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Lifespan: Why We Age-and Why We Don't Have To
Summary
From an acclaimed Harvard professor and one of Time’s most influential people, this paradigm-shifting audiobook shows how almost everything we think we know about aging is wrong, offers a front-row seat to the amazing global effort to slow, stop, and reverse aging, and calls listeners to consider a future where aging can be treated.
For decades, experts have believed that we are at the mercy of our genes and that natural damage to our genes — the kind that inevitably happens as we get older — makes us become sick and grow old.
But what if everything you think you know about aging is wrong? What if aging is a disease — and that disease is treatable?
In Lifespan, one of the world’s foremost experts on aging and genetics reveals a groundbreaking new theory that will forever change the way we think about why we age and what we can do about it. Aging isn’t immutable; we can have far more control over it than we realize. This eye-opening and provocative work takes us to the front lines of research that is pushing the boundaries on our perceived scientific limitations, revealing incredible breakthroughs — many from Dr. David Sinclair’s own lab — that demonstrate how we can slow down, or even reverse, the genetic clock. The key is activating newly discovered vitality genes — the decedents of an ancient survival circuit that is both the cause of aging and the key to reversing it. Dr. Sinclair shares the emerging technologies and simple lifestyle changes — such as intermittent fasting, cold exposure, and exercising with the right intensity — that have been shown to help lead to longer lives.
Lifespan provides a road map for taking charge of our own health destiny and a bold new vision for the future when humankind is able to live to be 100 years young.
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Reviews
The writer is interestingly optimistic in a a not foolish way. He presented great findings in aging.
Wait, you make your own yogurt? What else aren’t you telling us?
But seriously, this book was eye-opening. It really does deliver on its promise of a back-stage pass to a lot of great cutting-edge research into the big picture of human health, genetics, and aging. It is a great starting-point to really understanding what we can do (both now and in the near future) to increase our “healthspan.”
I really appreciated the ethical and socio-political chapters at the end of the book. The author duo does a great job covering a LOT of good science and its implications.
I actually finished the audiobook and then immediately re-read it because there were so many great details that I wanted to keep straight.
Looking forward to following up on the outcome of this line of research for “many years to come.”
But seriously, this book was eye-opening. It really does deliver on its promise of a back-stage pass to a lot of great cutting-edge research into the big picture of human health, genetics, and aging. It is a great starting-point to really understanding what we can do (both now and in the near future) to increase our “healthspan.”
I really appreciated the ethical and socio-political chapters at the end of the book. The author duo does a great job covering a LOT of good science and its implications.
I actually finished the audiobook and then immediately re-read it because there were so many great details that I wanted to keep straight.
Looking forward to following up on the outcome of this line of research for “many years to come.”
Great book! Definitely an eye opener! Check it out ?!
Highly informative and mind boggling book about the latest discoveries on ageing and human health in general.
Important. Well written. Well read. Thank you to the author.
An eye opening book with research base data and incredible and understandable explanations. Made me think about family members and give then the understanding that aging is just a currable disease.
For informative, inspiring and fun to listen to. It’s defiantly worth listening to in my opinion.
In Lifespan, Professor Sinclair presents the Information Theory of Aging and provides ample evidence to support his theory. If his current techniques work as well in humans as they do in model organisms, we will see a step function change in medicine. This should extend the healthy lifespan of human beings and save the economy trillions of dollars. David Sinclair is a tenured professor at Harvard Medical School.
Quite scary, but very interesting. This book is not a self help one, instead it tries to show what has been done in order to see aging as a disease and how to slow it.
An original and thought provoking book about the future of health research.
Words like powerful, moving, inspirational, and paradigm shifting, appropriate as they might be, fail to capture the true significance of this work to the human condition. I am at once profoundly optimistic and deeply troubled by the ramifications of Sinclair’s words and work. Like his fictional alien race of jurors, I’m not convinced we are ready as a species to accept this new paradigm, or that we even deserve it. And I have good reason to feel that way. I teach in an American public school, going on 12 years now, and while I have known dozens of bright, willing, eager, and grateful students, they are the minority. Blessed with the freedoms, advances, and opportunities that their ancestors could not have imagined, the majority of students today simply stare in dull apathy before bolting for the door and getting back on their cell phones, if they bother to wait until leaving the room. And a not insignificant minority actively work to degrade the system that has been established to keep us all from slipping back into medieval ignorance. And I work in a relatively affluent school district in a relatively affluent and educated part of the country-the Austin area of central Texas.
I did not start this review with the intention of veering off into a critique of the American education system or its students, but that does show how thought provoking this book has been and will likely continue to be for many months and years to come. I think these, and the many potential issues Sinclair raises in his work, should be addressed before we go too far down this road. I am not convinced we are in a position to wisely shoulder the responsibility of the longevity he predicts. However, his arguments ring true, and despite my trepidation, I am eager to see his research, and that of other minds in his field, play out on the world stage. And I plan on sharing it with my middle school science students.
I did not start this review with the intention of veering off into a critique of the American education system or its students, but that does show how thought provoking this book has been and will likely continue to be for many months and years to come. I think these, and the many potential issues Sinclair raises in his work, should be addressed before we go too far down this road. I am not convinced we are in a position to wisely shoulder the responsibility of the longevity he predicts. However, his arguments ring true, and despite my trepidation, I am eager to see his research, and that of other minds in his field, play out on the world stage. And I plan on sharing it with my middle school science students.
Amazing listening over 2 days. Amazing narrative from the author itself ☺️
Exceptional information on the state of longevity with a positive outlook on humanity.
This is definitely worth a listen if you find David Sinclair's work even mildly interesting. The depth of research and information is excellently brought together to paint a really picture of what the future of aging and human health could look like. Along with this he discusses some very important questions about humanity, aging and the journey ahead. Thank you to all involved across this field of research. ?