Latest news with #SuperAgers:AnEvidence-BasedApproachtoLongevity
Business Insider
a day ago
- Health
- Business Insider
Forget 'biological age' tests — longevity experts are using an $800 under-the-radar blood test to measure aging in real-time
Doctors and scientists are using a blood plasma test to study longevity. The test measures proteins and can tell you about your organ health. This field of proteomics could one day help detect diseases like cancer before they start. Should you have that second cup of coffee? How about a little wine with dinner? And, is yogurt really your superfood? Scientists are getting closer to offering consumers a blood test that could help people make daily decisions about how to eat, drink, and sleep that are more perfectly tailored to their unique biology. The forthcoming tests could also help shape what are arguably far more important health decisions, assessing whether your brain is aging too fast, if your kidneys are OK, or if that supplement or drug you're taking is actually doing any good. It's called an organ age test, more officially (and scientifically) known as "proteomics" — and it's the next hot " biological age" marker that researchers are arguing could be better than all the rest. "If I could just get one clock right now, I'd want to get that clock, and I'd like to see it clinically available in older adults," cardiologist Eric Topol, author of the recent bestseller "Super Agers: An Evidence-Based Approach to Longevity," told Business Insider. Topol said armed with organ age test results, people could become more proactive stewards of their own health, before it's too late. "When we have all these layers of data, it's a whole new day for preventing the disease," Topol said. "You see the relationship with women's hormones. You see the relationship with food and alcohol. You don't ever get that with genes." A test like this isn't available to consumers just yet, but it's already being used by researchers at elite universities and high-end longevity clinics. They hope it can become a tool any doctor could use to assess patient health in the next few years. A startup called Vero, which was spun out of some foundational proteomics research at Stanford University, is hoping to beta test a proteomics product for consumers this year. "Knowing your oldest organ isn't the point; changing the trajectory is," Vero co-founder and CEO Paul Coletta told a crowd gathered at the Near Future Summit in Malibu, California, last month. Coletta told Business Insider Vero's not interested in doing "wealthcare." The company plans to make its test available to consumers for around $200 a pop, at scale. Their draw only requires one vial of blood. Why measuring proteins could be the key to better personalized medicine The big promise of proteomics is that it could be a more precise real-time tool for tracking important but subtle changes that emerge inside each of us as we age. Genetic testing can measure how our bodies are built, spotting vulnerabilities in a person's DNA that might predispose them to health issues. Standard clinical measurements like a person's weight, blood pressure, or cholesterol readings are a useful proxy for potential health issues. Then there are the increasingly popular "biological age" tests available to consumers at home. Most of those look at "epigenetic changes" — how environmental factors affect our gene expression. Proteomics does something different and new. It measures the product that our bodies make based on all those genetic and environmental inputs: proteins. It offers a live assessment of how your body is running, not just how it's programmed. If validated in the next few years, these tests could become key in early disease detection and prevention. They could help influence all kinds of medical decisions, from big ones like "What drugs should I take?" to little ones like "How does my body respond to caffeine or alcohol?" Elite longevity clinics already use proteomics Some high-end longevity clinics are already forging ahead using proteomics to guide clinical recommendations, albeit cautiously. Dr. Evelyne Bischof, a longevity physician who treats patients worldwide, said she uses proteomic information to guide some of the lifestyle interventions she recommends to her patients. She may suggest a more polyphenol-rich diet to someone who seems to have high inflammation and neuroinflammation based on proteomic test results, or may even suggest they do a little more cognitive training, based on what proteomics says about how their brain is aging. Dr. Andrea Maier, a professor of medicine and functional aging at the National University of Singapore, told BI she uses this measurement all the time in her longevity clinics. For her, it's just a research tool, but if the results of her ongoing studies are decent, she hopes to be able to use it clinically in a few years' time. "We want to know what kind of 'ageotype' a person is, so what type of aging personality are you, not from a mental perspective, but from a physical perspective," Maier said. "It's really discovery at this moment in time, and at the edge of being clinically meaningful." "Once we have that validated tool, we will just add it to our routine testing and we can just tick the box and say, 'I also want to know if this person is a cardiac ager, or a brain ager, or a muscle ager' because now we have a sensitive parameter — protein — which can be added," Maier said. The two big-name proteomics tests are Olink and SOMAscan. For now, their high-end screening costs around $400-$800 per patient. "I'm losing lots of money at the moment because of proteomics for clinical research!" Maier said. Proteomics could soon help predict who's most likely to get certain cancers, fast-tracking both prevention and treatment Top aging researchers at Stanford and Harvard are pushing the field forward, racing to publish more novel insights about the human proteome. The latest findings from Harvard aging researcher Vadim Gladyshev's lab, published earlier this year, suggest that as we age, each person may even stand to benefit from a slightly different antiaging grocery list. To research this idea, Gladyshev looked at proteins in the blood of more than 50,000 people in the UK, all participants in the UK Biobank who are being regularly tested and studied to learn more about their long-term health. He tracked their daily habits and self-reported routines like diet, occupation, and prescriptions, comparing those details to how each patient's organs were aging. He discovered some surprising connections. Yogurt eating, generally speaking, tended to be associated with better intestinal aging but had relatively no benefit to the arteries. White wine drinking, on the other hand, seemed to potentially confer some small benefit to the arteries while wreaking havoc on the gut. "The main point is that people age in different ways in different organs, and therefore we need to find personalized interventions that would fit that particular person," Gladyshev told BI. "Through measuring proteins, you assess the age of different organs and you say, 'OK, this person is old in this artery.'" For now, there's too much noise in the data to do more. Dr. Pal Pacher, a senior investigator at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism who studies organ aging and injuries, told BI that proteomics is simply not ready for clinical use yet. There's just too much noise in the data. But he imagines a future where a more sophisticated protein clock could help link up which people may be most vulnerable to diseases like early cancer, kidney disease, and more. (A California-based proteomics company called Seer announced last weekend that it is partnering with Korea University to study whether proteomics can help more quickly diagnose cancer in young people in their 20s and 30s.) "How beautiful could it be in the future?" Maier said. "Instead of three hours of clinical investigation, I would have a tool which guides me much, much better, with more validity towards interventions."
