Ángel Durántez, an expert in longevity: “At age 44, specifically, there is an increase in the rate of aging”

Few people in the medical field have a clearer vantage point for anticipating how the human body evolves than Ángel Durántez. A pioneer in preventive medicine and a specialist in healthcare focused on healthy aging, the doctor understands in detail the roadmap most human beings tend to follow. For that reason, readers would do well to pay close attention to his words. He urges people to take action at an early age and even pinpoints the moment when, metaphorically speaking, one reaches the turning point of life.

In a recent interview with Diario de Mallorca, Durántez was unequivocal on this last point. When the journalist asked whether it is possible to prevent disease, he responded with a statement that may initially sound alarming, though he was quick to clarify it in detail: “From the age of 35 or 40 onward, we begin to be pre-diseased.”

According to Durántez, this means that “all those diseases associated with the aging process, chronic non-communicable diseases, start to take hold.” Each person, depending on a variety of factors, will show a different pattern: “Some move earlier toward cardiovascular disease, others toward diabetes, others toward neurocognitive decline or cancer, depending on our genetics.” This may occur, he explains, due to the “theory of programmed senescence, which in biology refers to the natural process by which cells age and stop dividing, but do not die.” In his words, “in a way, we are programmed to begin to fade once we have fulfilled our life cycle.”

When should you start taking care of yourself?

Such a blunt statement naturally led to a logical follow-up question. Given this scenario, at what age should one begin taking care of their health? While the obvious answer might be “the sooner, the better,” Durántez adds an important nuance: “At 44, specifically, there is an increase in the speed of aging. You can start whenever you want. You might say, ‘Well, I smoke, I drink, I use drugs heavily because I’m young, and when I turn 50, I’ll start taking care of myself.’ You will probably get there in poor shape. So everyone has to decide what they want to do with their health.”

From his perspective, the time to start investing seriously in health is from age 40 onward. “In our clinics, most people who come in are in their early 40s or in their 50s,” he explains, applying the principle he mentioned earlier. “But of course, in your 50s, we find more problems than if you had come in at 40.”

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