5 ms·

Proper sleep, a complete diet, minimizing stress (I'm personally biased towards meditation), intermittent fasting, and vigorous cardiovascular exercise compleme

Proper sleep, a complete diet, minimizing stress (I'm personally biased towards meditation), intermittent fasting, and vigorous cardiovascular exercise complemented by strength training will by far have the most impact in maximizing your natural lifespan. You shouldn't look at doing anything else until you've at minimum mastered all of the listed items above. Nothing else will have as much outsized impact.

tempsy 7y ago
bunch of research into metformin for anti-aging, which is very cheap
- chrisco255 7y ago
  How do you get a prescription for it if you don't have diabetes?
  - tempsy 7y ago
    you can't really, unless you have a doctor who is willing to. otherwise only illegally.
Japhy_Ryder 7y ago
A vegan/plant-based diet and now we're talking! I like this list a lot!
- on_and_off 7y ago
  Agree that eating meat at every meal is a dumb idea but is there much difference between a plant based diet and a mediterranean one in this regard ?
  - on_and_off 7y ago
    I guess not
- lawrenceyan 7y ago
  There's very little evidence that completely abstaining from meat (animal based protein) brings any meaningful advantages from the perspective of life span. In fact in general, it's far more difficult to build a complete diet eating vegan only. I of course do think there's a moral argument to a vegan lifestyle, and am a definitely a strong proponent on that end. Personally, I think a vegetarian diet strikes a better balance that's also more sustainable in the long term, assuming that you also do care about maximizing life span as well.
  - Japhy_Ryder 7y ago
    I think you've got some homework to do :-) https://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/ https://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/
    - lawrenceyan 7y ago
      Your link has some great information. Plants are highly nutritious, and people who don't get enough of them are probably unlikely to be as healthy as they could be. That, however, doesn't preclude meat being beneficial as well. It's not an analog one is better than the other, and it doesn't mean you can't build a complete diet being vegan either. It's possible, in fact, to build a complete diet eating meat only as well if you really wanted to. Generally though, it's far more difficult, and you have to be pretty meticulous about what you eat in addition to probably having to supplement additional micronutrients into your diet to do so.
  - jcadam 7y ago
    I abstain from red meat, but I eat plenty of chicken and fish...
    - pccole 7y ago
      red meat is a good source of heme iron and vitamin b12. I agree with my coworker, a little steak a few days every month is good for you.
apsec112 7y ago
What makes sense to do personally is very different from what makes sense to research as a medical device or drug candidate. If a therapy has a 10% chance of extending lifespan by ten years, it's marginal for any particular person (given the current evidence), but a great candidate for a clinical trial.
- lawrenceyan 7y ago
  Oh, I don't disagree. There's the entire burgeoning field of nootropics from which you can pick and choose as many supplements / drugs as you could want to test. An interesting point you might find, is that the nootropics which often have the greatest effect are the ones that help to deal with one or more of the items listed above. For example, looking at some of the most common "life-extending / anti-aging" supplements people use which might hold promise of clinical efficacy: [melatonin] -> proper sleep (usually there's an underlying issue of anxiety, stress, bad posture, sleep apnea, etc. that's being supplemented here) [an innumerable count of different micronutrients] -> complete diet (those that see the most benefits are people that have deficiencies in those areas whether due to poor diet or genetic mutations from birth that lower efficiency of production but perhaps aren't so noticeable that they result in life threatening effects) [metformin] -> intermittent fasting (which really ends up being the process of autophagy that you want to occur)
throwaway_tech 7y ago
>Proper sleep, a complete diet, minimizing stress (I'm personally biased towards meditation), intermittent fasting, and vigorous cardiovascular exercise complemented by strength training Yes, but the problem is this is such a broad brush stroke. For example, most people who are chronically stressed will generally never be able to obtain relief. There is a common joke about abs being made in the kitchen not in the weight room, and another one about not being able to outrun a poor diet. The truth is the best diet in the world, cardio and strength training will never overcome the damaging effects of cortisol as a result of chronic stress. The same for proper sleep. Its not just about 6-8 hours, its about quality. If you aren't getting quality sleep, most people don't have a solution. Then when they look for solutions its generally a bombardment of sleep products (from beds, to pillows, to supplements) that are backed by million/billion dollar companies that are targeting you when you perform a search for information/help. As to intermittent fasting, that has become a major fad since the Nobel Prize for Autophagy (with the most popular implementation being a 8/16 time restricted eating "fast"). In other words the goal is to trigger the body to begin consuming/recycling dead cells and other cellular waste; however, this typically isn't triggered by time restricted eating, but requires longer periods of fasting (usually kicking in around after 20-24 hours of fasting). Finally "a complete diet", not only is there no general consensus what that is, you generally can't even have a conversation about diet without triggering a flame war. It doesn't matter if you are WFPB, keto, vegan, vegetarian, paleo, carnivore...not only will people oppose your diet, they will aggressively attack it. I remember I once mentioned "detoxing" and couldn't believe people referring to it as voodoo, and telling me there is no such thing as detoxing the body, but then when I ask them what the function of the liver and kidneys are, and they had no idea.
- maxduckworth 7y ago
