Why you should take your health seriously
Chronic diseases reduce the time you live in good health
Today, 75% of deaths worldwide are caused by chronic diseases including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and cancer, and the Netherlands is no exception. These conditions shorten health span, the number of years you live in good health, free from serious illnesses or disease, by roughly a decade.
Life expectancy
75 years
Healthy years
65.7 years
9.4 yearswith disease
Chronic diseases increasingly impact us in midlife
But chronic diseases don’t just affect the elderly. In the Netherlands alone, 1.7 million people live with cardiovascular disease. Nearly 12% of all hospitalizations for cardiovascular disease are in persons aged 20 to 55 (Hartstichting, 2022). The same trend applies to diabetes and metabolic disorders, which are increasingly seen in midlife.
Think about it: by the time you retire, there’s a high chance that your final decade will be spent in declining health.
The good news: most chronic diseases are preventable
Up to 60% of chronic diseases, and as much as 80% of heart disease, can be prevented with the right interventions. Most risks stem from just four factors: poor diet, insufficient movement, smoking, and excessive alcohol use. Even genetics are not destiny: their impact can often be reduced through targeted lifestyle changes.
- Healthspan: healthy years
- Years with age-related disease
Normal aging
Optimal longevity
Disease comes later and lasts shorter
Measure. Understand. Optimize your health.
Start with a few questions to see whether a DEXA scan is right for you. A registered physician reviews your answers before your visit. If a scan is appropriate, we measure your visceral fat, muscle mass and bone health, walk you through your results and show you where you can make the greatest impact.