How to make sure one thing doesn't lead to another
The title of The Fixx's 1982 hit "One Thing Leads to Another" is the perfect description of how intertwined health issues can become as you age, especially if you don't commit to doing what it takes to have a younger ActualAge.
A study in Clinical Rheumatology shows how having osteoarthritis (that affects about 32.5 million U.S. adults) and also developing sarcopenia, aka progressive loss of muscle strength and mass as you age, can almost double your risk of death from cardiovascular disease and by almost that much from all other causes.
The research also found that folks with sarcopenia are more likely to have high blood pressure, elevated LDL cholesterol, diabetes, and chronic kidney disease, possibly related to their sedentary lifestyle, obesity, a lifetime of poor nutrition and chronic inflammation.
Fortunately, this cascade of bad news is not inevitable if you follow the path to a healthy, happy, long life that I've laid out in my books, blogs, videos and columns for the past decades. (And incidentally, over those decades, my ActualAge -- 57.6 -- has become a lot younger than my chronological age of 80).
So let one thing -- a healthy plant-based diet devoid of highly processed foods -- lead to another. That includes an increase in physical activity (start small, adding a few steps a day to your total, as you aim for 300 minutes of exercise weekly), stress management, a posse of friends, family and colleagues, and a sense of purpose.
Health pioneer Michael Roizen, M.D., is chief wellness officer emeritus at the Cleveland Clinic and author of four No. 1 New York Times bestsellers. Check out his latest, "The Great Age Reboot: Cracking the Longevity Code for a Younger Tomorrow," and find out more at www.4YOUngevity.com. Email your health and wellness questions to Dr. Mike at questions@4YOUngevity.com.
(c)2026 Michael Roizen, M.D.
Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
(c) 2026 Michael Roizen, M.D. Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
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