Quotations by David A. Sinclair

There are some simple tests to determine how biologically old you probably are. The number of push-ups you can do is a good indicator. If you are over 45 and can do more than twenty, you are doing well. The other test of age is the sitting-rising test (SRT). Sit on the floor, bare-footed, with legs crossed. Lean forward quickly and see if you can get up in one move. A young person can. A middle-aged person typically needs to push off with one of their hands. An elderly person often needs to get on to one knee. A study of people 51 to 80 years found that 157 out of 159 people who passed away in 75 months had received less than perfect SRT scores. [2019] - David A. Sinclair

Over time, some of the ways of limiting food will prove to be more effective than others. A popular method is to skip breakfast and have a late lunch (the 16:8 diet). Another is to eat 75% fewer calories for two days a week (the 5:2 diet). If you're a bit more adventurous, you can try skipping food a couple of days a week (Eat Stop Eat), or as the health pundit Peter Attia does, go hungry for an entire week every quarter. [2019] - David A. Sinclair

Exposing your body to less-than-comfortable temperature is another very effective way to turn on your longevity genes. If you choose to expose yourself to the cold, moderation will be key. Similar to fasting, the greatest benefits are likely to come for those who get close to, but not beyond, the edge. Hypothermia is not good for our health. Neither is frostbite. But goose bumps, chattering teeth, and shivering arms aren't dangerous conditions. And when we experience these conditions often enough, our longevity genes get the stress they need to order up some additional healthy fat. [2019] - David A. Sinclair

A study of more than 41,000 metformin users between the ages of 68 and 81 concluded that metformin reduced the likelihood of dementia, cardiovascular disease, cancer, frailty, and depression, and not by a small amount. Though not all cancers are suppressed--prostate, bladder, renal, and esophageal cancer seem recalcitrant--more than 25 studies have shown a powerful protective effect, sometimes as great as 40% lower risk, most notably for lung, colorectal, pancreatic, and breast cancer. In some places, such as Thailand, metformin is available over the counter at every pharmacy--for just a few cents a pill. [2019] - David A. Sinclair

NAD is a product of the vitamin niacin and boosts the activity of all 7 sirtuins. A form of vitamin B3 called nicotinamide riboside, or NR, is a vital precursor of NDA. NR, which is found in trace levels in milk, can extend the lifespan of yeast cells by boosting NDA and increasing the activity of Sir2. Once a rare chemical, NR is now sold by the ton each month as a nutraceutical. A chemical called nicotinamide mononucleotide, or NMN, is a compound made by our cells and found in foods such as avocado, broccoli, and cabbage. In the body, NR is converted into NMN, which is then converted into NAD. [2019] - David A. Sinclair

NAD boosters are effective treatment for a wide variety of ailments in mice and that they extend their lifespan even when given late in life. We know that emerging research strongly suggests they could have a similar, if not duplicative, effect on human health. The way it does this is by creating the right level of stress--just enough to push our longevity genes into action to suppress epigenetic changes to maintain the youthful program. In doing so, NMN and other vitality molecules, including metformin and rapamycin, reduce the buildup of informational noise that causes aging, thus restoring the program. [2019] - David A. Sinclair

One of the cancer-fighting innovations is CAR T-cell therapy, in which doctors remove immune system cells from a patient's blood and add a gene that allows the cells to bind to proteins on the patient's tumor. Another immuno-oncology approach, checkpoint blockade therapy, quashes the ability of cancerous cells to evade detection by our immune system. CAR-T therapy and checkpoint inhibition are less than a decade old. DNA-sequencing technology has also offered us an opportunity to understand the evolution of a specific patient's cancer. [2019] - David A. Sinclair

In 2017, the US Food and Drug Administration approved a glucose sensor, first launched in Europe in 2014, that you stick on your skin to provide a constant readout of blood sugar levels on your phone or watch. In thirty countries, a finger prick for diabetics is becoming a distant memory. A continual blood glucose-sensing device indicates grapes give your body a major sugar spike. Avoid grapes. [2019] - David A. Sinclair

A regular-sized ring that is monitoring your heart rate, body temperature & movements and tells you each morning if you slept well, how much you dreamed, how alert you will be during the day, etc. costs a few hundred dollars and can be ordered by anyone online.  [2019] - David A. Sinclair

Supplements are far, far less regulated than medicines, so if I do take a supplement, I look for a large manufacturer with a good reputation, seek highly pure molecules (more than 98% is a good guide), and look for "GMP" on the label, which means the product was made under "good manufacturing practice." Nicotinamide riboside, or NR, is converted to NMN, so some people take NR instead of NMN because it's cheaper. Cheaper still are niacin and nicotinamide, but they don't seem to raise NAD levels as NMN and NR do. [2019] - David A. Sinclair

I take 1 gram of NMN every morning, along with 1 gram of resveratrol (shaken into my homemade yogurt - Bravo Probiotic Yogurt) and 1 gram of metformin. I take daily doses of vitamin D, vitamin K2, and 83 mg of aspirin. I strive to keep my sugar, bread, and pasta intake as low as possible. I try to skip one meal a day or at least make it really small. When my biomarkers are not optimal, I moderate them with food or exercise. I try to take a lot of steps each day and walk upstairs, and I go to the gym most weekends - lift weights and jog. I eat a lot of plants and try to avoid eating other mammals. If I work out, I'll eat meat. I try to avoid excessive UV exposure, X-rays, and CT scans. I try to stay on the cool side during the day and when I sleep at night. I aim to keep my BMI in the optimal range for healthspan (23-25). [2019] - David A. Sinclair