Longevity Quotes

When cancers progress in an orderly manner from precancerous stage to small tumor to large tumor to metastasis, screening succeeds. Screening to remove early cancers prevents the development of late cancers, and this saves lives. But if removal of early-stage cancer does not reduce late-stage cancer, screening is unsuccessful, and overdiagnosis becomes a problem. Not every early-stage cancer needs to be destroyed, as many small cancers are contained by the immune system and will never pose a serious health threat. With toxic treatments such as surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, the treatment may be worse than the disease. [2020] - Jason Fung

Virtually any form of cellular or DNA damage may cause cancer, including chemicals, radiation, and viruses, but only under extremely specific conditions. The damage induced must be both sublethal and chronic. To cause cancer, cell damage cannot be too much or too little. An overwhelming injury will simply kill all the cells, leaving no chance for cancer to develop. Too little cellular damage, however, is simply repaired by the normal DNA-repair mechanisms. Chronicity is the second key attribute of carcinogens. A single large dose of radiation is far less carcinogenic than chronic low-level radiation. [2020] - Jason Fung

Autopsy studies find unsuspected prostate cancer in 30 percent of men over the age of fifty; 50 percent by age seventy; and an astounding 80 percent by age ninety. If he lives long enough, every man can expect to develop prostate cancer. An estimated 11.2 percent of the adult population harbors thyroid cancer. Despite this high incidence, thyroid cancer only very rarely causes death. Colonoscopy screening studies find adenomas (a precancerous lesion) in almost half of the general population by age eighty. [2020] - Jason Fung

The term cancer chemoprevention was introduced by the NIH in 1976 to denote foods, supplements, or drugs that may block progression of cancer. One of the most promising chemopreventive drugs is the old diabetes drug metformin. Studies have demonstrated that in type 2 diabetics, metformin may potentially reduce the risk of cancer by as much as 21 percent to 57 percent. Specifically, long-term metformin use in women with type 2 diabetes was associated with a more than 50 percent reduction in breast cancer risk. Metformin works by reducing glucose to the growing cancer without the pro-growth effects of the insulin/IGF-1/PI3K pathway. It also activates AMPK, an important nutrient sensor and growth pathway, which rapidly inhibits cellular protein synthesis and growth. Some research has indicated that this beneficial anticancer effect might extend to nondiabetics as well. [2020] - Jason Fung

Immunotherapy has several inherent advantages over conventional treatments. First, the boosted immune system is a dynamic system that can better keep pace with cancer’s moves. Second, the immune system has a memory, so it may prevent recurrence. Third, immunotherapy has fewer side effects than standard chemotherapies. Fourth, immunotherapy is a systemic treatment, which is crucial because cancer is a systemic disease. Affordability, though, is not one of the advantages of immunotherapy. Given the exorbitant price tag of these treatments, many providers question the feasibility of using these advanced drugs. [2020] - Jason Fung

Almost 75% of advanced cancers are recurrences, originally diagnosed at earlier stage. Chemotherapy for cancer does not typically kill all the cancer cells in the body; some residual cells survive. Years later, those few surviving cells can multiply aggressively, and the cancer can be deadlier, with the cancerous cells having developed resistance to chemotherapy. When chemotherapy is used without optimal nutritional therapy, the chances of the body recognizing, attacking, and removing these residual abnormal cells is slim. [2020] - Joel Fuhrman

So far, we’ve discovered three primary traits that SuperAgers have in common: 1. High levels of good cholesterol (HDL). 2. Unusually low levels of the growth hormone IGF-1. 3. Unusually high levels of some MDPs. [2020] - Nir Barzilai

Although it looked like metformin did not allow all the positive effects of exercise to occur, there’s a lot of suggestion that the combination of exercise and metformin has a positive overall effect. In light of this, I take metformin in addition to exercising. [2020] - Nir Barzilai

Over time, night shift workers tend to experience more ulcers, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. They also experience more insomnia, depression, and dementia. [2020] - Nir Barzilai

There is a significant amount of data from scientific studies that suggests that people who have a strong sense of purpose are healthier and enjoy a higher quality of life than people who do not. As long as you have more plans than achievements, you’ll probably be hanging in here for a while. [2020] - Nir Barzilai

I eat anything I want for dinner and put off eating the next day for as long as I can. That may mean having a late lunch or not eating until dinner, but I make sure I stay hydrated with water and noncaloric drinks. If I need a snack, I eat several almonds or olives. I often fast on consecutive days, eating only in the evening, and I’ve been surprised by how easy it is and how well I feel. I have also been monitoring my glucose levels with FreeStyle Libre 14 day system. [2020] - Nir Barzilai

I take NMN, which is a precursor of an energy mediator called NAD+. The one thing that I noticed with taking NMN is that, according to my Fitbit, my REM sleep has become better. I’ve been taking aspirin for thirty years even though recent studies have not documented its effectiveness in preventing heart attacks, strokes, or even colon cancer. In fact, a big trial showed that aspirin may be harmful in people who are over the age of seventy, but I take it because I fly frequently and want to protect myself from deep vein thrombosis. [2020] - Nir Barzilai

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

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

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

Among U.S. locales, the top ten states with highest risk of cancer, in rank order, are Kentucky, Delaware, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, New York, Maine, New Jersey, Iowa, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. Among U.S. locales, the top ten states with highest risk of cancer, in rank order, are Kentucky, Delaware, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, New York, Maine, New Jersey, Iowa, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. For highest cardiovascular disease risk, the states are Kentucky, West Virginia, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Alabama, Mississippi, Michigan, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Texas. Around the world, the countries with the highest death rates from cardiovascular disease are Russia, Ukraine, Romania, Hungary, Cuba, Brazil, Czech Republic, Argentina, and Mexico. [2019] - William W Li