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Want to live to a healthy old age? Here's what a top doctor does based on hard science
Editor's note: The podcast Chasing Life With Dr. Sanjay Gupta explores the medical science behind some of life's mysteries big and small. You can listen to episodes here. Who among us wouldn't want to live a good life well into our 90s, especially if we could do it disease-free while still being as witty and spry as Betty White, as eloquent as Toni Morrison or as civically engaged as Jimmy Carter? But you'd need good genes to live that long, right? Not necessarily, according to Dr. Eric Topol, founding director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute in La Jolla, California, and former chairman of cardiovascular medicine at the Cleveland Clinic. For almost 20 years, Topol has been studying a group of 1,400 Super Agers, or people who reached the age of 80 and beyond without developing one of three common, chronic, age-related conditions (cancer, heart disease and neurodegenerative disease), as part of the Wellderly study. To his surprise, when his team conducted whole-genome sequencing on all the Wellderly study participants, the researchers found nothing genetic, across the board, that conferred an age and health advantage. Topol's new book, 'Super Agers: An Evidence-Based Approach to Longevity,' explores the other factors at play and the science that backs them up. He examines lifestyle factors such as diet, exercise and sleep. He also looks at new technologies including the following : polygenic risk scores that sift through a person's DNA to quantify disease risk; the new science of 'omics' (for example, proteomics to analyze the complete set of proteins expressed by a body) that can be used to produce organ clocks measuring how fast our individual organs are aging; and artificial intelligence to synthesize all available health data points. All these technologies show promise in helping more people, if not reach Super Ager status, then achieve a longer health span by either delaying the onset of disease or aggressively treating conditions to prevent progression and complications. Topol, who will soon turn 71, practices what he preaches. 'I hope to be (a Super Ager),' he told CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta, recently, on his podcast Chasing Life. 'If I can get another 10 or 15 years without an age-related disease, that'd be great. And I've really doubled down on the things that I can do to help get there.' Exactly which steps has the doctor-scientist who studies Super Agers taken to increase his odds of reaching their ranks? You can listen to the full episode here. 'I made extensive changes from the research, once we learned that it isn't in your genes … to achieve healthy aging, free of cancer, free of cardiovascular disease and free of neurodegenerative disease,' Topol said. One of the biggest changes Topol said he made was to his exercise routine. 'I used to only do aerobic exercise, and as a cardiologist, that was my thing,' he said. 'Now I do balance training and strength training (as well). It's an extensive difference. … And so, I'm more strong and fit than I've ever been.' In fact, exercise is so important that Topol ranks it as No. 1 on the list for anyone who wants to get started on the path of a longer life. 'It's free. And if you're not doing anything, if you're a sedentary, then start with walks, brisk walks if you can, and keep increasing it,' he said. 'Challenge yourself (with) hills and pace … if you are working up a sweat, that's a really good sign.' (Check with your doctor before starting any new exercise routine.) To get your upper body in shape, he recommends resistance bands, and to improve balance, he said to practice standing on one foot, then the other. 'These are all free or cost minimum,' he said, noting that with a few inexpensive items you can do this at home, no gym membership required. 'So work on that and then other things will start to fall in place. … If you exercise more, you'll sleep better, too.' Which brings us to the next major change Topol made. 'I realized how important (sleep) is because of 'glymphatics.' That was a new insight in the book: about deep sleep and getting these waste products out of your brain,' he said, referring to the recently discovered glymphatic system, which helps flush out waste products in the brain and central nervous system, much like the lymphatic system does for the rest of the body. 'I was a poor sleeper,' he confessed, so he worked 'extensively' on improving the different factors that could impact it. 'Things like … what do I eat? And when do I eat? Also hydrating, mostly early in the day … to have less interrupted sleep.' He added that for him fasting is 'detrimental' to his sleep, as are both exercising or eating a big meal too late in the evening. And, do not give short shrift to sleep regularity, Topol advised. 'I used to go to sleep all over the place (in terms of time), and now I'm very regimented, except for maybe one night a week,' he said, noting that this tweak was 'phenomenally effective' in levelling up his sleep game. As for diet, Topol (who hasn't touched red meat in 40 years but does eat fish) said he wasn't surprised the evidence showed that a plant-based diet with enough lean protein 'prevailed as the best.' 