My annual workplace health check brought some unwelcome news: I had lost another 5 millimeters in height, while my waist had gained 4 centimeters. So I gave the numbers to three different AIs. Their verdicts were remarkably similar—and not particularly kind. At 62, how seriously should I pursue better health, and how much should I simply enjoy the life I have left?
I had my annual health check at work.
Compared with last year, I was 5 millimeters shorter, while my waist circumference had increased by 4 centimeters.
I entered my age—62, turning 63 in December—along with my height, weight, and other measurements into several AIs and asked what they thought.
Apparently, I am quite definitely in metabolic-syndrome territory.
ChatGPT said:
“You have visceral obesity and somewhat elevated systolic blood pressure. This suggests a need to pay attention to the future risks of diabetes, dyslipidemia, and cardiovascular disease.”
Claude said:
“This is a combination of a tendency toward visceral obesity and borderline to mildly elevated blood pressure. It is a pattern commonly seen in people of this age.”
Gemini said:
“Visceral obesity and systolic hypertension are present together, placing you in the range of metabolic syndrome, or at least a strong pre-metabolic state.”
Damn. They’re all ganging up on me.
Unsurprisingly, every one of them recommends lifestyle changes.
ChatGPT, which I use as my regular partner, knows quite a lot about me by now, so at least its advice is somewhat sympathetic.
I understand perfectly well that taking care of my health is important.
But at this point in life, when I have no idea how many years I have left, there is no way to erase everything that has accumulated over more than six decades.
I cannot make the atherosclerosis that has already developed simply disappear.
Cancer also has a large element of probability involved, and I do not think it is something that can be prevented by lifestyle alone.
So the question becomes how to balance remaining life expectancy, the risk of future disease, and everyday life.
Continuing to indulge in fine food and drink would be financially impossible anyway, not to mention physically difficult.
I have already made a habit of avoiding carbohydrates at dinner.
For breakfast, I have oats soaked in milk and a banana, so there is not much room for improvement there either.
The real problems are the lunch my wife makes for me and the snacks I munch on as soon as I get home.
But her lunches are delicious, so there is no way I am giving them up. Besides, the fact that she makes one for me every day feels like a small symbol of the bond between husband and wife. Switching to lunch at the hospital cafeteria probably would not make much difference in calories anyway.
As for the snacking when I get home, I did manage to stop for a while and lost one or two kilograms.
Then I let my guard down, started again, and here we are.
There was also the unfortunate timing of this year’s health check.
Work kept coming nonstop throughout the morning, and before I knew it, lunchtime had passed and the afternoon health check had begun.
I thought this was my chance and headed to the examination area, only to find a very long line.
Everyone must have had the same idea: get the health check over with before lunch.
“I’ll come back later,” I said.
And then I went back and ate every bit of the lunch my wife had made for me.
By the time I finished, I was completely full.
I waited an hour and a half before going back for the examination, but my stomach was probably still at its fullest. Some work also came in just beforehand, which, I tell myself, must have pushed my blood pressure up as well.
The timing could hardly have been worse.
At least, that is how I am consoling myself.
Still, AI is remarkable.
Give it a set of health data, and it will analyze the numbers in considerable detail.
Perhaps we will not need human doctors anymore.
Or rather, perhaps doctors themselves will have no choice but to depend on AI.
Perhaps we will not need human doctors anymore—or rather, perhaps doctors themselves will have no choice but to depend on AI.
waist circumference
The measurement around your waist.
腹囲
visceral obesity
A condition in which excess fat accumulates around the internal organs.
内臓脂肪型肥満
metabolic syndrome
A group of conditions, including abdominal obesity and high blood pressure, that increase the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
メタボリックシンドローム
atherosclerosis
A condition in which arteries become narrowed or hardened because of plaque buildup.
動脈硬化
dyslipidemia
An unhealthy level or balance of fats such as cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood.
脂質異常症
let one’s guard down
To become less careful after having been cautious.
油断する
gang up on someone
To join together against someone. Often used humorously when several people say the same unpleasant thing.
寄ってたかって人を責める、いじめる
console oneself
To make oneself feel better after something disappointing or unpleasant.
自分を慰める
#HealthyAging #MetabolicSyndrome #AIandMedicine #LifeAfter60 #JapanesePathologist
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