Uncommon diseases in older people

“In general, chronic disease such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease (CVD), as well as some cancers, appear to have been uncommon, even in older people, until recent history.”

Source:  Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity, and the Prevention of Cancer: a Global Perspective. World Cancer Research Fund / American Institute of Cancer Research, Washington, DC: AICR, 2007, p. 352.