Lifespan: Why We Age―and Why We Don't Have To

From an acclaimed Harvard professor and one of Time’s most influential people, this paradigm-shifting book shows how almost everything we think we know about aging is wrong, offers a front-row seat to the amazing global effort to slow, stop, and reverse aging, and calls readers to consider a future where aging can be treated. For decades, experts have believed that we are at the mercy of our genes, and that natural damage to our genes—the kind that inevitably happens as we get older—makes us become sick and grow old. But what if everything you think you know about aging is wrong? What if aging is a disease—and that disease is treatable? In Lifespan, one of the world’s foremost experts on aging and genetics reveals a groundbreaking new theory that will forever change the way we think about why we age and what we can do about it. Aging isn’t immutable; we can have far more control over it than we realize. This eye-opening and provocative work takes us to the frontlines of research that is pushing the boundaries on our perceived scientific limitations, revealing incredible breakthroughs—many from Dr. David Sinclair’s own lab—that demonstrate how we can slow down, or even reverse, the genetic clock. The key is activating newly discovered vitality genes—the decedents of an ancient survival circuit that is both the cause of aging and the key to reversing it. Dr. Sinclair shares the emerging technologies and simple lifestyle changes—such as intermittent fasting, cold exposure, and exercising with the right intensity—that have been shown to help lead to longer lives. Lifespan provides a roadmap for taking charge of our own health destiny and a bold new vision for the future when humankind is able to live to be 100 years young.