Book Review: Lifespan by David A. Sinclair

I downloaded the Audible version of this book. Dr. Sinclair reads the book himself, and you can tell how passionate he is about the subject. The basic premise of the book is that he views aging as a disease, and lifespans can be extended to 150 years or more. I thought the book was a good departure from the other books I've been consuming as of late (technology, finance, etc.).

He makes an interesting distinction between lifespan, and what he refers to as a healthspan. While we may extend our lives in terms of years, they aren't necessarily healthy years. His goal of course is to extend both.

He does get into the weeds a bit regarding genetics and cell biology, but I could somewhat follow the concepts. I think he exists on the authoritarian left side of the political spectrum, so he does pepper in a lot of that sort of rhetoric. In my opinion he seems very pro medical surveillance and would happily sacrifice the individual for the 'greater good'. This is especially interesting since many of his contemporaries chide him for wanting to extend life in the face of 'overpopulation'.

He does give some actionable advice to help extend lifespan though, such as:

• Taking supplements like resveratrol, pterostilbene, NMN, and Metformin (if you can get it)
• Exercise and exposure to cold
• Avoid sugar and processed foods
• Fasting and reduced caloric intake

The future prospects for anti-aging he describes like gene therapy/editing and various molecules/drugs are a bit concerning to me. I won't be lining up for any clinical trials anytime soon, not unless they have the potential of curing some terminal disease (other than old age).

Aside from that book is quite fluffy, there are many anecdotes about Sinclair's life, his societal opinions, and politics. Some of it was cringy. I do agree that in time our lifespans will continue to get longer. I might be late to the game, but it's very possible my son may live a very healthy 100 years plus.

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