“We’ve previously shown that age reversal is possible using gene therapy to turn on embryonic genes,” claims Sinclair. “Now we show it’s possible with chemical cocktails, a step towards affordable whole body rejuvenation.”
In research over the course of three years, Sinclair’s team at Harvard observed mice taking six cocktails that can reverse key hallmarks of aging by rejuvenating senescent or older deteriorating cells “without erasing cellular identity,” Sinclair says. “Studies on the optic nerve, brain tissue, kidney and muscle have shown promising results, with improved vision and extended lifespan in mice and, in April of this year, improved vision in monkeys. The new discovery offers the potential to reverse aging with a single pill, with applications from improving eyesight to effectively treating numerous age-related diseases.” Okay, asks Elon Musk, so what exactly is it?
What It Is
The new cocktail consists of a variety of molecules, including valproic acid, an anti-seizure medication used for migraine and mood disorders, and a drug used for cancer with anti-aging properties. Sinclair says the team is preparing for human cellular trials using gene therapy to reverse aging and confirms that human trials will be available within a decade. Said Sinclair, “There’s a race now between many groups to show chemicals can rejuvenate cells like gene therapy can. We envision a future where age-related diseases can be effectively treated and injuries repaired more efficiently…where the dream of a whole body rejuvenation becomes a reality.”
As for Sinclair, himself, the 54-year-old professor keeps a relatively strict daily schedule to stay healthy, which includes green matcha tea, polyphenols in a couple of spoonfuls of morning yogurt and an occasional bite of 80% dark chocolate. He considers himself phenotypically ten years younger than his actual age, as measured by metabolism, organ function and inflammation. “A lot of us think that when you’re in your twenties, you are impervious to aging and illness, but what we know now is that the epigenetic clock starts ticking from birth and that what we do in our twenties does affect our ultimate longevity,” he says. “Biological age is a much better representation of health status than birthday candles. Candles don’t tell you how well you’ve been living or how many years you’ve got left.”
David Sinclair’s Regimen
1.---Take Resveratrol. Wine-drinkers like this one, but neither the grape nor supplements found in most health stores provide enough resveratrol to make a difference. If you do find an adequate supplement, overdosing poses a risk for side effects like nausea and vomiting. According to the reliable Cleveland Clinic, you’re more likely to benefit from a whole food source than a micronutrient in supplement form.
2.---Skip Breakfast. Not me, boys and girls. But Sinclair eschews morning dining to put 16-18 hours between significant meals (I think 14.5 is enough, but nobody asked). Research shows that this type of “intermittent fasting” may lower the risk of diabetes, heart disease and dementia, three of the cornerstones of aging. Fasting, of course, is not for everyone and can pose a health risk, not to mention triggering those who struggle with eating disorders. Experts recommend starting with smaller fasts, making meals which are highly nutritious and staying hydrated.
3.---Avoid Sugar. Sinclair turns down sugar and meat, focusing on a plant-based diet. A typical dinner consists of rice, almonds and couscous, which doesn’t send one into swoons of delight. “I rarely eat anything other than plant-based and nut-based foods, including milk,” he tells Gentlemen’s Quarterly. Nor will he have a glass of wine, despite all the plaudits for the Mediterranean Diet. “I’m off dairy and alcohol, as well. Very rarely will I eat or drink any of those things, perhaps at a celebration.” He guiltily admits to an occasional french fry. “This diet made a huge difference in mere months to my blood biomarkers and epigenetic age,” Sinclair avows. “When I switched to the new diet, I got my memory back, as well. I’d been unable to remember phone numbers and key codes easily, now it’s simple. I feel I got back my 20-year-old brain. I just thought it was old age, but it wasn’t. It was my lifestyle.”
The 2000-Year-Old Man
The Renaissance philosopher Montaigne quipped that “death has us by the scruff of the neck at every moment,” but maybe he was wrong. While immortality might seem like the stuff of science fiction, it’s increasingly becoming the focus of real science. Back in 2013, Google launched Calico, a biotech firm whose objective was to “solve Death,” and the race was on. PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel immediately pledged to “join the fight” against death and several other prominent techies jumped on the bandwagon. In 2021, Amazon chairman Jeff Bezos (who also owns the Washington Post) invested heavily in Altos Labs, a company preparing to rejuvenate cells in order to reverse disease. Now there’s even a clinical-stage veterinary company called Loyal which is developing drugs intended to extend the lifespan of dogs.
We’ve been trying forever to live forever. One of our species’ oldest stories is “The Epic of Gilgamesh,” which deals with that very longing. Etched on clay tablets four millennia ago in Mesopotamia, it concerns King Gilgamesh, a wild bull of a man with gigantic muscles and a colossal ego. Forced to confront his own mortality after the death of his best friend, the King cries to the heavens, “Must I die, too?” In his grief, he morphs into a Mesopotamian Peter Thiel and sets out on a mission to overcome death. He fails, of course, but uncovers his own Truth along the way:
“Humans are born, they live, then they die, this is the order that the gods have decreed. But until the end comes, enjoy your life, spend it in happiness, not despair. Love the child who holds you by the hand, and give your wife pleasure in your embrace. That is the best way for a man to live.”
