Beginner's guide to longevity research

I'll offer a contrarian view: longevity research, as in the current scope, is about as accurate and useful as Ray Kurzweil's predictions from the 90s. Let's take caloric restriction, for instance, which is all the rage. Trouble is, all of the evidence we have is in mice or lesser animals, and the comparison is animals on caloric restriction against animals being force fed to the point of obesity. Let me repeat that: in research that shows caloric restriction increasing lifespan…

Peter Thiel once said something along the lines that nobody is against aging research, because in practice what you’re solving for are problems everybody wants cures for, like Alzheimer’s, cancer, Parkinson’s, etc. I often think about that quote because aging is such an intractably hard problem, we’ve sort of collectively rationalized it as something “good”. You see it in many religious traditions. In the zeitgeist. That somehow death gives life meaning. Makes it good. But I’ve never found anybody who…

I’m a 51 year old interested amateur. While I’m hopeful bio/chemistry/genetic research will help enhance life quality/longevity my focus has been largely lifestyle to go along with a few supplements. Sleep: minimum of 7 hours Fitness: strength & movement, yoga/stretching, low impact long duration activity to protect joints Mental Fitness: intellectual challenges such as reading long-form and learning to code Mindfulness: managing stress/anxiety Engagement: with family/friends Environment: trying to maximise time…