, so even at 80 years old, patients need a minimum of 7 hours of sleep.
• Nutrition and diet. “Protein provides the building blocks of your body–muscles, bones, joints– you need to give them enough protein,” Jacob said. Protein and fiber are must-haves in your diet. Animal-based or plant-based foods provide protein; vegetables and fruits provide fiber.
The trick is that as we age, we get anabolic resistance–we are not able to use the proteins like we did when we were younger. A 35-year-old needs and uses 30 grams; at 60, the body metabolizes protein differently. The way to prevent this is to eat more protein, so eat 40 grams. When we get older, we need more protein. He suggests drinking a protein shake, which adds 30 grams a day. That’s not a lot of calories, and it is an easy way to get more protein.
• The plus one–mental health. Jacob cites the need to cut stress. “Suicide is back on the top 10 causes of death,” he said. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) reported that men are nearly four times more likely to die by suicide than women. The mental health organization said suicide “is a silent crisis in men’s mental health–one that too often goes unnoticed or unspoken, underscoring the urgent need to break the silence and seek support.”
Seeking support is at the core of Jacob’s message. “The main advice I tell every man today: Get a doctor– primary care–go see them and make sure you follow up with screenings. Get your health in line.”