'What was interesting, though, is how toxic (and) pro inflammatory ultraprocessed foods were,' he said, adding that he does everything he can to minimize UPF — which he jokingly calls UFOs, or alien food . 'It's hard to get it to zero, but I've (made a) conscious effort.' Topol said he also increased his protein intake 'some,' due to his age and because he started strength training, 'but I don't go to toxic levels that are advocated by others, that have no evidence (and) that are pro-inflammatory.' He said he keeps protein to about 90 grams a day for his 180-pound (82-kilogram) frame, by adding nuts, legumes (including beans) and more fish, even canned tuna in water, to his diet. 'I generally eat a salad every night,' he said. 'Now I'm a little more conscious about having something with it. … But (it's) not the protein craze that's being advocated by some of the extremists.' What about supplements and vitamins? 'I don't rule out that they could help (if) you have a specific deficiency — if for some reason your vitamin D is very low, or your vitamin B12,' Topol said. But 'for healthy people who are not symptomatic (and) who take good care of themselves,' he said, 'there's no data to show that these provide any benefit' much less an antiaging one. 'I think they're a waste of money, and some of these supplements have potentially adverse effects,' he said. 'It's just infuriating because they're not regulated, so (marketers) can say anything, and people believe it and buy it.' When it comes to consuming alcohol, Topol said he keeps his drinking 'light,' to fewer than seven drinks per week, after which the risks start adding up quickly. He said it doesn't seem to affect his own sleep, but it might impact that of others, so he recommends watching out for that. Another top-of-the-list item: mental health and stress management. Topol mainly turns to exercise to help navigate both of these elements, but he said being out in nature is another often-overlooked route. 'The nature prescription is part of the book. There really is something to this,' he noted, adding that he takes advantage of San Diego's climate and location to do plenty of hiking and walking. 'It's good for mental health, it's good for stress and anxiety, just to be out in our environment.' It's never too late to start any or all of these lifestyle adjustments, Topol said. 'These diseases take 20 years at least (to develop). So, you get even more (bang) if you start in your 40s and 50s or 60s … but if you start when you're 70 (or) 80, you're still going to derive years of healthy aging, maybe not quite as many, but still,' he said. And because these common, chronic, age-related conditions — cancer, heart disease and neurodegenerative diseases — do take so long to fully manifest, Topol said we have time to intervene to change their trajectory. But to fully leverage that latency period before the symptoms of a disease appear, it's important to be aware of personal risk, so people and their doctors (and society more broadly) can focus prevention and early detection efforts on the right people at the right time. 'Knowing one's risk — that's the next part, which is: we're going to prevent these three diseases in the future. We can now, and we're going to even get better at that,' Topol said. Topol said he learned from his polygenic risk scores that he's at high risk for coronary artery disease, despite not having a family history. So, he has focused on getting his LDL cholesterol down. 'I've gotten it low, and perhaps I got more aggressive about that. I've checked my other lipids, like Lp(a) (lipoprotein[a]), so I feel like I've done everything I can to go into high prevent-mode for that.' Topol said wants to get his immunome (all the genes and proteins of his immune system) mapped, to measure how well his immune system is functioning. It's a measurement he believes will one day soon be commonplace for everyone. He already has data on 'every virus I've ever been exposed to and every autoantibody that I have.' He also plans on having his organ clocks measured, because different organs (such as the heart and brain) age at different rates, putting people at higher risk for certain diseases. 'I think it's going to be very helpful, because then I'll know (how) my heart organ clock correlates with my risk of heart disease. 'So those are some of the things I've done and/or I want to do,' he said. 'It's an extraordinary time in medicine, because we have a path to prevention,' Topol said, 'because of the way the science of aging (is developing), with these metrics like organ clocks and protein biomarkers and our genetics — all these layers of data — we are going to be able to prevent these diseases. And that's exciting. We've never done that before.' We hope these insights help you extend your health span. Listen to the full episode here. And join us next week on the Chasing Life podcast when we dive into the mysteries of memory. CNN Audio's Eryn Mathewson contributed to this report.
