[Good Brain 2023] Jeong Heewon "To Prevent Accelerated Aging and Retirement Deficits, We Must Enhance Internal Capabilities"

Advice from Korea's Top Geriatrics Expert

Prevention of Aging is Key
Avoid "Chain Prescriptions"
"Must Prevent System Aging Throughout Life"

Professor Jeong Heewon of the Department of Geriatrics at Asan Medical Center, Seoul, is delivering the keynote speech titled "The Slowly Aging Brain" at the "Good Brain 2023 Conference" hosted by Asia Economy on the 20th at the Westin Chosun Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

"Aging does not occur in an instant but is shaped by lifelong lifestyle habits. As aging progresses, cognitive and physical functions decline, leading to dementia."

On the 20th, Professor Jeong Heewon of the Geriatrics Department at Seoul Asan Medical Center emphasized in the keynote speech at the '2023 Good Brain Conference' held by Asia Economy at the Westin Chosun Seoul in Jung-gu, "Dementia does not suddenly appear; it is a disease that gradually develops as the human body slowly starts to malfunction." Professor Jeong is one of the top experts in geriatric medicine in Korea, conducting research related to frailty.

The fear of dementia lies in the fact that it requires someone’s care. In the early stages of dementia, going out alone and doing household chores become difficult, and later, patients cannot even control their bladder and bowels properly, leading to a miserable death. Professor Jeong stated, "If you have dementia, the cost of care can reach 5 million won per month. You need to regularly meet with 4 to 5 medical staff members at a general hospital."

Professor Jeong pointed out, "‘Cascade prescribing’ can cause frailty and become a cause of dementia." He once treated an elderly patient who became bedridden within three months due to joint pain. The patient’s heart failure worsened as a side effect of the first prescribed anti-inflammatory painkiller, leading to the prescription of a diuretic. Later, the patient started taking digestive medicine and dementia drugs, totaling 15 different medications daily. Professor Jeong explained, "Taking various drugs caused multiple side effects, eventually leading to cognitive and physical decline. After organizing the medications and selecting only the truly necessary ones through functional assessment, the number of drugs was reduced to eight." The elderly patient’s cognitive and physical functions rapidly improved.

The key to preventing dementia is controlling brain and systemic aging throughout life. Numerous studies have proven that the more severe the body’s aging, the higher the incidence of dementia. The risk of dementia after 10 years doubles in the mildly frail group and triples in the severely frail group. Professor Jeong said, "If you view dementia occurrence as a trajectory shaped by the kind of life you live, it is no longer a frightening disease."

How can we prevent systemic aging? Professor Jeong says, "A balance of three triangles?cognitive activity, physical activity, and social activity?is essential." To achieve this, intrinsic capacities involving mobility, muscle health, cognition, depression, sleep, chronic diseases, and social relationships must be steadily improved. Healthy eating habits such as consuming less sugar and avoiding overeating, along with sufficient physical activity like walking, are prerequisites.

If these indicators are healthy at age 40, life expectancy increases by 24 years for men and 21 years for women. However, health indicators among the younger generation have worsened, with 50% of men in their 30s and 40s being obese and 50% of women being skinny fat. Professor Jeong pointed out, "Young people nowadays want to earn money quickly and dream of early retirement through the FIRE lifestyle. However, if they develop dementia early due to chronic diseases and frailty, all their money will be spent on medical and care costs." He emphasized, "To reduce future risk burdens, consistent management to prevent systemic aging during youth is necessary."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.