Research Areas:

Aging theory, aging in different species, aging in different tissues, cases of non-aging lifeforms, evolution of aging, mathematical modeling of the process, individual effects, combined effects and limits of the lifespan extension, validation by animal studies, clinical trials and observational evidence of aging delays, validation of anti-aging effects in humans by chemo-informatics, novel targets and ligands, role of brain in aging and longevity, diseases extending lifespan and biological significance, accelerated testing of anti-aging pharmaceuticals utilizing non-invasive combined markers, geriatric dementia and its mechanism, cancer and central nerve system, dementia vs. cancer competition exposes a lead to lifespan determinants.

Why was the book written?

I dedicate this work to my parents. The partition with the loved ones is always a test.

But I also think that comorbidity compression, harnessing the power of healthy aging can liberate the economic forces needed to address the long-term objectives of civilization.

Only 200 years ago, the age of 50% survival was just 35. Today it approaches 85 in many nations.

The book provides the evidence strongly suggesting that the age of 50% survival can be shifted forward by another 20-25 years, by the tools and methods available right now.

The coming “grey tide” of seniority and low birth rates can be technologically managed by the societies impacted by these demographic changes.

But this is not enough. Control of fundamental human biology is necessary, if we believe in the beauty and glory of our future, in our higher collective purpose as species.

The long-term future of humanity requires conquering fundamental biology – and altering aging rate is just a start.

The future confined to one planet is the proverbial “all eggs in one bucket.” Controlled fundamental biology will become a means to adapt during future space colonization. Mastery of our own biology will make our presence truly lasting, which is not the case today. This payoff justifies the strategic risks of temporary social destabilization, and yes, they need to be managed to prevent a collapse from within.

Another danger is reduced evolutional pressure to remain vital and intelligent, this pressure subsided due to success of civilization. This pressure created our brain, and we must realize that the gift may be temporary too. Intellect is biologically intertwined with longevity and perhaps can be managed by similar means.

Cancers, dementias, premature mortality have common roots in the aging process and will be minimized together with the development of aging-delaying methods.

Radical longevity is premature at this point.

Exceeding the 120-year maximum lifespan is currently impossible due to technological and social constraints, at least from a short-term perspective. However, by moving the survival curve approximately 20–30 years forward (from 80 to 100–105 years of average lifespan), mankind may resolve multiple economic and social problems and prepare for the next leap in the future. Achieving such a goal will normalize (in the collective mind) the idea that aging is a modifiable process, and motivate further public and private investment in the aging research.

At some point, the same tools that extend lifespan will become the tools that prevent cancers and dementias, or other extreme forms of suffering. As a bare minimum, the research like the one presented on this site will compress the survival curve shortening the period of disability. This part is realistic today.

Reasons to purchase the book.

  • Review of modern literature – > 1000 of relevant publications.
  • Numerous hypotheses advancing the field.
  • The book will energize and motivate researchers of all kinds: medical doctors, experimental biologists, theoretical biologists, graduate students, college students, merely citizens interested in health and wellness – on a deeper side.
  • Strong data, existing in the sources publicly available for independent analysis.
  • The book is entirely data-driven, the presence of the effects in multiple cross-validating sources is the only criterion of inclusion. Typically, biological research is skewed by prevailing memes of the time. In this case, full objectivity is warranted.
  • Why humans die? This question is not so obvious, considering multiple disconnects between the lifespans and aging markers traced through the book, including the entire chapter 6, addressing chronic diseases that strongly extend lifespan – by themselves, and through the therapeutics used for treatment.
  • Can everybody just reach a 100-year benchmark? Obviously not, but multiple correlates of centenarian lifespan are clear-cut, and a system of lifespan control is suggested by a combination of observational, clinical trial, and experimental data in animals.
  • Following the identified positives and negatives in each day’s routine would alter at least the median lifespan in proportion to the diversity of the factor space.
  • The results show that virtue—character, aspirations, goals, mindset, success, and education—has as strong an influence as diet, exercise, supplements, and pharmaceuticals. By living a noble, passionate, honest, determined, and focused life, we do change something in our bodies (Chapter 7, 3).
  • The book provides a table of lifespan effects for 47 factors, validated by comparing available randomized clinical trials, genome-wide association studies (GWAS), and observational evidence. Knowing the real data-driven lifespan outcomes helps plan a daily routine in the direction of maximized wellness and longevity.

Have Questions?

Frequently Asked
Questions

Does the book provide medical advice?

Categorically not. It simply presents the evidence; it is up to the readers to contact personal physicians for further discussions.

The book suggests significant effects observed in humans, but why do clinical trials not reflect them?

They partially do; the examples are provided in the book (see Fahy, G.M., et al., 2019. Reversal of epigenetic aging and immunosenescent trends in humans. Aging cell, 18(6), p.e13028.) Conducting human RCTs with the combination of the strongest factors identified by the methods of the book would be a wonderful area of research. The trials recorded by 2023 are tabulated.

The book suggests that using prescription pharmaceuticals for healthy people is justified. Is this true?

The book shows that the gene lists involved in aging and chronic disease strongly overlap. After reaching certain ages, the idea of “healthy” becomes fuzzy. Prevention of symptomatic chronic disease is the medical benefit; the side effects of combining multiple drugs define the risk. Keeping old but “healthy” in an asymptomatic state for longer is an outcome justifying such a paradigm shift.

By how much is the human lifespan extended in the data?

The data from the NACC, CLHLS, and Kaiser Permanente Study of the oldest old point to ~ 25 year increase in median lifespans for the individuals with the top-ranking set of modifiable longevity factors: diet, exercise, supplements, pharmaceuticals, education, character, purposefulness, and beliefs. This increment includes ~10 years attributed to the chronic disease patterns associated with a longer life. Together, the result means ~ 30% increase over a median lifespan. Murine experiments demonstrate a similar range of effects, but with fewer factors. Humans are less amenable to changes in the length of their lifespan as compared to mice due to the greater rigidity of the information template. Nevertheless, humans can be exposed to 10–15 or even more positive factors, while in murine experiments, only 2–3 are typically controlled. Comparable results are totally reasonable.

What is the dominant theory of aging?

Aging as a loss of biological information and aging as a continuation of development are the two most likely theories. Both factors explain the departure from the optimal youthful state, and both mechanisms probably contribute weights to the total outcome. Even the simplistic wear-and-tear theory adds some weight in the total. Nevertheless, the erosion of cell identity in the crucial tissues and runaway dysregulation of systemic processes are two major causes of aging. The latter’s reversal in cloning, early embryogenesis, and Thurritopsis dhornii jellyfish point to its algorithmic nature, also contributing weight. Aging considered as a “black box” still can be delayed by therapies and lifestyle changes, Perhaps, a perfect theory will follow the corrective effort, not the other way around.

Is immortality possible?

Life exists for more than 4 billion years due to rejuvenation occurring between generations. In this form, immortality has always existed. Can non-dividing, interconnected, and complex cells of vital organs experience the same process as egg and sperm nuclei? Not with the current technology, but a significant delay in aging is conceivable by compensating for the information loss by the immense informational wealth of the chemical universe. This universe of bioactive compounds can produce combinatorial corrective effects mimicking the effects of embryonic machinery and tumor suppressors, which typically define mammalian lifespan. Non-aging does not mean immortality. All complex systems experience fluctuations in parameters and carry a probability of a fatal breakdown. Early or later, by one route or another, it will occur even in a non-aging organism (non-aging hydras, trees, and planarians are all mortal).