Time of India
22-05-2025
- Health
- Time of India
5 science-backed healthy aging tips from a longevity expert
Age like fine wine! Cardiologist and longevity researcher Dr. Eric Topol's 5 science-backed tips will help you age gracefully and healthily. Aging is an inevitable part of life. It's normal and natural to age, but nobody said it can't be done gracefully. You can age and still be healthy. You can celebrate your 70th birthday and still be fit as a fiddle. But how does one achieve it? Dr. Eric Topol, a renowned cardiologist and longevity researcher, has cracked the code of healthy aging. In his new book, Super Agers: An Evidence-Based Approach to Longevity , Topol has shared some simple and practical tips to stay healthy as you age. Exercise is non-negotiable for healthy aging. Topol, who is a fitness enthusiast, loves his aerobic exercise. Several studies have stressed the importance of resistance or strength training. A 2011 study explored the relationship between intensity and the effects of strength training in the elderly. 'Progressive strength training in the elderly is efficient, even with higher intensities, to reduce sarcopenia, and to retain motor function,' the study concluded. Topol incorporates a lot of resistance training into his routine. Even cheap bands can help you with this. While getting the recommended seven to nine hours of sleep per night is vital, experts now urge people to consider when they're sleeping as well. Sleep is something people tend to put on the back burner. But Topol emphasizes the importance of getting enough sleep. Though people think they need eight hours of sleep, studies show seven hours is optimum. Topol suggests maintaining a consistent early bedtime and tracking the sleep quality using smart gadgets. A 2024 systematic review exploring the link between sleep and healthy aging analyzed 14 studies and found that good sleep quality and moderate duration are generally associated with better health in older adults. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like The Cost Of Amusement Park Equipment From Mexico Might Surprise You Amusement Park Equipment | search ads Click Here Undo They found that healthy sleep, characterized by moderate duration and good quality, may play a key role in supporting healthy aging. Topol swears by a Mediterranean diet, which has been studied extensively and is ranked as one of the most sustainable eating patterns for health and longevity. A 2025 study on optimal dietary patterns for healthy aging followed 105,000 people for 30 years, and found that 9% made it to 70 without age-related diseases. These 9% of people ate a Mediterranean diet low in red meat and high in fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains. Mediterranean staples include olive oil, fish, and nuts. This diet, naturally high in fiber, is linked with a lower risk of colon cancer and other chronic diseases. While eating a healthy diet is crucial, it is also important to cut off certain foods that accelerate aging. Topol always ensures to read the food labels and avoid ultra-processed ingredients. He is very religious about it. Ultra-processed foods are linked to chronic diseases, and cutting back on them is a simple yet impactful step for healthy aging. RFK Jr. Openly Tells World To Exit 'Bloated' WHO As Global Health Officials Watch Silently Take steps to improve mental health Taking care of mental health is important when it comes to healthy aging. Topol recommends to spend time outdoors. 'I have started spending more time in nature. I take that seriously,' he said. Exposure to natural environments can reduce stress and improve mental well-being, and thereby support overall longevity. Practising yoga and meditation too are beneficial for mental health. One step to a healthier you—join Times Health+ Yoga and feel the change
USA Today
08-05-2025
- Health
- USA Today
Dr. Eric Topol shares a new vision for living longer and better
Dr. Eric Topol shares a new vision for living longer and better | The Excerpt Show Caption Hide Caption Healthspan overrides lifespan or longevity Dr. Eric Topol's new book "Super Agers" separates myth from fact in regards to living a longer and healthier life. On a special episode (first released on May 8, 2025) of The Excerpt podcast: What if the second half of life could be just as healthy, active, and fulfilling as the first? Drawing on the latest science, world-renowned cardiologist and researcher Dr. Eric Topol challenges outdated ideas about aging and reveals how factors like exercise, sleep, social connection and cutting-edge AI tools can help us extend not just our lifespan—but our healthspan. Dr. Topol joins The Excerpt to share insights from his new book "Super Agers: An Evidence-Based Approach to Longevity." Let us know what you think of this episode by sending an email to podcasts@ Hit play on the player below to hear the podcast and follow along with the transcript beneath it. This transcript was automatically generated, and then edited for clarity in its current form. There may be some differences between the audio and the text. Podcasts: True crime, in-depth interviews and more USA TODAY podcasts right here Dana Taylor: Hello and welcome to The Excerpt. I'm Dana Taylor. In an era where aging is often framed as something to resist or reverse, Dr. Eric Topol offers a far more empowering vision. What if the second half of our lives could be just as vibrant and healthy as the first? In his latest book, Super Agers, an evidence-based approach to longevity, the renowned cardiologist, researcher, and author lays out a bold data-driven roadmap to extending, not just how long we live, but how well we live. In addition to years of research, Dr. Topol has also been recognized by Time as one of the 100 most influential people leading change in the medical community. Dr. Topol, thank you for joining me. Dr. Eric Topol: Great to be with you, Dana. Dana Taylor: In the book you discuss the concept of health span versus lifespan. What's the difference and which one should people focus on to improve longevity? Dr. Eric Topol: Well, we don't really want live to 110 and be demented or have all sorts of other chronic diseases. But on the other hand, if we could live well into our 90s and have no chronic diseases, the big three age-related