Remarkable Science: Understanding lifespan and why aging might be reversible with Dr. David Sinclair

Introduction

The host welcomes the audience to a special night series on science and diet ideas.

Introduction of Guest Speaker

Dr. David Sinclair, a professor at Harvard's genetics department and co-director of the Paul Glenn Center for Biology of Aging Research at Harvard Medical School, is introduced as the guest speaker.

Dr. Sinclair's Book

Dr. Sinclair's New York Times best-selling book "Lifespan: Why We Age and Why We Don't Have To" is mentioned, and copies are available for purchase after the conversation.

Q&A Session

The audience is invited to ask questions by heading to slide.do and entering "science." Questions will be answered during the Q&A session after the conversation.

Biological Age vs Chronological Age

Dr. Sinclair discusses how he measures his biological age using various tests to optimize his lifestyle choices. He mentions that he is biologically about a decade younger than his chronological age.

• It is possible to be younger than your actual birthday candles suggest.

• A Harvard study shows that doing certain things can increase life expectancy by 14 years.

• Dr. Sinclair tries to do all these good things as a role model for others.

Human Longevity

Dr. Sinclair discusses how human longevity has been increasing over time due to technological advancements, with people having a 50/50 chance of living up to 100 years old if born today.

• Every year you stay alive, you get another three months of life due to technological advancements.

• The first person to live to 250 years old may already be alive.

Introduction to Aging and Longevity

In this section, Dr. David Sinclair talks about the current state of infectious diseases and healthcare access. He also discusses how technologies, knowledge, and lifestyles that keep people younger and healthier are unevenly distributed.

Interest in Aging

• Dr. Sinclair's interest in aging began when he realized that his parents were mortal.

• He was raised by his grandmother who shocked him at the age of four by telling him that everyone will die one day.

• Dr. Sinclair felt that aging was unfair and wanted to work on it since it is the worst thing that can happen to us.

Vera - Dr. Sinclair's Grandmother

• Vera sheltered Jews during World War II, lived in primitive New Guinea, and was removed from Bondi Beach for wearing a bikini.

• She was vivacious and full of life but tragically declined mentally after breaking her hip due to a small accident.

Tipping Point for Longevity

• There is a sense of acceleration towards longevity due to advancements in technology, knowledge, and lifestyle changes.

• However, these advancements are not evenly distributed within countries or populations.

The Science of Aging

In this section, Dr. David Sinclair discusses the science of aging and how it has evolved over time.

Discovering Genes that Control Aging

• In the mid to late 1990s, genes that control aging were discovered.

• Tweak one gene in an animal and it can make a big difference in humans.

• Scientists were fighting over which gene was more important until a couple of papers were written to unify the field.

Hallmarks of Aging

• There are eight causes of aging, including loss of stem cells, high blood sugar, DNA damage, and epigenetics.

• The Hallmarks of Aging is a unified theory of why we age but not satisfying because there's probably something causing all those things to happen.

Epigenetics Theory of Aging

• Epigenetics controls whether a gene is silent or turned on/off.

• Cells lose their ability to control which genes should be switched on and off as they age.

• Insults to the cell such as broken chromosomes drive this process.

Resetting the Body to be Young Again

In this section, Dr. David Sinclair discusses the possibility of resetting the body to a younger state and how it can be achieved.

Resetting Cells

• The idea is to reset the body in the same way we would reinstall software on an old computer.

• Epigenetic information can be reset without affecting genetic information.

• Embryonic genes can partially reset a cell from 70 years old back to 25 without going all the way to zero.

• The cells become young and functioned young after being reset.

Testing on Mice

• Three embryonic genes were put into mice with glaucoma, which went back in age from an old mouse which is two years back to a much younger age and their blindness was cured.

• The cells at the back of the eye nerve cells became young for the first time and it was a permanent reset.

• A future where we can reset parts of the body or even the whole body may exist.

Horvath Clock

• Chemicals on the genome change some of its properties, including aging.

• Steve Horvath discovered that these chemicals on the genome change some of its properties, including aging.

Clock of Aging

In this section, the speaker talks about how a clock has revolutionized aging research and how it can accurately tell someone's age. The speaker also discusses the rarity of organisms that live for thousands of years and questions why more species don't live longer.

Aging Research Revolutionized

• A clock has revolutionized aging research.

• It can accurately tell someone's age.

Rarity of Organisms That Live for Thousands of Years

• Bristlecone Pine trees can live for thousands of years.

• There are few organisms like them in nature.

• Evolution doesn't care about individuals but rather species survival.

• Species at the top of the food chain can afford to grow slowly, reproduce slowly, and live long.

Why Don't More Species Live Longer?

• Humans have only been at the top of the food chain for a short time.

• There are hundreds of species that live longer than humans, such as reptiles, birds, and whales.

• Whales have cells that don't get cancer for sometimes hundreds of years.

Living Longer Than Needed to Reproduce

In this section, the speaker talks about living much longer than needed to reproduce and pushing against evolutionary requirements. The speaker also discusses finding ways to control cell aging processes and maintaining youthful patterns in genes.

Pushing Against Evolutionary Requirements

• Living much longer than needed to reproduce pushes against evolutionary requirements.

