Despite this exercise and my diet, my weight rose slowly but surely as I reached 70 years of age in 2022, with a body mass index of 24.2. My LDL cholesterol level – the “bad” cholesterol – was higher than it should have been.
GOOD HEALTH ISN’T JUST ABOUT DIET
When it comes to health, diet is important, but there are many other determinants including genetics, exercise, smoking, pollution and stress.
For instance, high cholesterol is partly hereditary: 20 per cent to 30 per cent of our cholesterol is from our food, while the bulk of cholesterol (70 per cent to 80 per cent) is synthesised by our liver and the amount made is genetically driven. Your lipid profile will be very similar to either your father or mother.
There is also the other factor of age. Life expectancy has increased. In the past, maybe you could get away without a heart attack if you only lived into your 60s. As so many of us live longer, into our 80s and 90s, those additional years of high cholesterol make the likelihood of getting a heart attack higher.
For what it’s worth, my father and his only sibling both passed away due to heart problems at about age 50, although their problems were not the same as mine. My mother, who passed away at age 75 from cancer, had high cholesterol.
A good diet reduces health risks; but it can’t eliminate them entirely. A vegan diet wouldn’t guarantee obese smokers would not get a heart attack, but it reduces their risk compared to having a carnivorous diet.
My example shows that even vegans can have heart and other health problems, so those who limit their meat consumption cannot be overconfident. We can continue taking advantage of national programmes and facilities to monitor, maintain and improve our physical and mental health.