ones, cancer, cardiovascular, and neurodegenerative, that would be the goal. So I think most everyone would agree that health span overrides lifespan or longevity. Dana Taylor: You argue that genes play a surprisingly limited role in healthy aging despite decades of genomic research. What was the most surprising thing you learned from your study? Dr. Eric Topol: So some years ago we did a study we called the Wellderly, and we enrolled 1400 people, average age of almost 87, who had never had a chronic illness, an age-related disease. And we thought the whole genome sequencing was going to demystify everything. But as it turned out, we found very little. And so really the emphasis that has been put on our genes for healthy aging is misplaced. It's a small component, but there are many other factors, especially what I call lifestyle-plus factors, that appear to play the dominant role. Dr. Eric Topol shares a new vision for living longer and better Dr. Eric Topol's new book "Super Agers" separates myth from fact in regards to living a longer and healthier life. Dana Taylor: Well, you mentioned the profound impact of physical, regular physical activity, on health span. Can you elaborate on the types of exercises that are most beneficial? Dr. Eric Topol: Well, as a cardiologist, I would always advocate aerobic exercise. Like certainly you're walking and bicycling, treadmill, swimming, that sort of thing. But what has been really extraordinary in recent years is the data that supports strength or resistance training. As well as balance training, things like posture. But especially getting stronger as we get older, because our muscle mass is decreasing. And to counter that, to prevent frailty, to promote healthy aging, resistance training, which is advocated at least three times a week, is something that's really quite important. Dana Taylor: In an age of Ozempic and personalized medicine, how do you see the balance between behavioral changes and pharmaceutical solutions in promoting public health? Dr. Eric Topol: It's a great question, Dana, because the GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic caught us by surprise. Because, as I wrote in the book, for 20 years they were around for diabetes, but the people taking these medications with diabetes didn't have much weight loss. So we were misled. And now we're seeing not just the marked effects on weight loss, but also on many other conditions, even some not related to weight loss at all. But the overriding thing is the lifestyle factors. The exercise, the types of nutrition and diet, and that does include our body weight, and also of course sleep. But then the lifestyle factors extend to things like social isolation, time in nature, exposure to environmental toxins like small particulate air pollution, microplastics, forever chemicals, and the list goes on. But we have an admixture where lifestyle factors are the most important, but now we have a drug class that came out of nowhere in recent years that is probably the most momentous drug class due to its reduction of inflammation. And of course is now being tested in Alzheimer's in people who are not even overweight. Dana Taylor: As you mentioned, sleep is super important in maintaining health. Can you explain the role of the glymphatic system in sleep and its impact on brain health? Dr. Eric Topol: Yeah, so the glymphatics, not lymphatics, are the drainage system for our brain, which gets activated during deep sleep, the slow wave type of sleep. And that deep sleep is so essential. Unfortunately, as we get older, it gets decreased in the amount of time. It tends to come in the earlier phases of sleep, interestingly, not... you think deep that it would be late in the night, but it's not the case. And we want to maximize that because that's the best way we get our brains refreshed and get rid of the stuff that's in our brain through the glymphatic system, which is a relatively recent discovery, that there's this elaborate system for basically pumping out these toxins from our brain that accumulate each day. So sleep health is far more important to prevent these age-related diseases than we'd ever really recognized before. Dana Taylor: You emphasize the role of AI in building personalized health forecasts. What do you think is the greatest opportunity and the greatest risk of integrating AI into preventative medicine? Dr. Eric Topol: I think this is now the next frontier. It's so exciting to see this starting to take hold. If you have all of a person's data, and now we have tests that can predict Alzheimer's over 20 years before it happens, and all three of the big age-related diseases take at least 20 years to incubate. So if you have all of a person's data, and now that includes things like organ clocks from a blood sample, these new proteins like PTOW 217 for Alzheimer's and so-called epigenetic clocks. So the point here is that the science of aging has brought us all these new data types we never had before. So we can take a person and say, "You're not at risk for any of these three major diseases," or we can say, "Pinpoint, you're at risk for this disease," and say when. Not just that you're at risk. And so that gives us the ability to, with AI, it requires multimodal AI because it's billions of data points. But that gives us the ability to start to put a person under surveillance for that concern, that disease, and get all over it and prevent it. Something we've never been able to do in the history of medicine. Dana Taylor: I want to dig into environmental toxins because it's a significant concern in Super Agers. What are some common environmental exposures that people should be aware of? And how can they minimize their risk? Dr. Eric Topol: So this is something that's basically chasing our tails. We have all these new capabilities for promoting healthy aging and healthy longevity. But on the other hand, we're seeing increased exposure to air pollution, which is difficult to counter except for having air filtration in your home and being attentive to air quality. Then the next, of course, is the problem with microplastics, et cetera, getting to every part of our body and especially our heart arteries and our brain, and implicated in conditions like heart attacks, strokes, and higher risk of dementia. So