Controlling Cell Aging Processes

• Finding ways to control cell aging processes is key.

• Epigenomes of species that live a long time have more stable structures that control DNA.

• Maintaining youthful patterns in genes can help humans live hundreds of years if not thousands.

Controlling Aging is More Natural Than Not Controlling It

In this section, the speaker argues that controlling aging is more natural than not controlling it. He also expresses surprise that humans have ignored the problem of aging for so long.

Aging as a Natural Process

• The speaker argues that controlling aging is more natural than not controlling it.

• Humans have ignored the problem of aging for too long.

• From conception, the aging process begins and continues throughout life.

• Aging affects everyone at every stage of life.

Importance of Early Intervention

• Accumulated effects of unhealthy habits in youth can lead to sickness and old age later in life.

• Obesity and lack of exercise are two examples of unhealthy habits that can cause health problems later in life.

• Even teenagers are affected by changes to their internal clock caused by modern society's unhealthy habits.

Postponing Illness and Suffering

• Diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and Alzheimer's are mostly caused by the aging process.

• Focusing on end-of-life illnesses misses the main issue: aging itself causes illness and suffering.

• The speaker does not advocate for living forever but rather postponing illness and suffering by tackling what causes them: aging.

Reversing Aging and Preventing Diseases of Aging

In this section, Dr. David Sinclair talks about how reversing aging in mice can help prevent and treat diseases of aging in humans. He also discusses the importance of keeping cells young to function optimally.

Keeping Cells Young

• Reversing aging in mice can reverse dementia.

• The best way to prevent and treat diseases of aging is to keep cells young.

• Young cells function optimally and take care of us.

Preventing Diseases of Aging

• Diseases that cause suffering will go away if we keep the body young.

• People will still die from the same diseases but much later with less suffering.

• Cancer is largely preventable with scans and DNA tests decades before it shows up.

• Heart disease can be prevented with good medicines.

Monitoring the Body for Optimal Health

In this section, Dr. David Sinclair talks about the importance of monitoring the body for optimal health. He discusses how technology can help monitor the body every second, predict future health issues, and detect changes in lifestyle that work best for each individual.

Monitoring the Body

• We need to monitor our bodies more than once a year like we do now.

• Technology exists to monitor our bodies every second.

• Monitors can predict future health issues like heart attacks or cancer.

Individualized Lifestyles

• Everyone has different lifestyles that work best for them.

• Different genders, DNA, epigenomes, microbiomes all play a role in what works best for each person.

• Monitoring yourself helps you know if changes in your lifestyle are working.

Monitoring Health with Wearable Devices

In this section, the speaker discusses the benefits and potential drawbacks of using wearable devices to monitor health.

Homeostasis and Anxiety

• The human body is a homeostatic machine that attains balance through highs and lows.

• Constantly monitoring oneself can produce anxiety.

• There is a middle ground between not monitoring at all and constantly monitoring.

Benefits of Monitoring

• AI systems or practitioners can monitor hundreds or thousands of people's readouts for alerts such as arrhythmia, infection, depression, or early Parkinson's.

• Optimizing glucose levels can lead to better concentration throughout the day.

• By monitoring glucose levels, one can learn how their body responds to food and avoid hunger throughout the day.

Drawbacks of Monitoring

• Constantly monitoring oneself can become a habit or hobby.

• Medical advice may contradict some self-monitoring practices such as nibbling on food throughout the day versus having a window of eating.

Overall, wearable devices have benefits in terms of alerting individuals to potential health issues and optimizing daily routines. However, constant monitoring may lead to anxiety and habits that are not necessarily beneficial for longevity.

The Best Way to Eat for Longevity

In this section, Dr. David Sinclair talks about the best way to eat for longevity and how it is not about how much you eat but when you eat. He also mentions a study that showed that mice lived 30% longer when they were given food in an hour per day.

Eating Window and Caloric Restriction

• It's not about how much you eat but when you eat.

• A study by Rafael De Cabot NIH showed that mice lived 30% longer when they were given food in an hour per day, regardless of what they ate.

• What you eat is important, but the combination of what and when is key.

Debating Dan Buettner

• Dr. Sinclair shares that he has a lot more in common with Dan Buettner than things to debate on.

• They both agree on being plant-based and eating plants full of polyphenols and plant molecules that turn on the body's defenses.

Bio Monitoring and Cold Therapy

In this section, Dr. David Sinclair talks about bio monitoring, fasting, cold therapy, brown fat, and lifestyle changes that can increase longevity.

Fasting vs Eating Window

• Fasting is essentially finding a window of time to eat.

• Cold therapy involves exposing your skin to brief bouts of very cold temperature (4 degrees Celsius), which can rev up brown fat and turn white fat into beige fat.

Brown Fat

• Humans have brown fat, which is found largely on our backs.

• Exposing our skin to cold can rev up brown fat and turn white fat into beige fat, which is highly metabolic and seems to secrete factors that improve metabolism.

Lifestyle Changes

• Dr. Sinclair practices most of the lifestyle changes he talks about, such as eating well and being inspired by his partner who is a chef and nutritionist.