Anti-Aging Effects

Ageing research has converged on a set of interacting mechanisms — genomic instability, telomere attrition, epigenetic drift, loss of proteostasis, mitochondrial dysfunction, cellular senescence, stem cell exhaustion and chronic low-grade inflammation. Interventions are judged by whether they act on those mechanisms and, crucially, whether they extend the healthy years rather than simply the total. The gap between what works in models and what is demonstrated in humans is wide, and worth being blunt about. Caloric restriction extends lifespan across many species; in humans the CALERIE trial showed improved cardiometabolic markers and a slowed pace of epigenetic ageing over two years, but no lifespan data exists and none realistically will. Exercise has the most robust human evidence of any intervention for healthspan, reducing all-cause mortality across every large cohort study. Metformin and rapamycin are in trials. Supplements marketed for longevity — NAD+ precursors, pterostilbene, resveratrol, spermidine, senolytics — have mechanistic plausibility and encouraging biomarker data, and no human outcome data. The practical position is that the foundations do the work: sleep, exercise, protein sufficiency, metabolic health, no smoking, moderate or no alcohol and social connection. Supplements operate at the margin.

Build from the base upward. Exercise is non-negotiable: 150 minutes of moderate aerobic work weekly plus two resistance sessions, since muscle mass and cardiorespiratory fitness are the two strongest modifiable predictors of healthy ageing. Protect sleep at seven to nine hours with a consistent schedule, as sleep drives glymphatic clearance and growth hormone release. Eat a largely whole-food pattern with 1.2-1.6 g of protein per kg body weight to defend against sarcopenia, and keep visceral fat low. Address metabolic health directly — fasting insulin and HbA1c in optimal rather than merely normal range. Then, and only then, consider adjuncts: vitamin D to sufficiency, omega-3, magnesium, and if you wish, the longevity-adjacent compounds such as NAD+ precursors, pterostilbene or spermidine, understanding that these rest on biomarker and animal data rather than human outcomes.

• •Resistance training twice weekly to preserve muscle mass
• •150+ minutes of aerobic exercise weekly
• •Seven to nine hours of consistent sleep
• •Adequate protein intake, 1.2-1.6 g per kg
• •Maintaining low visceral fat
• •No smoking; minimal alcohol
• •Strong social connection, a consistent predictor in longevity cohorts