How you will (probably) die & what you can do about it

 

They say life hurts a lot more than death which is probably true. That said, at this stage death is a non-negotiable part of this journey we call life, so without getting all dark and twisty on you this is how you are (probably) going to die and when.

First up the good news – life may be short but according to the probability experts at Flowdata; ‘More than 99% of people under the age of 60 live to see the next year.’… After that things start to decline rather more rapidly. So for those of you still in the first five decades of life, stop your moping, make good choices and do your level best to enjoy the ride. Those of you who are chilling over the other side of the big 6-0, live even more fully and make the last few acts are worth the ticket price!

What are you most likely to die of? – that mostly depends on what rung of life’s ladder you find yourself on.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, if you are between 15-24 years old then you are most likely to die by committing suicide followed by being in a transport accident (more pedestrians die than cyclists so get those heads up and out of those phones whilst crossing the road please). If you are aged between 25-44 years old then Breast Cancer follows suicide as the biggest killer with accidental poisonings and transport accidents also playing a role. If you are over 45 years old disease is the biggest downer, with Cancer and Heart Disease leading the way. From 75 years and up Circulatory Issues (Heart Disease and Stroke) join Alzheimer disease and dementia as the leading causes of demise.

Truth be told, nobody actually dies of old age, they either die from an illness (like cancer or pneumonia) or an event (such as having a heart attack in their sleep).

If you prefer a visual THIS CHART by Flowingdata will also show you how you will (probably) die in a good looking graphic. Simply enter your sex, race and age and watch to see what chance you have of dying from a range of possibilities.

On a less depressing note, knowing how you will (probably) die does allow you to make some choices on how to improve your chances. Whilst clearly this is not a competition you can win per se, you can find comfort in not being knocked out too early in the game.

Based on the statistics, young people (and their parents and friends) need to learn to take mental health issues seriously. Issues with anxiety, depression, bullying, sexual orientation/confusion and substance abuse should be taken seriously. The culture of bravado amongst men, especially here in Australia, sees sadly the rate of suicides amongst males 3 x higher than females year on year. Great Initiatives such as Beyond Blue and support networks such as  Lifeline can be a first step or great referral portal.

Up until the age of 40 road accidents are a major cause of death (with males once again leading the way statistically). If you want to live longer you can improve your chances by reducing the major crash common risk factors. Older cars (with less safety features), driving at night and/or when tired, not wearing a seat belt and being intoxicated are the major causes. Combine any of the above with youthful inexperience and your chances of death increase – a 17 year old P Plater driver is 4 x more likely to be involved in a fatal accident than a 26 year old driver.

Amongst the under 45 set accidental poisoning and Breast Cancer were the biggest killers. The Poisoning may be accidental but is most likely due to choices made around alcohol and narcotics and their misuse – managing this part of your life will not only allow you to have better relationships and live longer but will help you remember the best bits along the way.

When it comes to Breast Cancer few of us have been untouched by this disease amongst the women in our lives. According to the Cancer Council of Australia, the chance of a woman getting breast cancer up to the aged of 85 yrs is 1 in 8. The best news about this most dominant of cancers is early prevention sees excellent survival rates – so check your breasts, take advantage of free mammogram services on offer and be vigilant if you have a family history of the disease.

So this is all well and good for the most part (with self-management, risk aversion and a handful of good old fashioned luck) but over 40 the dice begin to get a little loaded – over 60 even more so.

According to Peter Attia (ultra-endurance athlete, relentless self-experimenter and founder of Attica Medical which focuses on the applied science of longevity and optimal performance – quite the over-achiever!)- ‘If you remember nothing else, remember this: If you are in your 40s or beyond and care about living longer… there’s an 80% chance you are going to die from cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, cancer, or neurodegenerative disease. So any strategy toward increasing longevity has to be geared toward reducing the risk of those diseases as much as is humanly possible.’

Makes sense – so how do we do that?

You already know this really. It’s not rocket science and after reading 4 billion articles on how not to die from these 4 diseases it comes down to the usual stuff. Below is a list of what you can do to improve your chances of not dying sooner (from a writer with no professional qualifications)– some are still in the study stage but most are so damn simple its staggering we don’t all live forever……..then again, as I say to myself after that 4^th Margarita, where would the fun be in that?

• Don’t Smoke (Duh.)
• Keep your blood pressure under control
• Exercise
• Get tested for Diabetes (and keep it under control).
• Drink alcohol in moderation (or not at all).
• Eat lots of vegetables and low sugar fruits.
• Build Strong Leg Muscles (yup – “ Having weak thigh muscles is the number one predictor of frailty in old age,” says Robert Butler, MD & President of the International Longevity Centre in New York).
• Look after your teeth & gums (poor oral health can lead to increased risk of HPV infection/ Infectious bacteria in the mouth can migrate to the circulatory system and damage your heart/Inflammation can be carcinogenic).
• Maintain a healthy weight.
• Eat less salt.
• Keep your Cholesterol levels low (get tested and treat with statins if needed).
• Be Sun safe.
• Meditate / Reduce Stress/ Sleep Well.
• Find a diet that reduces inflammation in the body (so no bad fats and processed foods) – experts are excited about Fat rich and Veg heavy diets (think Mediterranean diet), High Fat & High Protein diet (think Atkins or Ketogenic diet – google it) and Calorie Restrictive diets (Intermittent Fasting – my current choice). Ditch the Sugar & the Crap – save them for special occasions.
• Think positively, read, learn, play games, develop good friendships and laugh as much and as often as you can.

Soon it seems we will know more about actual time-frame of death. Scientists have developed a test that is being touted as the most accurate predictor of our chance of making through the next 5 years. By detecting the building blocks of cancer and heart disease via inflammation markers such as the fancy sounding α1-acid glycoprotein (AGP) they can best determine your likelihood of you being alive in 5 years time.

If, like me, you are impatient to know how likely it is you will die in the next 5 years you can take the UBBLE test – Right Now. By answering 11-13 simple questions you can see what chance you may have to still be sticking around until 2022.

Most of us can’t predict exactly how or when we will be bidding adieu but as that mountain of a man, Abe Lincoln, once said, “The Best Thing About The Future is it Only Comes One Day at a Time”. So get outta here and make it count!

This Get Healthier Post was brought to you by someone who has a 0.4% chance of dying in the next 5 years but a 100% chance of pouring herself a glass of red in the next 5 minutes.