how do we get rid of plastics? That's hard. We can certainly reduce the intake of things that are in plastics. Don't microwave things that are in plastic containers, don't use plastic any way we can avoid it. And that of course also applies to forever chemicals that are pervasive in so many things, where we unfortunately, Dana, don't have the national priority like they do in some parts of Europe and other parts of the world, to reduce the toll of these major environmental risks that are unfortunately mitigating the progress that we're making. So we can do some things at the individual and family level, but we also need things to occur at the national level. Dana Taylor: You explore the potential of personalized nutrition using AI in the book. How can AI revolutionize our approach to diet and nutrition for better outcomes? Dr. Eric Topol: So we don't know yet whether that will take hold, but it's a really intriguing prospect. And the point is we each metabolize the food that we eat, the things that we drink, totally differently. So if you and I had the exact same food, the amount, the exact same timing, one of us would have potentially a glucose spike and the other one would have no increase in glucose at all, and the same would be with other things like lipids. So the point being is that if we can understand what is the uniqueness of each of us, and we can do that starting now with sensors and other ways like our gut microbiome, which turns out to be very important, then perhaps we'll get to a point where we can say, these foods are not good for you because they're potentially going to increase your progression from pre-diabetes to diabetes. On the other hand, these foods might help you reduce your risk of cancer. And so each of us has propensity for either benefit or potential hazard from foods, and so a lot of work is being done to decode all that. And the NIH has a very big study that's ongoing, and hopefully over the years ahead we might be able to crack the case. But it's still something that's a prospect and not a reality yet. Dana Taylor: Recent investigations have cast doubt on the validity of Blue Zones. These are parts of the world that have high concentrations of people living longer and healthier lives like Okinawa, Japan, for example. Some critics are suggesting that factors like unreliable record-keeping and potential age misreporting may undermine claims of exceptional longevity in these regions. Given your emphasis on evidence-based approaches to aging, how do you assess the credibility of the Blue Zones concept and what lessons should we take away from this controversy when identifying models for healthy aging? Dr. Eric Topol: Yeah, I'm so glad you asked about that because now we have to consider the Blue Zones as a real myth. The more it's been looked into very carefully, the absence of evidence for the healthy aging longevity in these zones of the world has never been confirmed. Poor records and inability to confirm the data about these people that were thought to be these special, exceptional, healthy agers is a real problem. There's no question that we, as I present in the book, you know, a 98-year-old people who are completely healthy, never had an age-related chronic disease, but there doesn't appear to be any zone in the world that is special. There may be a cluster of people here and there like in Okinawa or Italy as was presented in Blue Zones. But it's been hyped up unfortunately to the nth degree, and it just lacks the substantial evidence to support it. Dana Taylor: Looking ahead, Super Agers discusses future possibilities for altering the aging process. What are some of the most exciting technological advancements on the horizon that could change how we age? Dr. Eric Topol: What excites me, and what I think is very different, is from this science of aging, that is we have all these clocks now we didn't have before. And so the near-term, one of those things we just talked about may click eventually, but none of them are there yet. And it may take years before any are shown to be safe and effective. But on the other hand, we can now predict a person's arc of age-related diseases now unlike ever before, and it's just going to keep getting better. And that's why I think the science of aging brings us today a lot of exciting potential. Because if we can suppress the three age-related big diseases, the big killers, that's accomplishing a huge amount, that doesn't necessitate one of these elegant approaches to reverse aging. Instead of reversing aging, it's preventing the age-related diseases. Dana Taylor: Dr. Eric Topol's, new book Super Agers is on bookshelves now. Eric, thank you for joining me on The Excerpt. Dr. Eric Topol: Thanks so much for having me, Dana. Dana Taylor: Thanks for watching. I'm Dana Taylor. I'll see you next time. And I'm going to do one quick thing. It's just for audio. Thanks to our senior producers, Shannon Rae Green and Kaylee Monaghan for their production assistance. Our executive producer is Laura Beatty. Let us know what you think of this episode by sending a note to podcasts@ Thanks for listening, I'm Dana Taylor. Taylor Wilson will be back tomorrow morning with another episode of The Excerpt.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Dr. Eric Topol shares a new vision for living longer and better
On a special episode (first released on May 8, 2025) of The Excerpt podcast: What if the second half of life could be just as healthy, active, and fulfilling as the first? Drawing on the latest science, world-renowned cardiologist and researcher Dr. Eric Topol challenges outdated ideas about aging and reveals how factors like exercise, sleep, social connection and cutting-edge AI tools can help us extend not just our lifespan—but our healthspan. Dr. Topol joins The Excerpt to share insights from his new book "Super Agers: An Evidence-Based Approach to Longevity." Let us know what you think of this episode by sending an email to podcasts@ Hit play on the player below to hear the podcast and follow along with the transcript beneath it. This transcript was automatically generated, and then edited for clarity in its current form. There may be some differences between the audio and the text. Podcasts: True crime, in-depth interviews and more USA TODAY