Recently I was very pleased to discover that since I was last interested in longevity as a curious teenager decades ago, biomedical sciences have made spectacular progress, and aging processes are understood much better now. Already at the turn of the century, Aubrey de Gray raised a daring, almost heretical question: do we really have to age? This adage was very recently picked up by a Harvard professor, David Sinclair, who has been at the forefront of aging research (remember the big news splash about resveratrol in red wine having an antiaging effect? That was him). Dr. Sinclair recently published a book Lifespan with a similarly provocative subtitle: Why we age and why we don't have to?

 In the book Prof. Sinclair argues that aging is a disease, which, in fact, might be curable. A key to that is understanding a universal longevity mechanism shared by all life on planet Earth. This mechanism switches organisms between the state of abundance that promotes growth, strength, and replication, and the state of survival, which triggers healing processes, gene repair, optimization of metabolism, and conservation. Many of us live in a permanent state of abundance, incessantly snacking and constantly basking in comfort, such as opting for a car ride over a walk and avoiding other challenges that might trigger the survival and repair mode. Luckily for us, research has identified some supplements that actually can trigger that mode even without serious environmental stressors. Research shows that such supplements can delay effects of aging on our health and possibly even extend our lifespan. 

The book is replete not only with in-depth discussion of biological mechanisms of aging and ways to extend the lifespan, but also anecdotes of defeating the (biological) time with certain supplements so that it motivates the reader to do something about their own time on planet Earth. Examples of such anecdotes include a rat that unexpectedly acquires athletic strength and stamina to the point of breaking a test spin-wheel. The author's dad at a mature age of close to 80 years regains youthful energy after taking the same diet of supplements, He even starts rock climbing and acquires a second career trotting the globe. 

Fast growing number of Prof. Sinclair's followers

Somebody's menopausal wife even starts menstruating.