“You’ve got to die somehow.”
Haven’t you ever heard someone say that? Especially right as they’re lighting up a cigarette or taking a bite of chocolate cake?
I sure have – but I want you to know . . .
It’s NOT true!
Not anymore.
“Aging is a disease, and that disease is treatable.”
So says Dr. David Sinclair. He’s been studying longevity and genetics at Harvard Medical School for decades.
I want you to burn it into your brain.
If you don’t understand modern medical researchers are on the cusp to finding solutions to defeating the negative effects of time on your body, you’ll be like the rest of the world.
You’ll accept death as inevitable – and that’s a big mistake.
Yes, so far, there have been no exceptions.
But the rules of the game are changing. Or, at least, we now understand the rules a lot better than we did even five to ten years ago.
I just read Dr. Sinclair’s new book, Lifespan: Why We Age—and Why We Don’t Have To, and am still celebrating the renewed hope it gave me.
And, just to be clear, by “aging” Dr. Sinclair means the entire array of chronic diseases we associate with the passing of the years: heart & cardiovascular disease, cancer, strokes, high blood pressure, arthritis, and even Alzheimer’s disease.
See, Like You, I Don’t Want to Die or Grow “Old”
When I shave, I wonder who that is in the mirror, looking back at me. He’s a half-bald, white-haired dude with a face that’s seen better days.
In many ways, though, I can’t complain.
I don’t have any chronic medical problems. I’m not on any medications. I’ll take an hour-long walk when I finish writing this email. I don’t have any chronic pain. I’m still capable of Doing It, though not as often as forty years ago.
I’d rather catch Ebola than go into a nursing home.
Based on the actuarial life expectancy tables I find online, the experts say I will live (on average) another 17 or so years.
An online life expectancy app that used more details about my lifestyle tells me my expectancy is 22 more years. Good news.
And I Want You to Do Even Better
See, that online life expectancy calculator didn’t even ask me about my diet, which is rich in plant foods.
Or about my sleep patterns – 7-8 hours per night, though sometimes it’s not as deep as I’d like.
Or supplements. Some supplements actually lower your life expectancy, but others seem to help prolong it. In his book, Dr. Sinclair writes about the substances he’s found that actually extend both healthspan and lifespan in mice.
At this point, it’s too early to say Sinclair’s program is the total “cure” for aging. Especially for people, not mice. However, he’s 50 years old and looks 30 with a babyface, so it seems to be helping him.
What do you do now that contributes toward a long and healthy life?
What changes in your lifestyle would you make if you knew they would help you live a productive and happy life for many more decades to come?
The Trick is Not Dying First
We’re a lucky generation. Like Moses, we’re on the mountain top of modern medical research, and so we can see the “Promised Land” of near immortality.
Unlike Moses, we can do many things to make sure we live long enough to reach that near immortality.
I for one don’t expect Sinclair’s research to come up with a guaranteed “Fountain of Youth” in less than ten years.
But if we can survive another ten to twenty years, we can take advantage of the many ways he and other scientists are now working on to extend our healthspans.
If we can use Dr. Sinclair’s discoveries to live past 100, we can then use the additional findings of the future to live on and on until . . . when?
Nobody knows.
But wouldn’t you like to find out?
Simple Lifestyle Factors Count for a Lot – Especially What We Put in Our Mouths
Despite the common assumptions that it’s all in our genes, genetics plays at most a 10-20% role in chronic disease.
The American Academy of Lifestyle Medicine says four simple changes will reduce your biological age by 14 years:
1. Don’t smoke.
2. Don’t be obese.
3. Eat healthy – lots of fruits, whole grains, and vegetables.
4. Remain physically active.
A paper published in the journal of the American Heart Association adds a fifth factor: low consumption of alcohol.
I can’t help but add a few more, based on the studies I’ve seen.
6. Sleep 7-8 hours every night.
7. Manage stress (meditate, learn to relax).
8. Maintain an active social life. Stay in touch with your family and friends.
9. Have a reason to keep on living.
I can’t tell you how many years all of the above will add to your life expectancy, but I’m looking forward to finding out for myself.
How about you?
Stay tuned, and maybe we’ll meet at a celebration to welcome in the 22nd century.
Let’s party like it’s 2099.
