Longevity may be a buzzword right now, but it is one that looks set to stay around for a long time – in the same way it hopes we will too.
In a nutshell, longevity refers to both lifespan – how long you live – and healthspan – how long you live in good health.
It is about living longer while also wanting to feel good while you’re here, with the focus shifting away from “anti-ageing” and towards prevention, self-care and optimisation.
But with more people describing themselves as longevity experts, who can you trust?
We asked four leading experts – Dr Sapna Siram, Dr Stacie Stephenson, Dr Vivek Chander and Dr Annu Navani – about the key things men should focus on from 50 onwards.
Start building muscle before you need it
If there is one message all four experts agree on, it is that strength training should become a priority as you age.
Dr Sapna Siram, founder of Circle Health, says men should start thinking about muscle as an investment in their future.
“Men start losing muscle in their 30s and most don’t notice until it’s a problem,” she says.
Her advice is to lift weights two or three times a week, focusing on movements such as squats, deadlifts, pushing and pulling.
“Think of it like a savings account. What you put in now is what you get to spend at 70.”
Dr Stacie Stephenson, functional medicine expert and author of Aging Younger: 10 Powerful Steps to Boost Your Longevity, Health, and Happiness at Any Age, agrees that resistance training is critical for healthy ageing.
“Strength train at least 2 to 3x per week, every week, starting now!” she advises.
She points to sarcopenia – age-related muscle loss – which can contribute to frailty, falls, broken bones and impaired mobility.
Dr Vivek Chander, a 25-year emergency medicine physician and Lead Clinical Advisor for BodySpec, says the decline can be significant.
“After 50, you’re losing roughly 1-2% of muscle mass a year if you’re not actively fighting it,” he says.
“Strength training two to three times a week is the single most powerful thing most men over 50 aren’t focusing on enough.”
Dr Annu Navani, Chief Medical Officer of Le Reve Wellness, also makes resistance training her number one priority.
“After age 50, men lose muscle mass at an accelerating rate through a process called sarcopenia and with it, their strength, balance, and metabolic health,” she says.
Train your heart as well as your muscles
Building muscle isn’t enough. Cardiovascular fitness is also crucial for healthy ageing.
Dr Siram recommends finding a form of cardio you can stick with while paying attention to VO2 max – a measure of how efficiently the body uses oxygen.
“VO2 max is basically your engine size, how well your body uses oxygen, and it’s one of the strongest predictors of how long you’ll live,” she says.
“Keep most of your cardio easy enough to hold a conversation, then once or twice a week push harder with intervals.”
She also recommends establishing a health baseline rather than waiting for problems to appear.
“The problem is that heart disease and metabolic diseases build quietly for decades,” she says.
Basic checks including cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure can help identify potential problems earlier.
“You can’t fix what you don’t measure.”
Dr Navani says men should also consider their individual cardiovascular risk, particularly if they have a family history of heart disease or other risk factors.
“Heart disease is still the top killer of men, and the risk spikes once you hit 50,” she says.
Eat enough protein to protect muscle
Exercise needs to be supported by good nutrition, particularly as muscle becomes harder to maintain.
Dr Stephenson recommends focusing on a Mediterranean-style diet packed with vegetables, fruit, seafood, fibre-rich plant foods and healthy sources of protein.
For protein, she recommends fish, chicken and lean meat, alongside tofu and legumes for vegetarians.
Her suggested target is around 1.2g of protein per kilogram of body weight per day, divided between meals, with around 25-35g per meal.
Dr Chander also recommends spreading protein throughout the day rather than consuming most of it at dinner.
“Aim for roughly 25-30g of protein per meal,” he says.
He also stresses the importance of fibre.
“25-30 grams of fiber a day supports your gut microbiome, which plays a role in preventing chronic inflammation.”
Watch visceral fat and protect your bones
Getting older isn’t simply about watching the number on the bathroom scales.
Dr Chander believes men should pay particular attention to visceral fat – fat stored around the organs.
