“Imagine if we were to tackle diseases like cancer from before they appear instead of waiting for them to cause damage. The traditional approach to medicine dictates that you wait until something goes wrong and then you visit the doctor, who tries to fix it. But with many health problems, the longer you leave it the more damage is caused. And sometimes it’s too late. Think how much more effective health care would be if we were to pre-empt problems instead.”
Dr Philip Borg’s passion for the subject rings loud and clear. A longevity medicine specialist and consultant interventional radiologist, he leads The Longevity Clinic at St James Hospital, and he’s here to spread the word: yes, we do have a measure of control over possible diseases and we can indeed take a number of steps to prevent them before they actually happen.
Dr Borg’s approach is very novel to medicine. Rather than waiting for symptoms of diseases to appear to see a doctor, consultations offered at The Longevity Clinic help patients optimise physical health and mental well-being to live a healthier, longer life.
“Humans are living longer than ever before. Life expectancy has more than doubled since 1900 due to major advances in healthcare, and in Malta we can now expect to live to 83 years of age. Yet, 70 per cent of us are either overweight or obese and the average person is living one fifth of their life with a chronic health condition,” he explains.
Enter longevity medicine, where specialists like Dr Borg are focused on increasing lifespan (how long you live) and healthspan (how well you live free of disease) by preventing or delaying chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and diabetes.
“When a chronic sickness such as heart disease, cancer or Alzheimer’s disease is diagnosed, changes causing that disease have been happening slowly over the previous 10 to 20 years, which means that doctors and patients have missed the opportunity to prevent ill health. Heart disease is a good example. Build-up of plaque in arteries all over your body starts as early in your twenties. However, it only become apparent as a symptom 20 or more years later, when the plaque causes critical narrowing or complete blocking of an artery,” Dr Borg explains.
Soberingly, he adds that in a significant number of people the first presentation of heart disease is death. Cancer is another example - in colorectal cancer, tumours develop from polyps which can be detected and treated at an early stage with screening tests before symptoms appear. When a patient is diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, changes in the brain have been happening slowly for up to 20 years.
“We can do a lot to avoid things reaching this stage. For example, aerobic and weight training help maintain cardiac function mobility, stability, insulin sensitivity, and brain health. Sleeping seven to eight hours a day increases life expectancy and decreases the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. So, while we can never eliminate the risk of disease 100%, there’s a lot to do to lower the likelihood,” Dr Borg says.
This is where tests carried out at St James’ Longevity Clinic become invaluable. The Longevity Annual is an advanced health care assessment measuring biomarkers including blood tests and a 60-minute Fit For Age assessment, as well as assessing other lifestyle factors such as exercise, diet and sleep. Blood test results and fitness parameters are analysed, together with other risk factors such as lipids, blood glucose levels, blood pressure and waist circumference during the annual health assessment. Following this, a detailed lifestyle intervention programme is then prescribed by the longevity medicine specialist, including prescription medications when clinically indicated.
“Cancer prevention and early screening are another important aspect of longevity medicine. The Longevity Clinic also offers a cancer screening service, including access to a cancer screening blood test called Trucheck, which is able to detect cancer in up to 70 different sites before symptoms appear,” Dr Borg adds.
Naturally, diet plays a big role in supporting these services. Dr Borg describes the Mediterranean diet as being ideal – unfortunately, while do live in the Mediterranean, the diet most of us follow isn’t really Mediterranean.
“Many of us base our nutrition on ultra-processed foods, which promote cancer. Other elements at play include our sleeping habits, our stress response, how much alcohol we consume, whether we smoke. It’s a lot of information to process, but at the Longevity Clinic we break it down by creating a personalised plan that is easy to follow and is based around your specific needs,” Dr Borg continues.
One of the biggest challenges towards achieving a longer and healthier life, he notes, is a lack of education. Many remain unaware of the biggest risk factors to our health. Thus, we may know that smoking carries a risk of lung cancer, but fewer people are aware that it also increases the likelihood of other cancers.
“We all want to live a long life in good health, maintaining mobility, independence and mental well-being by extending the period of our lives in which we are physically active, cognitively sharp and socially present. There is no secret formula to a long and healthy life. Lifestyle changes, together with early screening for disease and prescription medications when required, will increase your lifespan and healthspan. The Longevity Clinic takes a holistic approach and places you back in control,” Dr Borg concludes.
For more information about services at St James’ Longevity Clinic, click here.