podcasts right here Dana Taylor: Hello and welcome to The Excerpt. I'm Dana Taylor. In an era where aging is often framed as something to resist or reverse, Dr. Eric Topol offers a far more empowering vision. What if the second half of our lives could be just as vibrant and healthy as the first? In his latest book, Super Agers, an evidence-based approach to longevity, the renowned cardiologist, researcher, and author lays out a bold data-driven roadmap to extending, not just how long we live, but how well we live. In addition to years of research, Dr. Topol has also been recognized by Time as one of the 100 most influential people leading change in the medical community. Dr. Topol, thank you for joining me. Dr. Eric Topol: Great to be with you, Dana. Dana Taylor: In the book you discuss the concept of health span versus lifespan. What's the difference and which one should people focus on to improve longevity? Dr. Eric Topol: Well, we don't really want live to 110 and be demented or have all sorts of other chronic diseases. But on the other hand, if we could live well into our 90s and have no chronic diseases, the big three age-related ones, cancer, cardiovascular, and neurodegenerative, that would be the goal. So I think most everyone would agree that health span overrides lifespan or longevity. Dana Taylor: You argue that genes play a surprisingly limited role in healthy aging despite decades of genomic research. What was the most surprising thing you learned from your study? Dr. Eric Topol: So some years ago we did a study we called the Wellderly, and we enrolled 1400 people, average age of almost 87, who had never had a chronic illness, an age-related disease. And we thought the whole genome sequencing was going to demystify everything. But as it turned out, we found very little. And so really the emphasis that has been put on our genes for healthy aging is misplaced. It's a small component, but there are many other factors, especially what I call lifestyle-plus factors, that appear to play the dominant role. Dana Taylor: Well, you mentioned the profound impact of physical, regular physical activity, on health span. Can you elaborate on the types of exercises that are most beneficial? Dr. Eric Topol: Well, as a cardiologist, I would always advocate aerobic exercise. Like certainly you're walking and bicycling, treadmill, swimming, that sort of thing. But what has been really extraordinary in recent years is the data that supports strength or resistance training. As well as balance training, things like posture. But especially getting stronger as we get older, because our muscle mass is decreasing. And to counter that, to prevent frailty, to promote healthy aging, resistance training, which is advocated at least three times a week, is something that's really quite important. Dana Taylor: In an age of Ozempic and personalized medicine, how do you see the balance between behavioral changes and pharmaceutical solutions in promoting public health? Dr. Eric Topol: It's a great question, Dana, because the GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic caught us by surprise. Because, as I wrote in the book, for 20 years they were around for diabetes, but the people taking these medications with diabetes didn't have much weight loss. So we were misled. And now we're seeing not just the marked effects on weight loss, but also on many other conditions, even some not related to weight loss at all. But the overriding thing is the lifestyle factors. The exercise, the types of nutrition and diet, and that does include our body weight, and also of course sleep. But then the lifestyle factors extend to things like social isolation, time in nature, exposure to environmental toxins like small particulate air pollution, microplastics, forever chemicals, and the list goes on. But we have an admixture where lifestyle factors are the most important, but now we have a drug class that came out of nowhere in recent years that is probably the most momentous drug class due to its reduction of inflammation. And of course is now being tested in Alzheimer's in people who are not even overweight. Dana Taylor: As you mentioned, sleep is super important in maintaining health. Can you explain the role of the glymphatic system in sleep and its impact on brain health? Dr. Eric Topol: Yeah, so the glymphatics, not lymphatics, are the drainage system for our brain, which gets activated during deep sleep, the slow wave type of sleep. And that deep sleep is so essential. Unfortunately, as we get older, it gets decreased in the amount of time. It tends to come in the earlier phases of sleep, interestingly, not... you think deep that it would be late in the night, but it's not the case. And we want to maximize that because that's the best way we get our brains refreshed and get rid of the stuff that's in our brain through the glymphatic system, which is a relatively recent discovery, that there's this elaborate system for basically pumping out these toxins from our brain that accumulate each day. So sleep health is far more important to prevent these age-related diseases than we'd ever really recognized before. Dana Taylor: You emphasize the role of AI in building personalized health forecasts. What do you think is the greatest opportunity and the greatest risk of integrating AI into preventative medicine? Dr. Eric Topol: I think this is now the next frontier. It's so exciting to see this starting to take hold. If you have all of a person's data, and now we have tests that can predict Alzheimer's over 20 years before it happens, and all three of the big age-related diseases take at least 20 years to incubate. So if you have all of a person's data, and now that includes things like organ clocks from a blood sample, these new proteins like PTOW 217 for Alzheimer's and so-called epigenetic clocks. So the point here is that the science of aging has brought us all these new data types we never had before. So we can take a person and say, "You're not at risk for any of these three major diseases," or we can say, "Pinpoint, you're at risk for this disease," and say when. Not just that you're at risk. And so that gives us the ability to, with AI, it requires multimodal AI because it's billions of data points. But that gives us the ability to start to put