According to the MHF, the average man can expect to be seriously or chronically ill for 15 years of his life (which will, in any case, be shorter than a woman’s). Nearly three quarters are overweight; men are more likely to smoke, and 27 per cent drink more alcohol than is recommended. Taking exercise and reducing chip, lager and fag intake are the first steps – then make the following your minimum. Young men Testicular cancer rates are doubling every 20 years. It is most common between ages 20 and 35 but boys should check themselves from their early teens.

After a bath or shower, cup your scrotum in your hand and get used to the size and weight of each testicle. Then roll each testicle between your finger and thumb to check for lumps, swellings and changes in firmness. Report any irregularities, and also any persistent dull ache in the abdomen or groin. Those with an undescended testis or a family history of testicular cancer are particularly at risk.Clinical depression will affect one in five males at some point, and suicide is one of the biggest killers of men under 35. If you have some of these symptoms for more than two weeks see your GP: feeling sad or downcast; a loss of pleasure in life; difficulty in concentrating; blaming yourself; feeling worthless; difficulties with memory or concentration; a loss or gain in appetite; sleeping problems; thoughts of suicide or self-harm Middle age Start annual health checks. You can do some tests at home, but others require a trip to your GP and you may need to be assertive (see NHS box).

Take advantage of private health cover for a full screening.High blood pressure substantially increases your chance of heart attacks, strokes and kidney disease. Ideally you should have a series of tests to get an accurate average If you can’t face your GP, invest in a home tester. (Boots stocks several, from £70.) The latest US guidelines recommend treatment if blood pressure is above 120/80; the ideal is 115/75 – above that level, the risk of cardiovascular disease starts to rise. Don’t freak – British targets are more relaxed – but do talk to your GP about ways to reduce blood pressure.Cholesterol tests are a good idea but to be of value the results need to be broken down into “good” high-density lipoproteins and “bad” low-density lipoproteins. This is one for your doctor: a recent Which? report found that many home kits were unreliable. It is also important to link your cholesterol result to a risk-factor assessment. “There is not much point if cholesterol is fine but you smoke 60 a day,” says Dr Ian Banks, author of The Man Manual (Haynes, £12.99).Obesity is the West’s biggest killer and men who go into their 40s overweight have a life expectancy similar to a smoker.