Why men must stop ignoring critical health warning signs

Every November, moustaches become conversation starters about men’s health. Movember began in Melbourne in 2003, when 30 men decided to bring the moustache back into fashion. That playful idea grew into a global movement focused on prostate and testicular cancers, mental health and suicide prevention. Yet, behind the moustache lies a more serious reality: too many men still wait too long before paying attention to their health.

It is a pattern familiar to Indian families, too. A persistent cough is dismissed as seasonal, fatigue becomes the consequence of a demanding week, disturbed sleep is blamed on stress, and an ache is given time to disappear. A routine health check is postponed until work becomes less hectic, which it rarely does. Often, medical attention begins only when the body makes postponement difficult.

This matters since some of the most significant health risks do not announce themselves dramatically. Hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, fatty liver and several cancers can develop with few obvious symptoms in their early stages. Prostate cancer is part of this growing concern. India’s National Cancer Registry Programme projected more than 47,000 new cases in 2025, making it the third leading cancer among Indian men. Like many conditions affecting men, prostate cancer can be more manageable when detected early, making delays in preventive care particularly concerning.

Our research has also suggested that PSA levels among Indian men may be lower than levels reported in caucasian populations. This is important in an Indian context, since it suggests that PSA screening may need greater vigilance, with investigation considered earlier rather than relying solely on thresholds derived from western populations.

Our health of the nation 2026 report also presented a revealing picture. Among more than five lakh corporate health assessments, at an average age of just 38, 81 per cent were overweight or obese, 55 per cent had abnormal cholesterol, 45 per cent had pre-diabetes or diabetes and one in four had high blood pressure. More than two-thirds were also not meeting basic recommended activity levels. Many were still young enough for these risks to be addressed, underscoring the importance of early detection before symptoms emerge.

I believe there are deeper reasons why men postpone care. Generations have grown up with the idea that men must endure discomfort, and vulnerability is best kept private. Resilience is valuable, but it can also make listening to one’s body feel like an admission of weakness. Fear matters, too, with some preferring not to know rather than confronting what a test might reveal.

Modern working life adds another layer. Long hours, travel and family responsibilities make preventive care easy to postpone. Yet, feeling well does not necessarily mean that all is well. Among more than 1,100 asymptomatic people who underwent coronary calcium scoring in our 2026 report, 45 per cent showed calcification, a sign of plaque forming in the arteries. Regular health checks matter precisely because they can reveal underlying risks even before the body shows any symptoms.

Mental wellbeing belongs in the same conversation. Men do not experience physical and emotional health as separate concerns, even if health care has sometimes treated them that way. Stress, poor sleep, anxiety, loneliness and depression can influence how people eat, move, work and care for themselves, just as physical illness can profoundly affect emotional wellbeing. Our report found that among more than one lakh people screened during routine health checks, one in 15 had depression and one in 10 had anxiety, conditions that might otherwise have remained invisible.

Movember’s evolution into a broader conversation around physical and mental health reflects this growing understanding. The real measure of progress will not be how many grow a moustache for a month, but how many stop waiting for illness to give them a reason to take their health seriously. That shift needs to begin much earlier, with prevention becoming a habit rather than a response to a warning sign, and seeking help seen as an act of responsibility rather than vulnerability.

Dr Preetha Reddy is Executive Vice Chairperson of Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Limited.