Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by hackama 218 days ago
Very interesting, but do the numerous mentions of taking action in your 20s, 30s and 40s mean it's too late for someone in their 50s?

Nitpick: he mentions LDL-C but the test results don't mention that at all. Only later do I see that is "LDL Cholesterol".
4 comments
daveguy 218 days ago
No, it is never too late to take action. Even taking action after a stent procedure reduces further risk:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronary-heart-disease/treatme...

link
arjie 218 days ago
In general, when science is done, recruitment requirements force the experimenters to bucket the participants. One thing that often happens is an open bucket, say 35+.

The resulting science is then reported as “When you cross 35, your chances of being pregnant immediately drop” or “The brain stops developing at 18” and so on.

Almost nothing in the body is really like this, though. You can quit smoking later in life and it will help. You can eat better later and it will help. You can exercise and it will help. Very few things are “the damage is done”.

The only constraints are that the later you start the more risks you face. E.g. if you first deadlift in your 50s and you decide to follow Starting Strength you’re going to have trouble.

link
johnrob 218 days ago
If you start exercising in your 20s, and never stop, it will be so much easier to maintain fitness in 40s 50s etc. The challenge is that the benefits are not yet visible in your 20s (when you’ll probably be healthy and at a proper weight regardless). Gotta lay that foundation for older age though!

EDIT - I misread the comment. It’s never too late to start, just be careful for injuries as that will block your ability to exercise.

link
HPsquared 218 days ago
It's a bit like saving money.
link
sn9 218 days ago
It's like time in the market.

In a real sense, you've spent decades likely increasing your risk unnecessarily when taking action early would have given you the greatest leverage to lower your lifetime risk.

But you can't change the past. If you didn't plant a tree 20 years ago, plant it today and you'll still get some benefit, minimizing any future increase in risk and maybe even lowering it.

You could realistically have almost half your life left before you, and you can still end up being fitter and healthier than you've ever been in your life if you adopt healthy habits around diet, strength training, and endurance training.

link