5280 - The Denver Magazine | How to Live Longer and Better, According to Actual Medical Experts
Movies are full of characters making questionable choices in pursuit of eternal life… Fortunately, Colorado is blessed with a litany of licensed longevity advisers—i.e., doctors. We spoke with physicians across specialties to better understand what you can do in your 30s, 40s, and 50s to ward off common age-related maladies that many experience in their 60s, 70s, and 80s…Dr. Vinaya Manchaiah, Audiologist - UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital: Your body is changing—that’s natural. It’s also bad news for older adults trying to make small talk in a crowded room. Structural changes inside the ear and the brain contribute to a slow deterioration in hearing, and there’s not much you can do about it. However, the battery of Broncos games, Metallica shows, and gas-powered snowblowers that also hammer away at your hearing can at least be mitigated, perhaps with something you already own. …. Dr. William Cornwell, Sports Cardiologist - UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital: “If your goal is to live healthy, be a normal person, and reduce your risk,” Cornwell says, “here’s my response: Look up the top 10 causes of death in the United States…. Routine exercise will reduce the risk of six.” And although the phrase “routine exercise” conjures different ideas for everyone, the American Heart Association, American Stroke Association, and the Dementia Society of America all agree on exactly what it entails: 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity physical activity.