Ah, but the rest of humanity didn’t get the memo. The first emperor of China, Quin Shi Huang, who ruled in the third century B.C. was hellbent on living forever. He was so terrified of death, he outlawed any discussion of the subject in his court under penalty of….well….you know. One day. an enigmatic sorcerer named Xu Fu claimed he could grant the emperor immortality with his “elixir of life,” available only on a remote, magical island in the East China Sea. Obsessed with living forever, Quin took up drinking the new concoction and died at age 49 of mercury poisoning. His last words were “Where’s the damn FDA when you really need them?”
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| Bryan Johnson, would-be immortal |
The Believers
Peter Attia is a Canadian-American physician and the founder of Early Medical, a practice that applies the principles of Medicine to patients with a goal of lengthening their lifespans and simultaneously improving their healthspans. Attia has played a key role in promoting the benefits of nutritional ketosis, intermittent fasting and strategic exercise as powerful tools for enhancing longevity. He is also host of The Drive, one of the most popular podcasts covering health and medicine. His approach to longevity is one of the most conservative and realistic, paying particular attention to diet, caloric restriction, protein and muscle.
Bryan Johnson is an American entrepreneur, venture capitalist and writer who has made significant contributions to the field of biological longevity. He is the founder and CEO of Kernel, a company which aims to develop advanced neural interfaces to treat neurological diseases and enhance human cognition. Johnson is also the founder of OS Fund, a venture capital firm that invests in early-stage science and technology companies. Blueprint is a protocol developed by Johnson and a team of doctors which aims to measure all of his 70 organs and then maximally reverse the quantified age of each. Johnson will publicly document his protocols and results, allowing the public to be passengers on his longevity journey.
Aubrey de Grey, one of the grandfathers of longevity research, is an English author and biomedical gerontologist who has made significant contributions to the field of biological longevity. He is the author of “The Mitochondrial Free Radical Theory of Aging,” and co-author of “Ending Aging,” and is known for his view that medical technology may enable human beings alive today not to die from age-related causes. De Grey is the founder and chief science officer of the Methuselah Foundation, a non-profit that aims to extend human lifespan. He has proposed a framework called Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence (SENS), which aims to prevent or reverse age-related damage in the body. The SENS approach involves repairing or replacing damaged cells, proteins and other molecules in the body that contribute to aging. De Grey’s work has been widely recognized and he has received numerous awards for his contributions to the field of anti-aging research.
The Rest Of The Story
Immortality….life-extension…. or anti-aging, as researchers soberly put it….is the next Big Thing. Estimates put the industry’s worth at a staggering $610 billion by 2025. Interested parties are faced with the formidable task of sorting through mountains of promises to separate the wheat from the chaff. Can we get a little help from Consumer Reports here? The companies doing this work are all new and untested. There is no Sears & Roebuck offering money-back guarantees, and the goods and services they offer are not cheap.
Would you like to send in a blood sample to determine your biological age? Someone will be glad to help you out for $550. For quite a bit more, clinics like Cenegenics, headquartered in Las Vegas with 30 offspring nationwide including Jacksonville, will provide you with an all-day session which includes compiling a complete medical history and lifestyle assessment, a lengthy physical evaluation, DEXA Scan, VO2 Max test, CIMT test, neurocognitive assessment, muscular strength evaluation, coordination test, diet advice and a partridge in a prune tree. The doctors are charismatic and very professional. If you’re Bill Killeen, they’ll tell you to reduce your carbs, take Testosterone (which I do, in small injectable amounts) and Human Growth Hormone (which I don’t). My experience was over 20 years ago in Vegas at a cost of $1000. Today, the same service costs five times that much, about the same as an executive physical at the Mayo Clinic.
All of us---except me and Woody Allen---are going to die. If we don’t really mind, no problem. If we do, we’ve got options. The medical community tells us that animal studies suggest that a 10-50% reduction in normal calorie intake will increase human lifespan. Staying physically active, avoiding smoking, moderating alcohol, eschewing chronic stress and nurturing your social circle all help. Having something to look forward to is critical, and you’ve go that taken care of with The Flying Pie every Thursday. But you might want to keep an eye on those wild and crazy guys obsessed with life extension. The human body might not tolerate eternal life whatever the enhancements, but who’s to say it won’t tolerate 120 years with a little help? Obviously, included in that assistance will be the ability to remain physically viable, to enjoy a reasonable lifestyle. Motivated researchers are working on it, massive sums are being applied, significant discoveries are being made. You’ll want to hang around for “The Very Last Tango, No Kidding” in 2035, right?
Don't worry, we'll have plenty of robotic assistants and a fleet of those electric wheelchairs with lights.
That's all, folks...
