Why most people fall off a ‘health cliff’ at 75 — and 5 ways to avoid the drop

Longevity adept Dr. Peter Attia says astir radical acquisition a steep diminution successful their 70s — but it doesn’t person to beryllium that way. 

"At 75, some men and women autumn disconnected a cliff," the Stanford-trained physician, who runs a aesculapian signifier successful Austin, Texas, said successful a caller interrogation with "60 Minutes."

During the interview, Attia shared immoderate of his apical strategies for not lone surviving longer, but besides remaining strong, steadfast and engaged, truthful the past decennary is arsenic enjoyable and autarkic arsenic possible.

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This is what experts notation to arsenic "healthspan" — the play of beingness erstwhile 1 is escaped from "age-associated maladies," according to Douglas E. Vaughan, M.D., manager of the Potocsnak Longevity Institute astatine Northwestern University successful Chicago.

"There are surely things that radical tin halt doing to widen healthspan," helium told Fox News Digital. Some examples see stopping smoking, drinking less, maintaining a steadfast weight, getting regular exercise, avoiding processed foods and having bully slumber habits.

Below are the 5 strategies that Attia shared with "60 Minutes."

No. 1: Train similar beingness is simply a sport

Attia recommends approaching beingness — peculiarly successful precocious property — similar an jock would attack a sport.

As radical age, their level of fitness, spot and mobility matters much than galore accepted markers, helium noted.

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The longevity adept said helium logs astir 10 hours per week of workout — a premix of fat-burning cardio, high-intensity intervals (to boost VO₂ max), and spot grooming to support muscle.

Attia said helium alternates betwixt "zone two" exercise, which entails dependable cardio enactment that allows you to support a conversation, and higher-intensity "zone four" training.

No. 2: Use meaningful tests — not conscionable modular bloodwork

Attia recommends intimately tracking VO₂ max, which measures the maximum magnitude of oxygen the assemblage uses during strenuous exercise. 

VO₂ max is usually measured successful milliliters of oxygen per kilogram of assemblage value per infinitesimal (ml/kg/min).

Longevity adept Dr. Peter Attia says astir radical acquisition a steep diminution successful their 70s — but it doesn’t person to beryllium that way.  (Getty Images)

"Your VO2 max is much powerfully correlated with your lifespan than immoderate different metric I tin measure," Attia said. "It predicts your hazard of decease from immoderate cause, adjacent much than your humor pressure, cholesterin oregon smoking status."

"I deliberation this is the neglected portion of aesculapian testing, is however acceptable are you, however beardown are you, however good bash you move?" helium said. "And successful galore ways, these tests are adjacent much predictive of however agelong you're going to unrecorded than what I mightiness get retired of your bloodwork."

"Your VO2 max is much powerfully correlated with your lifespan than immoderate different metric I tin measure."

Attia besides uses scans similar DEXA (short for dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry), which measures bony density, musculus wide and assemblage fat.

"When you look astatine things similar cardiorespiratory fitness, erstwhile you look astatine musculus mass, erstwhile you look astatine strength, they person a overmuch higher relation than things similar adjacent cholesterin and humor pressure," helium added.

"When you look astatine things similar cardiorespiratory fitness, erstwhile you look astatine musculus mass, erstwhile you look astatine strength, they person a overmuch higher relation than things similar adjacent cholesterin and humor pressure," the doc said. (iStock)

Attia besides is simply a proponent of full-body MRI scans, which tin observe cancers and different conditions earlier for amended outcomes, though helium warns of the imaginable for mendacious positives. 

He besides recommends getting tested for APOE, the cistron that indicates an elevated hazard for Alzheimer's disease. Having 1 transcript of the cistron astir doubles oregon triples the chances of processing the communal dementia, portion 2 copies raises the hazard by 10 times and lowers the mean property of onset by 5 to 10 years, information shows.

No. 3: Eat much macromolecule than modular guidelines suggest

Boosting macromolecule intake has been linked to accrued musculus wide and strength, stronger immune relation and reduced illness burden, studies show.

Attia recommends consuming much than doubly the macromolecule recommended successful existent nutritional guidelines.

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The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for macromolecule is 0.8 grams of macromolecule per kilogram of assemblage value per day, which would beryllium 55 grams for a 150-pound idiosyncratic oregon 73 grams for a 200-pound person.

No. 4: Prioritize emotional, intelligence and relational health

Emotional and intelligence wellness are conscionable arsenic important arsenic carnal health, according to Attia.

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"It’s arsenic overmuch a signifier arsenic what I enactment into exercise, humor enactment and crab screening," helium said.

"By moving hard connected our carnal health, we tin trim the complaint of decline," Attia went on. "But if we're being deliberate and progressive connected our affectional health, it tin really improve."

"By moving hard connected our carnal health, we tin trim the complaint of decline," Attia said. "But if we're being deliberate and progressive astir our affectional health, it tin really improve." (Getty Images)

The adept credits his woman of much than 2 decades for enabling his progress.

"Just similar the workout data, I don't deliberation this is conscionable a correlation," Attia said successful the interview. "I truly deliberation that determination is besides immoderate causality that flows from the extremity of having large relationships to surviving a longer life." 

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Vaughan echoed that the communal denominator successful "super agers" involves a supportive community, a steadfast societal situation and regular interaction with radical who attraction for 1 another.  

Attia (not pictured) said helium logs astir 10 hours per week of workout — a premix of fat-burning cardio, high-intensity intervals (to boost VO₂ max), and spot grooming to support muscle. (iStock)

No. 5: Optimize the ‘marginal decade’

While diminution is inevitable, Attia said his extremity is to marque what helium calls the "marginal decade" arsenic enjoyable arsenic possible.

"The marginal decade's not going anywhere. We volition each person a last decennary of life," helium said. 

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"The mode I explicate it to my patients is, that past 10 to 15 of your years — if you don't bash thing astir it, you volition autumn to a level of astir 50% of your full capacity, cognitively [and] physically."

Fox News Digital reached retired to Attia for comment.