  How would you go about reducing chronic stress? Or are the causes of chronic stress so differentiated that there isn't a prescription you can make? Also, how did you go about detoxing, in your case?
- lawrenceyan 7y ago
  > most people who are chronically stressed will generally never be able to obtain relief This really stood out to me. If this is how you feel, I strongly recommend trying out meditation. I at one point in my studies while in college felt the same, and it really is night versus day in being able to experience a life without constant stress/anxiety. > The same for proper sleep. Its not just about 6-8 hours, its about quality. If you aren't getting quality sleep, most people don't have a solution. Stress/anxiety from above is generally the most common cause of poor sleep. Fixing that will give quality sleep for the majority of people. The next thing to try is to check with your doctor whether you have sleep apnea as that's probably the second most common trigger. For some, sleep apnea is treatable with better sleeping posture and for others it will require more active work to resolve. A note that obesity is the most common cause of sleep apnea. The third most common cause is likely some kind of thyroid condition. More than that is probably going to be a case by case basis where you'll have to individually look at your genetic profile through something like SNPedia (https://www.snpedia.com/index.php/SNPedia https://www.snpedia.com/index.php/SNPedia) to try and pinpoint your underlying issue. Usually though, the first three things will cover the vast majority of people looking for better sleep. > In other words the goal is to trigger the body to begin consuming/recycling dead cells and other cellular waste; however, this typically isn't triggered by time restricted eating, but requires longer periods of fasting (usually kicking in around after 20-24 hours of fasting For most normal people, it's unrealistic to be able to do day fasts. That's why the 8/16 method is so popular. You'll still see benefits as you are incorrect that, there has to be a strict limit of precisely 20 hours to get beneficial effects. Autophagy like any other biological process in the body is a series of continuous interlinking upregulating and downregulating mechanisms that ensure homeostasis. Autophagy is always happening. It's just that the longer you fast, the more your body gets tilted towards consuming/recycling until of course you end up in starvation which is effectively just extreme autophagy. > Finally "a complete diet", not only is there no general consensus what that is, you generally can't even have a conversation about diet without triggering a flame war. A complete diet to the best of our knowledge, consists of getting enough macronutrients like protein, lipids, and carbohydrates in addition to an immense number of different micronutrients that while seemingly daunting in size are actually relatively easy to get enough of as long as you eat a diverse mixture of different foods. If that answer doesn't satisfy you, there have been many different studies and current ongoing ones as well to try and pinpoint all the essential trace nutrients the human body needs to survive. From the ones that we've been able to gather over the years, if you were to solely supplement yourself based on those listed, you'd probably be fine. Though it's likely that there would be some things missing.
markkat 7y ago
Agreed. If you want to add to it, there's evidence that sauna and donating blood have benefits as well. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25705824 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25705824 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26098293 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26098293
Erlich_Bachman 7y ago
This post is poorly researched or misguided relative to the topic at hand. We are discussing drugs(or other systemic measures or therapies) that make people younger. The only thing that you can manage to do if you do all those things you listed perfectly is to come close to your theoretical maximum lifespan that is already preset in your biology/genetics. What we are trying to do with these drugs is to increase that biological span, the base span that you are currently always limited at, regardless of how many broccoli you eat or how many steps you make each day. Those are not the same endeavors, they don't work in the same way (although sometimes they will overlap of course). Please see this quote from Aubrey de Grey: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPyObli0ezA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPyObli0ezA It is not enough to just recommend people to have a good lifestyle. That is a plus, but that will not get humanity to regular 100+ of healthy life years. We need actual new biological or genetic technology to do this.
- lawrenceyan 7y ago
  I'm sorry to disappoint you, drugs (defined by the simple macromolecules we know them to be today) can supplement your body in doing only what it is already capable of. Increasing lifespan more than that requires an entirely new paradigm or class of therapeutics. Like you said, we'll need entirely new biological/genetic technology to address the system-wide mutation and degradation of the body that inevitably occurs through the progression of time. That requires going into the realm of biotech/nanotechnology/etc. which as of now, we are still very far away from being able to produce. It will require many more years of basic research in a plethora of different fields before we can even begin to think about it in fact. Your best bet if you want to make it all the way to then is to follow the steps listed above.
  - staticassertion 7y ago
    > drugs (defined by the simple macromolecules we know them to be today) can supplement your body in doing only what it is already capable of. Lots of drugs do things that your body is not capable of, and many drugs augment the way your body works in a way that is not possible without an external compound.

tempsy 7y ago

bunch of research into metformin for anti-aging, which is very cheap

chrisco255 7y ago
How do you get a prescription for it if you don't have diabetes?
- tempsy 7y ago
  you can't really, unless you have a doctor who is willing to. otherwise only illegally.

