Healthy after 40 build reserve before you need it

What each guide stands on

Most health advice on WhatsApp has no source. Each claim here links to one, with the kind of evidence it is, so you can check it or show your doctor.

1. Risk in India by 40
   Among Indian adults, 35.5% have high blood pressure, 11.4% have diabetes and 15.3% have prediabetes. 39.5% carry excess fat around the waist and 81.2% have at least one abnormal cholesterol value. Most of this is silent.
   Anjana et al., ICMR-INDIAB-17, Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology 2023 National survey · 113,043 adults, 31 states and UTs
2. How much to move
   150 to 300 minutes of moderate activity a week, or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous activity, plus muscle strengthening of all major muscle groups on 2 or more days. Replace sitting with any movement.
   WHO guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour, 2020 Guideline
3. Waist size for Indians
   For Asian Indians, abdominal obesity starts at a waist of 90 cm in men and 80 cm in women, lower than the Western cut-offs of 102 and 88 cm, because risk rises at a smaller size.
   Misra et al., Consensus statement for Asian Indians, JAPI 2009 Indian expert consensus
4. Fatty liver in India
   Pooled across Indian studies, about 38.6% of adults have fatty liver not caused by alcohol, and more than half of people with obesity or diabetes.
   Elhence et al., NAFLD in India, J Clin Exp Hepatol 2022 Meta-analysis · 50 studies
5. The Indian plate
   Get good-quality protein from food combinations such as dal with rice or roti, eat a wide variety of foods with more vegetables and pulses, and keep added salt to 5 g a day at most. ICMR-NIN advises against protein powders for most people.
   ICMR-NIN, Dietary Guidelines for Indians, 2024 National guideline
6. Cholesterol targets
   India’s lipid guideline sets targets for both LDL cholesterol and non-HDL cholesterol, lower than Western ones, because Indians develop heart disease earlier. ApoB adds information when triglycerides are high or with diabetes, obesity or metabolic syndrome.
   Iyengar et al., Lipid Association of India expert consensus, 2016 Indian expert consensus · Mach et al., ESC/EAS dyslipidaemia guidelines, Eur Heart J 2020 European guideline
7. Lipoprotein(a)
   Lp(a) is mostly inherited and stays fairly stable through life, so measuring it at least once in adulthood is enough for most people. A high value is a reason to control every other risk more tightly.
   Kronenberg et al., EAS consensus statement on Lp(a), Eur Heart J 2022 European expert consensus
8. Get checked
   India’s national NCD programme screens every adult over 30 for high blood pressure, diabetes and common cancers of the mouth, breast and cervix, at government health centres. Use it, and keep the numbers.
   MoHFW, NP-NCD Operational Guidelines National programme
9. Colorectal screening
   Screening for colorectal cancer from age 45 is a US recommendation. India has no national colorectal screening programme, so ask your doctor, especially with a family history or symptoms.
   USPSTF, Colorectal cancer screening, 2021 US guideline No Indian guideline covers this.
10. Tobacco in India
    28.6% of Indian adults use tobacco, 42.4% of men and 14.2% of women, most often as smokeless tobacco, the main cause of mouth cancer.
    MoHFW, Global Adult Tobacco Survey 2 (2016–17) National survey · 74,037 adults
11. Sleep
    7 to 9 hours a night for adults up to 64.
    Hirshkowitz et al., National Sleep Foundation recommendations, Sleep Health 2015 Expert panel No Indian guideline covers this.
12. Sleep apnoea
    Snoring, daytime sleepiness, obesity or high blood pressure at a routine check-up are reasons for a sleep evaluation. Untreated sleep apnoea raises blood pressure and heart risk.
    Sharma et al., INOSA guidelines, Indian J Med Res 2014 National guideline
13. Perimenopause
    In the years before periods stop, cycles change and hot flushes, night sweats, poor sleep and low mood are common. Bone loss speeds up around menopause. Symptoms are treatable, with hormonal and non-hormonal options.
    WHO, Menopause fact sheet Fact sheet
14. Erectile dysfunction and the heart
    In about 95,000 men, erectile dysfunction went with a higher risk of heart disease, even in men without known heart disease. It is a warning sign worth taking to a doctor, not a cause.
    Banks et al., Erectile dysfunction severity and cardiovascular risk, PLoS Medicine 2013 Cohort study · 95,038 men No Indian study of this size.
15. Adult vaccines
    India’s adult immunisation guidance from the Association of Physicians of India covers influenza every year, a tetanus and diphtheria booster every 10 years, and others by age and risk.
    Review of the API adult immunisation guidelines, IJCMPH 2024 Review of Indian guideline
16. Supplements
    Beta-carotene and vitamin E should not be taken to prevent heart disease or cancer, and for multivitamins the evidence is too thin either way. Supplements are for a known gap, such as low B12 or vitamin D on a test.
    USPSTF, Vitamin, mineral and multivitamin supplementation, 2022 US guideline No Indian guideline covers this.
17. Creatine
    Creatine monohydrate is the most studied sports supplement and appears safe at usual doses in healthy adults. It helps most alongside strength training.
    Kreider et al., ISSN position stand on creatine, JISSN 2017 Expert position stand No Indian guideline covers this.
18. Staying connected
    Across 148 studies, people with stronger social ties had about 1.5 times the odds of survival, an effect comparable to well-known risks such as smoking.
    Holt-Lunstad et al., Social relationships and mortality risk, PLoS Medicine 2010 Meta-analysis · 308,849 people, 148 studies

Guidance changes as evidence grows. When it does, the guides and this list will be updated. Last updated 22 October 2026.