Sixty is no longer counted as “old” as age-related illnesses dive
Despite nearing retirement, 60-somethings are no longer considered old, thanks to better lifestyles and medical care. Two "golden decades" of jet-setting, wine-drinking and other indulgences lie ahead, but make the most of it because the prognosis worsens for over-80s.
Research has shown the number of 60-somethings suffering from heart disease, cancer and other old age-related illnesses has nearly halved over the last 10 years. Improved diets, less smoking and the use of cholesterol-busting statins as well as other drugs that keep us fit and healthy are driving the trend.
However, the report, entitled "Serious Illness in the Over 50s", warned these kinds of illnesses have simply been pushed back a few decades. Sixty-somethings must make the most of their golden years because today more people aged over 80 suffer from age-related illnesses than in the past.
"On the one hand, the research paints a picture of a potentially healthier older population aged under 70. A success story perhaps partly attributed to effective preventative treatments such as statins," David Sinclair, director of International Longevity Centre-UK, told the Sunday Times.
"But it also paints a bleak picture of more people in their 90s suffering from serious illness," he said.