A leading Sydney doctor has revealed the five biggest health risks that could shorten your life instantly.
He has also shared how protecting your heart, brain, muscles, and bones could help you live decades longer.
Dr. Adam Brown, founder of the Longevity Medicine Institute and a pioneer in what he calls ‘Medicine 3.0’, appeared on the In Your Skin podcast with Anna Heinrich and Christie Whitehill to discuss whether you can actually predict your own death.
‘Unfortunately (or fortunately!) we can’t predict death (yet),’ Dr. Brown said in the clip, which has now accrued thousands of views.
‘But what we can do is quantify risk.’
According to the doctor, that means using advanced testing, from heart and brain scans to hormone mapping and gut analysis, to measure your biological age, not just the number on your birth certificate.
‘By analysing thousands of biomarkers and imaging results, we can quite accurately estimate a person’s biological age and the rate at which they’re ageing internally,’ he told the Daily Mail.
‘That tells us how likely they are to develop chronic disease in the next decade, and how to slow or reverse that process.’
Dr. Adam Brown (right), founder of the Longevity Medicine Institute appeared on the In Your Skin podcast with Anna Heinrich and Christie Whitehill (left) to discuss whether you can actually predict your own death
Although he said predicting death isn’t possible yet, advanced testing can help quantify your health risks. From heart and brain scans to hormone mapping and gut analysis, you can measure your biological age, not just the number on your birth certificate
The five silent killers
In the episode, Dr. Brown named five major health risks that can drastically shorten your life and said most are completely preventable.
They include cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, cancer and muscle and bone loss, known medically as sarcopenia and osteoporosis.
‘These are the conditions that drive early decline,’ he said, warning that many people are unknowingly living with silent disease processes that could be reversed if detected early.
‘Cardiovascular disease (CVD), diabetes, dementia risk, and muscle loss are all highly modifiable.
‘With early diagnostics, targeted nutrition, resistance training, optimised sleep, and hormone balance, we can reduce risk by up to 80 percent.’
Dr Brown also urged that the key is data-driven prevention by testing early ‘instead of waiting for symptoms to show.’
According to the Heart Foundation, CVD is responsible for one in four deaths nationwide, claiming the life of one Australian every 12 minutes.
Despite major medical advances, the numbers are still staggering. Around one in six Australians – more than 4.5 million people – live with cardiovascular disease, representing almost 18 percent of the population.
The five silent health risks include cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, cancer, and muscle and bone loss, known medically as sarcopenia and osteoporosis
While cases have dropped by roughly 80 percent since the 1980s, thanks to improved awareness, medications, and preventive care, experts warn that it remains one of the nation’s most common and deadly conditions.
The challenge is that heart disease usually has no symptoms until someone develops angina or even a heart attack.
Many of Dr Brown’s patients, he said, feel perfectly well, yet their coronary artery scanning shows early arterial plaque buildup.
‘Prevention relies on three pillars: knowing your data, reducing inflammation, and maintaining metabolic fitness.’
He explained that CVD is largely lifestyle-driven due to the fact that, as a society, we are more sedentary, have easy access to UPFs (ultra-processed foods), sleep less, and live in a generally stressful environment.
Your heart and brain are one
Dr. Brown also revealed that our heart and brain health are deeply linked, meaning what’s good for one will protect the other.
‘The same vascular and inflammatory processes that affect the heart also impact the brain.
At his Sydney-based Longevity Medicine Institute, Dr. Brown and his team of doctors, nutritionists, physios, and psychologists use advanced diagnostics like full-body MRI, cognitive testing, gut microbiome analysis, and hormonal mapping to create ‘the most detailed and objective picture’ of your health status
‘What benefits cardiovascular health – glucose, cholesterol & blood pressure control, restorative sleep, maintaining normal weight, sufficient exercise, and not smoking – also preserves cognition and reduces dementia risk.’
At his Sydney-based Longevity Medicine Institute, Dr. Brown and his team of doctors, nutritionists, physios, and psychologists use advanced diagnostics like full-body MRI, cognitive testing, gut microbiome analysis, and hormonal mapping to create ‘the most detailed and objective picture’ of your health status.
‘Our aim is not to treat illness once it happens but to prevent it entirely and ultimately to extend healthspan and optimise performance at every stage of life.’
Because, as Dr Brown says, ‘It’s not just about living longer; it’s about thriving in your 80s and 90s like you’re still in your 40s.’
