Apologies in advance for the slightly gloomy topic, but I’ve just been randomly listening to a podcast containing an interview with the nutritionist Tim Spector.
During the conversation, he mentions that his father had a stroke at a young age. He goes on to say that he therefore knew that his father would have a short life expectancy - like it as just an accepted part of having a stroke.
I haven’t heard that anywhere else, though, so thought I’d post here to see if this widely accepted. I’ve spoken to doctors and they’ve all just been a bit vague so would love to hear your own thoughts.
Doesn’t matter to me, almost wasn’t alive after 19 stokes and 2 aneurysms, but still here I am. That day comes when it comes, live as well as you can, while you can.
His father had a heart attack at the age of 57 (died 1980) and it was Tim himself who was at the young age 21 when he died.
Tim himself had a mini stroke (vascular inclusion) at middle age (didn’t give an exact age) and basically that’s what brought him down from a particularly fast paced lifestyle at the time, to considering his own mortality.
Personally, I would say his dad’s death was more likely due to his father’s diet and lifestyle of those times, and the lack of medical knowledge and what was available back then compared to today. Therefore Tim himself stands a greater chance of living a lot longer, he’s already outlived that age of 57 by 7 years.
I say this because by my reckoning his dad must have been born around 1923, the NHS was founded in 1948. You had pollution, poor diet, the second world war and so on. And we all know or are aware of the medical advances that have been made in the last 43 since Tim’s dad died.
Quite frankly there is no comparison in my view. Life for here and now and make the most of what is yet come I say, why borrow trouble
I’ve not heard of anything myself but if you go digging then statistical results are awash with things like younger people experiencing strokes more and more, stroke survivors are dying younger and percentages of stroke survivors in age bracket X who have died.
“A single death is a tragedy; a million deaths is a statistic.”
For me, I just march on. I’m happier, fitter and healthier in 2023. I could get hit by a bus tomorrow. My hospital ward buddy was 89 in February and had suffered his fourth stroke.
Exactly!
My mother-in-law is 80yrs survived Pancreatic cancer, that only had a 4% survival rate, she’s fit and healthy and attends some of my workouts. She’s going in for a lung cancer op now in 2 weeks, and we are still pretty confident she will survive that too! Statistics are just a bunch of numbers on a bit of paper in my view
My grandfather had stroke in his 70’s that slowed him down but he kept pottering until aged 92 my Mother had stroke at 80 and spent remaining years in a nursing home wheelchairbound but aways positive and chirpy. Died aged 93. Had mine 72. But thing that alarmed my Wife when I came home after three weeks was when I said in all sincerity “ do you know nothing really matters anymore” which went down like lead balloon and I dug myself deeper in hole by trying to explain it. But an enormous weight was lifted off me with the stroking and know there’s more important things than death
I’d point out that the internet (news papers, radio, even ‘research’) is full of crappy opinions that should be taken as misleading (unless contextualized and framed adequately) - including my contribution
Just googling his name brought up 5 of his books at the top of the page, that says it all to me. And he writes anything from diet to genetics. This interview will be a press tour in advance of an imminent book coming out and they will say anything to target readers to buy the book. The book may turn out to be as interesting as you expected but not necessarily say much if anything of what initially drew you in to buying it
