Introduction:

An analysis of the processes that determine the progressive deterioration of the human body and its characteristic expressions: aging, diseases and death is made on the basis of the philosophical concepts that allow the interpretation of the material attributes space and time.

Objective:

To encourage the adoption of healthy lifestyles to guarantee the extension of human quality of life.

Material and methods:

A bibliographic review about the topic was carried out using the logical-deductive method. The data obtained provided information about the origins and interpretative development of time as material attribute, which yielded a synthesis on its conceptualization, valid to answer questions about the health-disease process. Contemporary texts taken from documents of the Pan American Health Organization / World Health Organization or articles which are available in electronic databases such as CUMED, LILACS, PUBMED, EBSCO and search engines such as Google Scholar were also consulted to confirm this scientific conceptualization.

Development:

The constant space-time transformation of the material structure determines the state of cellular, tissue and organic adaptability to internal and external environment, which is favorable in the conservation or deterioration of health and life, evidenced by their characteristic expressions: aging, diseases and death. Consequently, the individual responsibility for the rhythm of organic deterioration during the course of life is considered; therefore, the decision to carry out healthy lifestyles constitutes a guarantee in the extension of human lifespan.

Conclusions:

The risk of accelerating aging, disease and death is determined by the temporary course to which the human body is submitted with our individual behavior during our existence; so the adoption of healthy lifestyles constitutes the guarantee for the prolongation of a healthy quality of life.

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