Lifespan: Why We Age - and Why We Don't Have To
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- Create Date：2021-04-08 14:54:45
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：David A. Sinclair
- ISBN：0008353743
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Summary
It’s a seemingly undeniable truth that aging is inevitable。 But what if everything we’ve been taught to believe about aging is wrong？ What if we could choose our lifespan？
In this groundbreaking book， Dr。 David Sinclair， leading world authority on genetics and longevity， reveals a bold new theory for why we age。 As he writes: “Aging is a disease， and that disease is treatable。”
This book takes us to the frontlines of research many from Dr。 David Sinclair’s own lab at Harvard—that demonstrate how we can slow down， or even reverse， aging。 The key is activating newly discovered vitality genes， the descendants of an ancient genetic survival circuit that is both the cause of aging and the key to reversing it。
In this groundbreaking book， Dr。 David Sinclair， leading world authority on genetics and longevity， reveals a bold new theory for why we age。 As he writes: “Aging is a disease， and that disease is treatable。”
This book takes us to the frontlines of research many from Dr。 David Sinclair’s own lab at Harvard—that demonstrate how we can slow down， or even reverse， aging。 The key is activating newly discovered vitality genes， the descendants of an ancient genetic survival circuit that is both the cause of aging and the key to reversing it。
Reviews
Vasco
，
I was fascinated by all the research， claims， and predictions on what’s coming to help us stay healthier for longer and live longer lives。 It changed my expectations of what my next decades could look like in terms of health， vitality and lifespan。 It is also a thought-provoking book on what the consequences of longer lives could be on so many different aspects of our world。
Guoda Sakalauskiene
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It was a pleasure to read， to rethink the ideas and to believe！ I am waiting what will look my old age。🙂
Stef
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Interesting Book but if you took a shot every time this guy told you he Works At Harvard， your lifespan would be cut drastically short by liver failure。
Marcelo Montes I
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Great book。 Crack-opened my mind and my view of life and how to live it。 I have an improved conviction of the possibilities the future and how to get to confront them。 Recommended read， full of wisdom and scientific perspective。 I am sure I will get back to it and will constantly follow the author's updates。 Actually I listened to the audiobook read by the author。。。incredible way to connect directly to all the ideas and arguments。 Loved it。 Great book。 Crack-opened my mind and my view of life and how to live it。 I have an improved conviction of the possibilities the future and how to get to confront them。 Recommended read， full of wisdom and scientific perspective。 I am sure I will get back to it and will constantly follow the author's updates。 Actually I listened to the audiobook read by the author。。。incredible way to connect directly to all the ideas and arguments。 Loved it。 。。。more
Martial Trevett
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He describes a bunch of ways that we are aging and several promising "drugs/supplements" that can help。 None of them are truly proven in humans since there hasn't been a double blind study completed。 It would take many years to obtain the results of such a study。 His descriptions are explained well and are funny in many cases。 I did get board after about 150 pages and began to skim through many of his world solutions。 He thinks we should treat old age as a disease and not just an inevitable thin He describes a bunch of ways that we are aging and several promising "drugs/supplements" that can help。 None of them are truly proven in humans since there hasn't been a double blind study completed。 It would take many years to obtain the results of such a study。 His descriptions are explained well and are funny in many cases。 I did get board after about 150 pages and began to skim through many of his world solutions。 He thinks we should treat old age as a disease and not just an inevitable thing。He takes 1 gram of NMN every morning， 1 gram of resveratrol， and 1 gram of metformin。 It seems to be working for him。 He also eats very healthy and exercises often。 。。。more
Nikolett
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I love books that back up their writing by research and science。 The author makes you think about aging and the future of human longevity。 I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would。
Robert Sanek
