Super Agers: An Evidence-Based Approach to Longevity

by Eric Topol

Until now, our medical approach has been reactive, with secondary prevention at best. A patient has a heart attack; we put them on statins and aspirin to prevent another event. For a diabetic, we treat blood sugar and lower the hemoglobin A1c. While there has been steady improvement in cancer treatments and less reliance on classic chemotherapy, most patients are not getting diagnosed early and the prognosis has extended survival a matter of months for many of the most successful new treatments. We’re in a reactive rut. But now we have the chance to fulfill the ultimate medical dream of primary prevention. It’s within our reach.

The second great obstacle is about chasing our own tails. How can we simultaneously be hyper-innovative for extending health span but ignore all the things that are shortening it? Little to nothing has been done to address pervasive and worsening air pollution, micro and nanoplastics, the toxic PFAS forever chemicals, intake of ultra-processed foods, and so many of the components that I have included in the updated lifestyle+ category, in the air we breathe and the water we drink. The unabated mis- and disinformation anti-science movement, centered around conspiracy theories spreading in social media and digital media of all kinds, threatens the acceptance and use of momentous discoveries. Anti-science is a threat that can only be addressed through a restoration of trust in biomedical expertise.