The effects of an ageing population can be mitigated with proper care, according to Deepak Chopra.

Dr Chopra, a bestselling author, doctor and motivational speaker, was in Bermuda this weekend for a sold-out talk on health intended to highlight the Colonial Group International’s Zest Wellness programme.

Speaking to The Royal Gazette, he said that countries around the world faced the challenges of an ageing population.

Dr Chopra said: “People are living longer and so it’s now well known that once you get beyond 80 there’s a very high risk of mental illness, particularly Alzheimers and Dementia, so we have to see how we can reverse that.

“We do know that if people sleep well, manage their stress, have healthy emotions, social engagement, exercise, movement — these days particularly yoga and breathing exercises — then you can actually prevent most illness.”

He added: “Only 5 per cent of chronic illness is associated with mutations that are irreversible — a genetic mistake that you can’t do anything about.

“But that’s only 5 per cent. In the near future, there will be things like gene editing and so on, but 95 per cent of illness is already in our hands.”

Dr Chopra said that with modern technology, the public could easily track important metrics such as sleep and how much they exercise.

He said: “It’s never too late. You can be whatever age you are. Pay attention to sleep and exercise, and that’s a good start.

“If you walk 10,000 steps, which is not that difficult if you pay attention to it, and you sleep seven to eight hours, you will notice a difference. Then you can incorporate other things slowly.”

Dr Chopra also stressed the need to target the risk factors that cause lifestyle diseases like diabetes.

He said: “The risk factors for diabetes, cardiovascular disease, strokes and even cancer, auto immune conditions, accelerated ageing — they are all the same, and they are all related.

“Once you start to target it, I think because everything is now manageable, in the future it’s going to be very precise, very predictable and very preventable, but it will require your participation.”

Naz Farrow, Colonial’s chief executive officer, said that 1,300 had booked seats for the free talk and another 500 were on the wait-list.

She said: “To be honest, I am so surprised. We made a commitment to bring in Dr Chopra over a year and a half ago, and I was a little concerned about if we would get people engaging.

“We have been overwhelmed with the number of people wanting tickets.

“To me, it seems to show how Bermudians are engaged, they are concerned about their wellbeing and their welfare. This is really good to see.”

Ms Farrow said Colonial insures around 60,000 people throughout Bermuda and the Caribbean, and the company recognised the need to do more than pay claims.

She said: “About ten years ago, we launched our wellness programmes. The main diseases that we pay the majority of claims for are what we term lifestyle diseases.”