a person under surveillance for that concern, that disease, and get all over it and prevent it. Something we've never been able to do in the history of medicine. Dana Taylor: I want to dig into environmental toxins because it's a significant concern in Super Agers. What are some common environmental exposures that people should be aware of? And how can they minimize their risk? Dr. Eric Topol: So this is something that's basically chasing our tails. We have all these new capabilities for promoting healthy aging and healthy longevity. But on the other hand, we're seeing increased exposure to air pollution, which is difficult to counter except for having air filtration in your home and being attentive to air quality. Then the next, of course, is the problem with microplastics, et cetera, getting to every part of our body and especially our heart arteries and our brain, and implicated in conditions like heart attacks, strokes, and higher risk of dementia. So how do we get rid of plastics? That's hard. We can certainly reduce the intake of things that are in plastics. Don't microwave things that are in plastic containers, don't use plastic any way we can avoid it. And that of course also applies to forever chemicals that are pervasive in so many things, where we unfortunately, Dana, don't have the national priority like they do in some parts of Europe and other parts of the world, to reduce the toll of these major environmental risks that are unfortunately mitigating the progress that we're making. So we can do some things at the individual and family level, but we also need things to occur at the national level. Dana Taylor: You explore the potential of personalized nutrition using AI in the book. How can AI revolutionize our approach to diet and nutrition for better outcomes? Dr. Eric Topol: So we don't know yet whether that will take hold, but it's a really intriguing prospect. And the point is we each metabolize the food that we eat, the things that we drink, totally differently. So if you and I had the exact same food, the amount, the exact same timing, one of us would have potentially a glucose spike and the other one would have no increase in glucose at all, and the same would be with other things like lipids. So the point being is that if we can understand what is the uniqueness of each of us, and we can do that starting now with sensors and other ways like our gut microbiome, which turns out to be very important, then perhaps we'll get to a point where we can say, these foods are not good for you because they're potentially going to increase your progression from pre-diabetes to diabetes. On the other hand, these foods might help you reduce your risk of cancer. And so each of us has propensity for either benefit or potential hazard from foods, and so a lot of work is being done to decode all that. And the NIH has a very big study that's ongoing, and hopefully over the years ahead we might be able to crack the case. But it's still something that's a prospect and not a reality yet. Dana Taylor: Recent investigations have cast doubt on the validity of Blue Zones. These are parts of the world that have high concentrations of people living longer and healthier lives like Okinawa, Japan, for example. Some critics are suggesting that factors like unreliable record-keeping and potential age misreporting may undermine claims of exceptional longevity in these regions. Given your emphasis on evidence-based approaches to aging, how do you assess the credibility of the Blue Zones concept and what lessons should we take away from this controversy when identifying models for healthy aging? Dr. Eric Topol: Yeah, I'm so glad you asked about that because now we have to consider the Blue Zones as a real myth. The more it's been looked into very carefully, the absence of evidence for the healthy aging longevity in these zones of the world has never been confirmed. Poor records and inability to confirm the data about these people that were thought to be these special, exceptional, healthy agers is a real problem. There's no question that we, as I present in the book, you know, a 98-year-old people who are completely healthy, never had an age-related chronic disease, but there doesn't appear to be any zone in the world that is special. There may be a cluster of people here and there like in Okinawa or Italy as was presented in Blue Zones. But it's been hyped up unfortunately to the nth degree, and it just lacks the substantial evidence to support it. Dana Taylor: Looking ahead, Super Agers discusses future possibilities for altering the aging process. What are some of the most exciting technological advancements on the horizon that could change how we age? Dr. Eric Topol: What excites me, and what I think is very different, is from this science of aging, that is we have all these clocks now we didn't have before. And so the near-term, one of those things we just talked about may click eventually, but none of them are there yet. And it may take years before any are shown to be safe and effective. But on the other hand, we can now predict a person's arc of age-related diseases now unlike ever before, and it's just going to keep getting better. And that's why I think the science of aging brings us today a lot of exciting potential. Because if we can suppress the three age-related big diseases, the big killers, that's accomplishing a huge amount, that doesn't necessitate one of these elegant approaches to reverse aging. Instead of reversing aging, it's preventing the age-related diseases. Dana Taylor: Dr. Eric Topol's, new book Super Agers is on bookshelves now. Eric, thank you for joining me on The Excerpt. Dr. Eric Topol: Thanks so much for having me, Dana. Dana Taylor: Thanks for watching. I'm Dana Taylor. I'll see you next time. And I'm going to do one quick thing. It's just for audio. Thanks to our senior producers, Shannon Rae Green and Kaylee Monaghan for their production assistance. Our executive producer is Laura Beatty. Let us know what you think of this episode by sending a note to podcasts@ Thanks for listening, I'm Dana Taylor. Taylor Wilson will be back tomorrow morning with another episode of The Excerpt. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dr. Eric Topol shares a new vision for living longer and better
