Turning 60 no longer means that you're getting old

Why turning 60 no longer means that you're getting old: Number being affected by age-related illnesses almost halves in a decade 

• Proportion of men and women with serious illnesses halves in a decade 
• Improvements in diet, exercise and the use of statins credited with upturn
• 7.7 per cent of those aged 60 to 64 have dementia, cancer or Parkinson's 
• That is almost half the figure for those in 2002 who were seriously ill

Don’t be scared of retirement – sixtysomethings are no longer old.

The proportion of men and women in their sixties blighted by heart disease, cancer and other serious illnesses has almost halved in a decade, research shows.

Improvements in diet, reductions in smoking and the use of statins and other drugs designed to stave off ill health, are credited with bringing about the ‘dramatic’ upturn.

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The proportion of men and women in their sixties blighted by serious illnesses has almost halved in a decade (pictured posed by models)

The first study of its kind found that just 7.7 per cent of the 60 to 64 age group in England had dementia, cancer or Parkinson’s disease in 2012 or had survived a heart attack or stroke.

This is almost half the 2002 figure of 13.8 per cent. Among the 65 to 69-year-olds, 11.7 per cent have one or more of the five serious illnesses studied – down from 17.3 per cent.

When all age groups are taken into account, the proportion of those aged 50-plus who are seriously ill has fallen from 15.8 per cent to 13.6 per cent.

Serious Illness in the Over 50s, attributes much of the drop to a fall in the number of heart attacks and strokes.

It says this could be down to people taking more care of their diet, realising the importance of exercise and quitting smoking.

The prescription of blood pressure pills and cholesterol-busting statins may also have played a role.

The fall in heart attacks and strokes may be linked to people taking more exercise and having a better diet (picture posed by model)

However, the golden years don’t last forever. The study, by the International Longevity Centre-UK think-tank, shows that ill-health is simply delayed.

Today, a bigger proportion of those aged 80-plus in bad health than in the past.

There are also more people aged 50-plus living with cancer, although this could be due to improvements in diagnosis and better treatments that increase survival. Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia also on the rise.

The report states that this is ‘also likely due to better diagnosis but also general improvements in life expectancy and longevity, which mean more people reach older age and develop the condition’.

Experts said statins may also have helped prolong elderly people's health 

The analysis, commissioned by insurance company Engage Mutual, is based on a decade of data on the health of over-50s in England.

In all, an estimated 2.6million men and women are living with serious illness. This could increase to 3.4million by 2025, as the population ages.

Across the UK as a whole, the current figure of 3.1million people could rise by almost a million.

Ros Altmann, the government tsar for older workers, said: ‘It’s fantastic news. Most older people in their 60s will not be old in the conventional sense.’

David Sinclair, director of International Longevity Centre-UK, said told the Sunday Times that the NHS has got a ‘temporary reprieve’.

He added: ‘The research shows that even over a short period of time we have successfully reduced serious illness among older people.

‘But we must not be complacent. Our ageing society is going to put increasing pressure on the NHS over the next ten years.

‘On the one hand, the research paints a picture of a potentially healthier older population aged under 70. A success story perhaps part'y attributed to effective preventative treatments such as statins. But it also paints a bleak picture of more people in their 90s suffering from serious illness.

‘This research suggests that health interventions have helped us live healthier for longer. And it strengthens the case for continued investment in the prevention of ill health in old age

Source: the mail