“We have to decide whether it will be more years of old age or more years of life”

“We have to decide whether it will be more years of old age or more years of life”


For Alexandre Kalache, an international reference in the field of longevity, the country is experiencing a “revolution”

The revolution is a road of no return and Brazil is experiencing the revolution of longevity, he assured Alexander Kalachepresident of the International Center for Longevity Brazil, during Health and Wellness Summitpromoted this Monday 14th by Estadao.

“Our population will never be the same again,” he declared, recalling that the country will fewer infants, children, adolescents and young adults in the coming decades.

“The only segment that will continue to grow is that of those over sixty. Now we have to decide whether it will be more years of old age or more years of life. If we don’t succeed, the country will sink”, stated the geriatrician, 78 years old and for more than 50 years old, he dedicates himself to the study of aging.



Doing it well, in this case, means first fighting the ageism (also known as ageism or ageism)an ideology that assumes that young people are more valuable than older people.

Faced with prejudice, Kalache lists the risk factors to avoid and the pillars to cultivate with dedication: a task that falls to both society and every single Brazilian.

Risk factors are those that lead to early disease, such as smokingalcohol consumption, poor diet and sedentary lifestyle. The pillars of healthy longevity concern the right to health, active participation in society, the guarantee of safety and protection and, finally, continuous access to knowledge.

“Life is not a hundred meter race, which ends in a few seconds. Life is an ever-longer marathon. And a marathon requires perseverance, determination, resilience and, above all, learning. The country will only succeed with education from childhood to old age.”

On October 13 and 14, the “Health and Wellness Summit: Has the Future of Health Arrived?” took place at the JK Iguatemi Shopping Event Space in Sao Paulo. See other topics discussed in this edition here.

Source: Terra

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