Questioning Medicine

https://www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMoa2415879?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub%20%200pubmed Key Findings: Classic Risk Factors: The five risk factors examined were hypertension, hyperlipidemia, underweight and overweight or obesity, diabetes, and smoking. These factors are estimated to account for about 50% of the global burden of cardiovascular disease. Lifetime Risk Estimates: Among individuals free of these risk factors at age 50, the lifetime risk of cardiovascular disease was 13% for women and 21% for men. For those with all five risk factors, the lifetime risk jumped to 24% for women and 38% for men. Significance of Risk Factor Modification: Adjusting certain risk factors during midlife, particularly managing hypertension and quitting smoking, led to the most significant gains in life expectancy free of disease. For instance, controlling hypertension between ages 55 and 60 yielded the most additional life-years free of cardiovascular disease. Quitting smoking