Longevity 101

Want to live forever?

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Friends,

A break from AI this week

Maybe middle age has got to me. One of the things that we hear is that we are increasing our lifespan as humans. At the same time, there are technology and testing advancements that are potentially increasing our health span, but we invariably live similar lives to how we used to. So how do you increase your health span - i.e. be as healthy as you can for the largest % of the time that you are alive? What bets do you take?

In reading through much of the literature you start to see some commonalities and differences. For example, you’ll get one side (Dr Michael Gregor) being skewed towards nutrition, while others (Dr David Sinclair) skewed towards supplements.

I’m pretty convinced about the profound impact of dietary choices on health and ageing, with an emphasis on the role of plant-based diets. We (me+ fam) skew more on plants these days and eat some chicken and fish, but not much red meat.

In addition to the significance of whole foods, intermittent fasting is important for autophagy - and I do believe the hype around supplements like NMN and resveratrol. On the flip, I’m convinced there is some benefit to Eastern medicine, homoeopathy and the like. As well as energy medicine. And No, I’m not brainwashed.

But here’s a summary of what I think I know:

• Diet is the single biggest factor that will affect your healthspan. Drop the bagel and have some cruciferous greens.

• Ageing is inevitable (we will all die someday!), but how we age is significantly within our control. Lifestyle choices play in our health, advocating for a combination of diet, exercise, and ditching harmful habits like smoking to age gracefully and reduce disease risk. This perspective shifts the focus from ageing being solely time-dependent to being influenced by daily lifestyle decisions.

• The dietary patterns of the world's Blue Zones, areas renowned for their high number of centenarians, argue for a diet rich in whole plants, minimal animal products, and low in processed foods. Foods like legumes and nuts (apparently walnuts are the best) paint a clear picture of what a longevity-promoting diet looks like.

• Intermittent Fasting helps autophagy, the body's way of cleaning out damaged cells, and improves overall metabolic processes. The importance of not just what we eat but when we eat, for our health. I haven’t had breakfast for 2 and a half years and feel better for it.

But I guess you know most of that.

The question that I get most often, once people know that I take supplements is what’s in my stack? I’m not a doc or a quack doc, but this is roughly my stack (currently):

Morning - With Water

• Loratadine (during British Summer Time) for Hayfever. I have this for half the year every day

• NMN (Nicotinamide Mononucleotide): NMN is a precursor to NAD+ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide), a coenzyme involved in many metabolic processes. NAD+ levels decline with age, and NMN supplementation is explored for its potential to boost NAD+ levels, thereby supporting cellular health and longevity.

• Resveratrol: Known for being found in red wine, may have anti-ageing benefits, possibly by activating sirtuins, a family of proteins associated with longevity. Supposedly you need to take this every other day. (have it with yoghurt)

• Quercetin: A flavonoid present in many fruits and vegetables, quercetin has been discussed for its potential to activate sirtuins and for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.

• Taurine: promotes overall cardiovascular health and encourages healthy nervous system function

• TMG, sometimes known as betaine, ensures that your NMN supplementation is not wasted.

• Spermidine is a polyamine known for activating autophagy. Autophagy is the process the body uses to get rid of damaged cells and maintain healthy cells. Natural autophagy decreases over time, and boosting it back is possible.

• Nootropics - I also have Inmotion Power up which contains Lions Mane, B3, B5

  Afternoon with a Meal

• Vitamin D3 & K2: Important for overall health, particularly in the context of ageing and immune function. Vitamin D3 is often recommended for its role in bone health, immune support, and potentially reducing the risk of some chronic diseases.

• Omega-3 Fatty Acids (EPA and DHA): These essential fatty acids, often found in fish oil supplements, are renowned for their anti-inflammatory effects and potential benefits for heart health and cognitive function. EPA skew.

• Alpha Lipoic Acid is used to break down carbohydrates and to make energy.

• Hydrolyzed Marine Collagen - supposedly reduced wrinkles - but I still have those worry lines

• Lutein - for healthy eyes.

• Probiotic - because your health starts in your stomach. (you also need prebiotic food)

• Berberine to fight blood pressure, cholesterol etc.

• Fisetin to get rid of the zombie cells

(I’m not a doctor - so do your own research!)

It’s quite a few tablets - but I know people who take a bunch more. The reality is that Western food and lifestyle skew to DNA damage and there is much to do to reverse that aging process.

Most of the researchers skew towards a healthy lifestyle of some sort - but those a little on the edge start down this supplementary route. Some do more.

And then if you want to go further, that’s where you follow someone like Bryan Johnson who takes longevity to the next level. With his blueprint, he is pursuing anti-ageing - not just longevity. His regime would cost you thousands of dollars and all of your time. But his human “guinea pig show” is amazing. I can’t get enough. But it’s unsustainable and there are other “normal” people beating him at his own game.

Like Julie Gibson Clark whose biomarkers are higher than Bryan Johnson’s and leads a somewhat normal life.

The longevity wars are surely starting. If you want to try and live forever, there’s much to try, if you can afford it. But you can get quite far, by eating whole food, staying active, and staying away from bad stuff.

But that’s the crux of the problem.

Stay Curious (and healthy) - and don’t forget to be amazing,

Rahim

Here are my recommendations for this week:

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