The marginal decade refers to the last 10 years of life, but most people can experience a healthier marginal decade if they have a good diet, exercise and sleep well. — MARCUS AURELIUS/Pexels
This is not an easy subject to write about, especially as it is a certainty that some people reading this are already in their marginal decade. Every person will arrive at their marginal decade eventually, though the definition is a little complicated. In general, the concept of the marginal decade is not new or modern and was already implied by the poet Milton in 1667 in Paradise Lost, when he wrote “The childhood shows the man, As the morning shows the day”.
In 1941, a study into human diseases had noted that “disease in adulthood is often brought about by the cumulative effects over a long period of time of many pathological conditions, many incidents, some of which take place and are even perceived in infancy”.
A US-British study in 2005 confirmed that chronic conditions such as cancers and cardiovascular diseases usually have long latency periods, which means they develop slowly, usually insidiously, over a long time, and exposures to risk factors in early life are often involved in the initiation of such diseases in later years.
And this “life course theme” to chronic diseases was variously researched in the early part of this century with at least a dozen papers published on this theme, with one of most cited papers in science being the influential 2002 paper ‘A life course approach to chronic disease epidemiology: conceptual models, empirical challenges and interdisciplinary perspectives’ by Yoav Ben-Shlomo and Diana Kuh.
A later 2016 UK-based research paper involving Ben-Shlomo and Kuh again investigated a more specific area of the course of human life, focusing on the last two decades of life. The new paper also attempted to decompose the study into deaths which had Foetal Origins of Adult Disease (FOAD) and Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD).
The impact of a salty meal can cause blood pressure to jump 33%. — DZENINA LUKAC/Pexels
However, the research was unable to conclusively determine if foetal development factors were more or less influential than later life factors in general mortality rates in the last two decades of human life.
In purely statistical terms, the marginal decade is a slightly giddy way to refer to the expected last 10 years of life. A better interpretation may be that the marginal decade is the final 10-year period of life when small, incremental effects of diets and lifestyles over the previous lifetime are manifested.
Hence, the possible start date of the marginal decade vary depending on a lot of factors; for example, the genetic disposition of a person, where a person lives, the availability of healthcare, lifestyle choices, profession, upbringing, etc. The factors can be practically endless.
Note that the marginal decade is not a fixed decade in anyone’s life. It is just the EXPECTED last 10 years, and does not cover the last years of people killed by events such as accidents.
Qualitative and quantitative approach
So, without known factors with tested probabilities, any investigation into the marginal decade of life must necessarily involve both qualitative and quantitative aspects. Therefore, this is the approach for this article, where dietary and lifestyle choices are suggested, with the known real benefits noted against such choices. Some suggestions are also offered on self-monitoring to ensure that the path to the marginal decade is on course as much as possible.
Firstly, one can start with a simple question, and that is: How would one like to spend the marginal decade of one’s life? Would it be acceptable to be under constant medication, or in constant pain, or immobile, or unable to eat or drink properly? Or does one want to live an active life, still able to enjoy mobility and eat a variety of foods?
A healthy, balanced diet can reduce the risk of chronic diseases and increase life spans. — POLINA TANKILEVITCH/Pexels
It is a simple question, but very difficult to answer, especially as people are biased against accepting any form of negative assumptions about their personal lifespans and circumstances. And the further away the marginal decade is, the easier it is for younger people to procrastinate on considering any lifestyle changes.
Generally though, the reality is that the further away the perceived marginal decade is, the easier it is to manage current lifestyle choices to match how one wants to spend the marginal decade. I will not dwell on outrageously bad habits which can result in a marginal decade of poor health, because that is very easy to achieve, even though it is probably not worth it. And of course, it is plausible such bad habits will also bring forward the marginal decade in any case.
The lifestyle options for achieving a healthier marginal decade involve straightforward factors such as dietary choices, exercise/activity, sleeping patterns, reduction of stress, and avoiding bad habits such as smoking and excessive alcohol consumption.
A healthy balanced diet can reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke, and diabetes, which can increase longevity and reduce the risk of premature death by up to 56%. Hence, a proper diet is one of the most important factors in maintaining health and longevity.
Regular physical activity has been linked to a longer life expectancy. Studies have indicated that people who engaged in at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week had a 31% lower risk of premature death than those who do not exercise regularly.
Sleeping well is crucial for overall health and well-being. People who regularly sleep less than six hours per night have a 12% higher risk of premature death than those who sleep six to eight hours per night.
Chronic stress can contribute to or aggravate many health problems. People who reported high levels of stress had a roughly 43% increased risk of an earlier death.
Quitting smoking and limiting alcohol consumption can significantly reduce the risk of premature death from many health issues, including cancer, heart disease, and liver disease. In the UK, lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer deaths, accounting for 21% of all cancer deaths, while liver cancer is one of the top 10 cancer deaths, and increasing by over 42% per annum even now.
Three self-monitoring options
For those closer to their marginal decade, lifestyle changes can still matter significantly. It may not be easy to kick one or more of the bad habits of previous decades, but reducing unnecessary strains/pressures on the body is likely to improve health as one gets older. Some aids may also be useful as early warning checks on the body and also to audit progress (or at least non-deterioration) of any conditions.
Urine test strips can be used to detect high glucose levels as well as liver disease. — CHRIS CHAN
A good blood pressure monitor (which are not expensive these days) can help to keep watch on stress levels and also the effects of eating incorrectly, especially foods with too much salt. Too much sudden stress or the impact of a salty meal can cause blood pressure to jump 33% or more within hours, causing more strain on the heart, kidneys and other organs.
Persistent high blood pressure readings should be followed up with a medical visit. And usefully, a portable blood pressure monitor can also be easily carried on trips.
Another simple suggestion is to use test strips to monitor a range of issues which are detectable via urine. One important use is to check that glucose levels are normal and not heading towards diabetes. But strips often have multiple tests and they can help detect issues such as possible infections (high leucocyte levels) and liver disease (too much bilirubin).
Using a test strip was how I detected my own case of dehydration (too high specific density), which was corrected by drinking more water every day. Such strips are not expensive, and a test simply involves weeing on a strip first thing in the morning and checking the test reactions against the colour codes on the side of the tub 30 to 60 seconds later.
Of course, one should not self-diagnose too much, and if any anomalous issues are detected with or without these tests, it is advisable to seek medical advice at once.
The last self-test sounds simple but may be tricky for some. It merely involves standing on one leg, the other leg curled behind the standing leg, with both arms resting on the side of the body. To be on the safe side, do this test close behind the back of a chair so that one can grab the chair for support if required. The optimal outcome is to be able to stand on one leg, unsupported, for 10 seconds or more, within three attempts, regardless of which leg is chosen.
This is a test of “static balance” and the results from a study started in 1994 called CLINIMEX on 1,702 subjects (aged between 51 to 75 years) found that a failure to successfully complete this balance test is linked to a near doubling of the risk of death from any cause within the next decade. Some clinics now include this test in health assessments for older patients.
If one cannot successfully complete the static balance test, do seriously consider visiting a medical professional and also try to make some positive lifestyle adjustments, if possible.
The views expressed here are entirely the writer’s own.
