Life stage
Your 40s & 50s
Heart and metabolic health take centre stage, colorectal screening starts at 45, and the PSA conversation begins.
Key points for this stage
- Colorectal cancer screening is recommended from 45.[1]
- From 40, a cholesterol and statin discussion is recommended for adults with risk factors.[2]
- Shingles and pneumococcal vaccines are recommended from 50.[3][4]
Guides for this stage
Enlarged prostate (BPH)
A non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate that becomes common with age and can change how you urinate. It's treatable — and not cancer.
CancerColorectal cancer
Cancer of the colon or rectum. Screening from age 45 can find it early — or prevent it by removing polyps before they turn into cancer.
Brain and mental healthDepression and suicide prevention
Depression is common, real and treatable. In men it can look like anger or irritability. If you're in crisis, call or text 988 now.
Sexual and reproductive healthErectile dysfunction (ED)
Trouble getting or keeping an erection is common and treatable — and it can be an early clue to heart and blood-vessel problems worth checking.
Heart and blood vesselsHeart disease and heart attack
The leading cause of death for men in the US. Most of it comes from narrowed coronary arteries — and much of it can be prevented.
Heart and blood vesselsHigh blood pressure
Half of US men have it, and most people feel nothing. A simple check finds it; habits and medicines control it.
Digestion and liverInguinal (groin) hernia
A bulge in the groin where tissue pushes through a weak spot in the belly wall. About 1 in 4 men get one in their lifetime.
CancerKidney cancer
Often found by chance on a scan done for something else. Smoking, extra weight and high blood pressure raise the risk.
CancerLiver cancer
Most liver cancer grows in a liver already damaged by hepatitis, alcohol or fatty liver disease — and roughly two-thirds of cases are in men.
Metabolism and hormonesLow testosterone (hypogonadism)
Testosterone falls only slowly with age. Real hypogonadism needs symptoms plus two low morning blood tests — and treatment isn't right for everyone.
CancerLung cancer
By far the leading cause of cancer death in the US. Smoking causes most of it — and a yearly low-dose CT scan can find it early in people at high risk.
CancerSkin cancer and melanoma
After 50, melanoma is more common in men than women. Learn the ABCDE signs and check your skin — including your back.
CancerMouth and throat cancer (including HPV-related)
More than twice as common in men. Tobacco and alcohol are classic causes; HPV now drives many throat cancers — and the HPV vaccine can prevent infection.
CancerProstate cancer
Apart from skin cancer, the most common cancer in American men. Many grow slowly; some don't. Here's what it is, who is at risk, and how the PSA decision works.
CancerTesticular cancer
A cancer of younger men — the average age at diagnosis is about 33. It's uncommon and usually very treatable. Know what's normal for you.
Metabolism and hormonesType 2 diabetes and prediabetes
Blood sugar that stays too high. Millions have it without knowing — and prediabetes can often be stopped from progressing.
Sources
- US Preventive Services Task Force. Colorectal Cancer: Screening (May 2021). Checked 23 October 2026.
- US Preventive Services Task Force. Statin Use for the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease in Adults (August 2022). Checked 23 October 2026.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Shingles Vaccination. Checked 23 October 2026.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Pneumococcal Vaccines. Checked 23 October 2026.
The owner of this website is not a doctor. Human Atlas provides educational anatomy information and does not diagnose, stage, or treat disease. Talk to a qualified clinician about anything concerning your own health.