Japhy_Ryder 7y ago

A vegan/plant-based diet and now we're talking! I like this list a lot!

on_and_off 7y ago
Agree that eating meat at every meal is a dumb idea but is there much difference between a plant based diet and a mediterranean one in this regard ?
- on_and_off 7y ago
  I guess not
lawrenceyan 7y ago
There's very little evidence that completely abstaining from meat (animal based protein) brings any meaningful advantages from the perspective of life span. In fact in general, it's far more difficult to build a complete diet eating vegan only. I of course do think there's a moral argument to a vegan lifestyle, and am a definitely a strong proponent on that end. Personally, I think a vegetarian diet strikes a better balance that's also more sustainable in the long term, assuming that you also do care about maximizing life span as well.
- Japhy_Ryder 7y ago
  I think you've got some homework to do :-) https://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/ https://nutritionfacts.org/topics/lifespan/
  - lawrenceyan 7y ago
    Your link has some great information. Plants are highly nutritious, and people who don't get enough of them are probably unlikely to be as healthy as they could be. That, however, doesn't preclude meat being beneficial as well. It's not an analog one is better than the other, and it doesn't mean you can't build a complete diet being vegan either. It's possible, in fact, to build a complete diet eating meat only as well if you really wanted to. Generally though, it's far more difficult, and you have to be pretty meticulous about what you eat in addition to probably having to supplement additional micronutrients into your diet to do so.
- jcadam 7y ago
  I abstain from red meat, but I eat plenty of chicken and fish...
  - pccole 7y ago
    red meat is a good source of heme iron and vitamin b12. I agree with my coworker, a little steak a few days every month is good for you.

apsec112 7y ago

What makes sense to do personally is very different from what makes sense to research as a medical device or drug candidate. If a therapy has a 10% chance of extending lifespan by ten years, it's marginal for any particular person (given the current evidence), but a great candidate for a clinical trial.

lawrenceyan 7y ago
Oh, I don't disagree. There's the entire burgeoning field of nootropics from which you can pick and choose as many supplements / drugs as you could want to test. An interesting point you might find, is that the nootropics which often have the greatest effect are the ones that help to deal with one or more of the items listed above. For example, looking at some of the most common "life-extending / anti-aging" supplements people use which might hold promise of clinical efficacy: [melatonin] -> proper sleep (usually there's an underlying issue of anxiety, stress, bad posture, sleep apnea, etc. that's being supplemented here) [an innumerable count of different micronutrients] -> complete diet (those that see the most benefits are people that have deficiencies in those areas whether due to poor diet or genetic mutations from birth that lower efficiency of production but perhaps aren't so noticeable that they result in life threatening effects) [metformin] -> intermittent fasting (which really ends up being the process of autophagy that you want to occur)

throwaway_tech 7y ago

>Proper sleep, a complete diet, minimizing stress (I'm personally biased towards meditation), intermittent fasting, and vigorous cardiovascular exercise complemented by strength training Yes, but the problem is this is such a broad brush stroke. For example, most people who are chronically stressed will generally never be able to obtain relief. There is a common joke about abs being made in the kitchen not in the weight room, and another one about not being able to outrun a poor diet. The truth is the best diet in the world, cardio and strength training will never overcome the damaging effects of cortisol as a result of chronic stress. The same for proper sleep. Its not just about 6-8 hours, its about quality. If you aren't getting quality sleep, most people don't have a solution. Then when they look for solutions its generally a bombardment of sleep products (from beds, to pillows, to supplements) that are backed by million/billion dollar companies that are targeting you when you perform a search for information/help. As to intermittent fasting, that has become a major fad since the Nobel Prize for Autophagy (with the most popular implementation being a 8/16 time restricted eating "fast"). In other words the goal is to trigger the body to begin consuming/recycling dead cells and other cellular waste; however, this typically isn't triggered by time restricted eating, but requires longer periods of fasting (usually kicking in around after 20-24 hours of fasting). Finally "a complete diet", not only is there no general consensus what that is, you generally can't even have a conversation about diet without triggering a flame war. It doesn't matter if you are WFPB, keto, vegan, vegetarian, paleo, carnivore...not only will people oppose your diet, they will aggressively attack it. I remember I once mentioned "detoxing" and couldn't believe people referring to it as voodoo, and telling me there is no such thing as detoxing the body, but then when I ask them what the function of the liver and kidneys are, and they had no idea.

