Lifespan : Why We Age – and Why We Don’t Have To

This is a fascinating book covering the latest advances (including from his lab at the Harvard Medical School in Boston and others) in ageing research.Dr Sinclair starts by discussing our attitudes towards ageing – most people think of it as inevitable. As a result, while many serious diseases such as cancer, heart diseases, dementia and others have received considerable funding, ageing still continues to receive a small fraction of that. Also, grants awarded to ageing are often used up for research into diseases more prevalent typically in old age (such as dementia), rather than ageing itself. The fact though is that ageing leaves you more susceptible to many diseases and also invariably affects quality of life for many. The advances in medicine have improved the average age by greatly reducing early deaths and fighting diseases. Humankind has so far however not been able to raise the maximum age – very few make it past 100.Ageing need not be considered inevitable says Dr Sinclair, and should rightfully be declared a disease. There is now a reasonably good understanding of why we age. While side effects such as telomere shortening were known since some time, the underlying cause may be simpler and more focused. It is the result of the survival circuit (which all organisms have) being unable to cope with increasing damage which can no longer be repaired. Research is reaching a point where this can be arrested – in a few years. Even if medical intervention to significantly increase lifespan is years out – there is a lot we can do even today. There is evidence that intermittent fasting, exercise (such as yoga and some strenuous), a careful diet plan (lots of veggies, nuts avoiding meat, processed foods, dairy & sugar) and some already available medication (the evidence though is not fully conclusive) can do a lot to extend lifespan. He also cites his personal example and that of his father, who remains active well into his eighties. I looked at some of his photos and he certainly looks well younger than his age of 50+!The last section covers what we can expect in the future and the impact of arresting ageing on society and nations. This section is unnecessarily longer than required, and goes into some simplistic ethical discussions (as expected steering clear of the speciesism and animal cruelty rampant in medical research).This is an excellent and very readable book which I strongly recommend all read.My rating: 4.5 / 5.

Quest for reversing AgeingJust finished this great book by @David Sinclair - Lifespan: Why We Age—and Why We Don't Have ToOld age followed by death is considered as inevitable truth of human life. Scientists know for some time - that there is no law of physics, chemistry or biology that ordains it to be so.Billions of dollars are spent on researching cancer and heart diseases - but the truth is, even solving them forever, will increase average human lifespan just barely by an year. 'Ageing' by far is far more potent killer 'disease', but is accepted in society as 'untreatable' and 'inevitable'.Solving ageing will perhaps be by far the biggest jump our species will take towards alleviating suffering & pain.This author himself heads Harvard lab working on understanding & solving aging. He brings together the latest research which absolutely points to one conclusion - it will soon be possible to program human cells and bodies to be remain young forever. Diverse range of approaches have already identified the key biochemical clocks and at-least few ways to hack it.The book rightly spends some time exploring social, political, cultural and ethical concerns of living till the ages of 150-200 years and eventually forever. These issues are great thought experiments to ponder over.No wonder this space is getting hotter amongst thinkers, entrepreneurs and VCs.

Very good book if you want to know about ageing and how to tackle it to age in a healthy way.

Yes , although hard to sink in all the claims made in this book.. it's marvelous read providing compelling evidence about slowing aging and improving vitality. If all the claims made in this book come out to be true in next 20 or 30 years..I am definitely looking to a very happy and prosperous future ..living past 100

I am not a biologist or any one connected to genetic engineering. But this book really explains everything in detail. I'm quite astonished by the progress we have made in genetics and the secrets behind aging. As the author says in coming 10-20 years we may conquer ageing, may be much faster than that. Best Book for human race as a whole I would say.

Seems like a must read kind of revolutionary book, but turned out to be a completely facts n data based boring book.

Do you know aging is a disease? If you can slow down, stop or reverse aging?

| Lifespan |A book by David A. Sinclair, gives us insights about Why We Age- and Why We Don’t Have ToThis book gets you closer to the changing life sciences in the field of ageing. It gives answers to the questions that humankind has been wondering since the age of dawn🍂Can we slow down ageing?🍂Can we live forever?🍂Can we reverse the process of ageing?Finally, the answers to these questions have been answered in terms of biological potency and chances of getting to meet your Great-great-grandchildrenIt shows how technology plays a pivotal role in gene modulation, Horvath clock, etcThe book is mainly divided into 3 parts – past hypothesises, present innovations and future pathIt’s a thought-provoking book which challenges your stigma about how ageing is the inevitable truth and how it might take a turn in the future🍁Pros:• Insightful and Provocative• Gives health related tips to naturally slow down ageing☘️Cons:• Terminologies are a bit challenging to understand• Some form of research is needed at the time you’re reading this