This book was given to me as a birthday present. I thought it was a self help book which I’m not particularly keen on, but it was a revelation.

It’s described as “a manifesto on living better and longer that challenges the medical thinking on aging and reveals a new approach to preventing chronic disease and extending long-term health.”

It’s a long book and quite technical in parts some of which went right over my head. However, it sends a powerful message reminding the reader, me, that time is marching on and to look ahead and make some plans about what I want my health to look like as I age.

You know the drill. In your teens and twenties, you think of yourself as invincible. You eat, drink, and do what ever you please. Getting old is somewhere off in the distance. But Attia brutally points out that you’re probably already setting the stage for heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s or cancer.  “Globally, heart disease and stroke (atherosclerotic disease) … represent the leading cause of death.”

He goes into detail about cholesterol and the ins and outs and in particular the fact that LDL the bad one, is the one to worry about. The culprit that is atherosclerosis ‘is a slow moving, sneaking disease…some scientists believe the underlying processes are set into motion in late adolescence. The risk builds throughout our lives.”

Sobering indeed and it’s enough to make you put down this book and search for a wine or a chip. He goes into comprehensive detail about diabetes, Alzheimer’s and cancer. Attia backs it all up with scientific studies and that’s where it can be difficult but he summarises what it all means in layman’s terms. It’s not pretty. Nor should it be as he takes a swipe at how modern medicine deals with these diseases too late.

He also points to the following strategic areas to focus on for longevity.

1. Exercise: the most powerful longevity drug
2. Nutrition
3. Sleep
4. Emotional health

And while some of what he says are things the medical fraternity has been saying for years, Attia brings it all together. He reflects on his own health and what he has done to build his longevity forcing us to relate.

It’s a comprehensive book filled with explanation and ideas to implement toward better health. And sometimes you just need all the headlines and articles you scan over the years to be something comprehensive like this with an argument about health which just can’t be ignored.

But right now I’m off to the gym and to organize a blood test.