“The number you see on the scale might look ‘normal’, but under the skin, you could have an unhealthy amount of visceral fat hiding around your organs,” he says.
Visceral fat is associated with inflammation and a higher risk of conditions including heart disease, liver disease and type 2 diabetes.
This is one reason Dr Chander recommends considering a DEXA scan, which can provide information about bone density, lean muscle mass and body composition.
“I would recommend that you get a baseline scan in your 40’s, not your 60’s, so you actually have a baseline to compare your results against.”
Take hormones seriously – but don’t self-diagnose
Hormones become another area of interest for men in their 50s, particularly when symptoms such as fatigue, low libido or changes in mood appear.
Dr Navani says testosterone levels naturally decline with age, but warns against assuming every symptom is caused by low testosterone.
“The clinical guidelines are clear that testosterone therapy should only be considered after confirmed low levels on repeated morning blood test alongside documented symptoms,” she says.
Other conditions, including sleep apnoea, depression and thyroid problems, can mimic symptoms associated with low testosterone.
“A proper workup will prevent men from chasing the wrong root cause,” she says.
Dr Stephenson advises men experiencing symptoms to discuss their individual hormone levels and needs with an appropriate medical professional rather than automatically dismissing the issue.
Don’t ignore changes in your sex life
Your sex life can also provide clues about your wider health.
Dr Siram says erectile dysfunction is not simply a quality-of-life issue and can sometimes be an early warning sign of cardiovascular problems.
“The blood vessels involved are smaller, so problems show up there years before your heart shows symptoms,” she says.
Lowered libido can also be linked to low testosterone, poor sleep or chronic stress.
“If things change, don’t just reach for a pill, get it looked into,” she advises.
“Your sex life is one of the best dashboards your body has.”
Make sleep a medical priority
Sleep is another area where the experts are remarkably consistent.
Dr Siram recommends aiming for seven to nine hours a night and says men who snore loudly or regularly wake up tired should be assessed for sleep apnoea.
“It’s very common in men, often underdiagnosed, and it harms your heart while impacting almost every system in your body,” she says.
Dr Navani also describes sleep as a medical priority, pointing to links between sleep apnoea, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, cognitive decline and lower testosterone levels.
Poor sleep can also undermine muscle recovery and metabolic health.
“For men who snore heavily or struggle with daytime fatigue, a sleep evaluation is one of the highest-yield interventions available at this age,” she says.
Stay connected and keep screening
Longevity isn’t just about what happens in the gym or doctor’s surgery.
Dr Siram says men can allow friendships to slip as work and family commitments take over in midlife.
“Chronic stress and loneliness show up in the body as inflammation and high blood pressure,” she says.
“Your social life is a health habit too.”
Dr Stephenson also puts relationships high on her list.
“Spending time with loved ones, family and friends, as well as more casual acquaintances that share your interests, boosts mood in significant ways that translate to a longer, healthier, happier life,” she says.
She also encourages men to find a sense of purpose.
“When you wake up every day knowing there is a reason for you to be here, it can make a dramatic difference in how long and how well you live.”
Dr Navani stresses the importance of keeping up with appropriate cancer screening as men get older.
“Prostate cancer risk rises after the age of 50 and current guidelines recommend colorectal cancer screening starting at age 45 for average-risk adults,” she says.
She believes discussing PSA testing and appropriate bowel cancer screening with a doctor can help catch disease earlier.
The goal isn’t to live perfectly
The advice from the four experts ultimately comes back to the same message: there is no single supplement, test or treatment that can futureproof your body.
Instead, the biggest gains come from consistently getting the basics right.
Build and maintain muscle. Keep your heart and lungs working. Eat enough protein and fibre. Know your health numbers. Protect your sleep. Pay attention to changes in your hormones and sexual health. Stay socially connected and keep an eye on your mental wellbeing.
And perhaps most importantly, don’t wait until you’re 70 to start.
As Dr Siram puts it: “What you put in now is what you get to spend at 70.”