maxduckworth 7y ago
How would you go about reducing chronic stress? Or are the causes of chronic stress so differentiated that there isn't a prescription you can make? Also, how did you go about detoxing, in your case?
lawrenceyan 7y ago
> most people who are chronically stressed will generally never be able to obtain relief This really stood out to me. If this is how you feel, I strongly recommend trying out meditation. I at one point in my studies while in college felt the same, and it really is night versus day in being able to experience a life without constant stress/anxiety. > The same for proper sleep. Its not just about 6-8 hours, its about quality. If you aren't getting quality sleep, most people don't have a solution. Stress/anxiety from above is generally the most common cause of poor sleep. Fixing that will give quality sleep for the majority of people. The next thing to try is to check with your doctor whether you have sleep apnea as that's probably the second most common trigger. For some, sleep apnea is treatable with better sleeping posture and for others it will require more active work to resolve. A note that obesity is the most common cause of sleep apnea. The third most common cause is likely some kind of thyroid condition. More than that is probably going to be a case by case basis where you'll have to individually look at your genetic profile through something like SNPedia (https://www.snpedia.com/index.php/SNPedia https://www.snpedia.com/index.php/SNPedia) to try and pinpoint your underlying issue. Usually though, the first three things will cover the vast majority of people looking for better sleep. > In other words the goal is to trigger the body to begin consuming/recycling dead cells and other cellular waste; however, this typically isn't triggered by time restricted eating, but requires longer periods of fasting (usually kicking in around after 20-24 hours of fasting For most normal people, it's unrealistic to be able to do day fasts. That's why the 8/16 method is so popular. You'll still see benefits as you are incorrect that, there has to be a strict limit of precisely 20 hours to get beneficial effects. Autophagy like any other biological process in the body is a series of continuous interlinking upregulating and downregulating mechanisms that ensure homeostasis. Autophagy is always happening. It's just that the longer you fast, the more your body gets tilted towards consuming/recycling until of course you end up in starvation which is effectively just extreme autophagy. > Finally "a complete diet", not only is there no general consensus what that is, you generally can't even have a conversation about diet without triggering a flame war. A complete diet to the best of our knowledge, consists of getting enough macronutrients like protein, lipids, and carbohydrates in addition to an immense number of different micronutrients that while seemingly daunting in size are actually relatively easy to get enough of as long as you eat a diverse mixture of different foods. If that answer doesn't satisfy you, there have been many different studies and current ongoing ones as well to try and pinpoint all the essential trace nutrients the human body needs to survive. From the ones that we've been able to gather over the years, if you were to solely supplement yourself based on those listed, you'd probably be fine. Though it's likely that there would be some things missing.

markkat 7y ago

Agreed. If you want to add to it, there's evidence that sauna and donating blood have benefits as well. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25705824 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25705824 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26098293 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26098293

Erlich_Bachman 7y ago

This post is poorly researched or misguided relative to the topic at hand. We are discussing drugs(or other systemic measures or therapies) that make people younger. The only thing that you can manage to do if you do all those things you listed perfectly is to come close to your theoretical maximum lifespan that is already preset in your biology/genetics. What we are trying to do with these drugs is to increase that biological span, the base span that you are currently always limited at, regardless of how many broccoli you eat or how many steps you make each day. Those are not the same endeavors, they don't work in the same way (although sometimes they will overlap of course). Please see this quote from Aubrey de Grey: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPyObli0ezA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPyObli0ezA It is not enough to just recommend people to have a good lifestyle. That is a plus, but that will not get humanity to regular 100+ of healthy life years. We need actual new biological or genetic technology to do this.

lawrenceyan 7y ago
I'm sorry to disappoint you, drugs (defined by the simple macromolecules we know them to be today) can supplement your body in doing only what it is already capable of. Increasing lifespan more than that requires an entirely new paradigm or class of therapeutics. Like you said, we'll need entirely new biological/genetic technology to address the system-wide mutation and degradation of the body that inevitably occurs through the progression of time. That requires going into the realm of biotech/nanotechnology/etc. which as of now, we are still very far away from being able to produce. It will require many more years of basic research in a plethora of different fields before we can even begin to think about it in fact. Your best bet if you want to make it all the way to then is to follow the steps listed above.
- staticassertion 7y ago
  > drugs (defined by the simple macromolecules we know them to be today) can supplement your body in doing only what it is already capable of. Lots of drugs do things that your body is not capable of, and many drugs augment the way your body works in a way that is not possible without an external compound.