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Listened to just over half。 I got tired after hearing to the nth description of a research result about SIR2 or mTOR -- interesting to find out about， but ultimately I have no conceptualization of how these proteins fit into a broader story so it's hard to really grok what's being explained。Overall though I thought there were a few interesting ideas。 One is that we should start seeing aging as a disease similar to any other; it sounds like a few countries are starting to do so but the idea was m Listened to just over half。 I got tired after hearing to the nth description of a research result about SIR2 or mTOR -- interesting to find out about， but ultimately I have no conceptualization of how these proteins fit into a broader story so it's hard to really grok what's being explained。Overall though I thought there were a few interesting ideas。 One is that we should start seeing aging as a disease similar to any other; it sounds like a few countries are starting to do so but the idea was mostly new to me。 Two is that much of this research is way early -- there were a bunch of research results on mice or tapeworms， but the best Sinclair could do in terms of humans were anecdotes of his friends or family。 It's great that his 70-year-old father started feeling better after supplementation， but that should be very far from a recommendation for people generally to start using NMN。 I felt like there was also a willful conflation here of some results in non-humans -- a paper might come out about fruit flies， and Sinclair would cite it as "that result in humans would mean 20 years of extra life"; feels a little deceiving to me。The final piece that I'd like to follow up on is the link between longevity and stress， particularly around hunger and thermoregulation。 The book didn't focus too much on it， but from the sound if it there are actually human trials on this stuff with potentially interesting results。Probably would not recommend other than to folks that are already interested in longevity assisted by exogenous supplementation。 。。。more
Will M
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Lifespan is a fascinating read。 The prospect of living 10-30% longer， healthier lives， or living in perpetuity seems highly suspect。 Sinclair lays out what we know about aging， what we are hoping to soon learn， and lastly the societal， economic and moral implications of a dramatic increase in human’s lifespan。 I found the first part of the novel to be utterly fascinating。 I found myself wanting more of the hard science and technicality that I felt was missing later on。 The studies mentioned tend Lifespan is a fascinating read。 The prospect of living 10-30% longer， healthier lives， or living in perpetuity seems highly suspect。 Sinclair lays out what we know about aging， what we are hoping to soon learn， and lastly the societal， economic and moral implications of a dramatic increase in human’s lifespan。 I found the first part of the novel to be utterly fascinating。 I found myself wanting more of the hard science and technicality that I felt was missing later on。 The studies mentioned tend to apply to mice and bacteria - this book could benefit largely from a future revision when human clinical trials are completed。 How much to mice and fungi relate to our own biology？ Sinclair seems to be confident of direct correlation。 He’s the scientist and one of the leading experts on the topic， I am not。 The second part of the book， what we are learning and hope to learn， was also a great read。 I found it interesting but here is where Sinclair slowly starts to work in more and more tangential territory。 The final section of the book discussing the implications of further aging was my least favorite part of the book。 I commend Sinclair for addressing both view points（the negative and positive）， but it seemed to drag on a bit for me。 Leave it up to the reader to determine what the implications could be and provide more science。 Overall， I am glad I read this book and would gladly return to it again someday。8/10 。。。more
Filip Cvetko
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Very good and different from what I had expected。 It's not exactly generic。 Very good and different from what I had expected。 It's not exactly generic。 。。。more
Zhivko Kabaivanov
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Lifespan （2019） delves into cutting-edge genetic research and advances new theories on why we age and how we can prevent aging altogether。 From high-tech lab research to simple nutritional strategies， it serves as a guide to the varied ways in which we can already， or might soon be able to live longer and better lives。
QUINNS
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According to this book， we must reframe our approach to ageing if we want to live longer， healthier and better lives。 Ageing is not a fact of life but a disease that has the potential both to be understood and cured。 Genetics researchers seek a turning back of the clock on the ageing process; we are on the cusp of a world where ageing is no longer an inevitable part of life。 We are moving closer to a world where ageing will be optional， and people live longer than ever before。
Bob
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Definitely worth reading。 Made me very hopeful on the progress of not living forever but extending the quality of life into old age。 I became more aware how much control I have on this with every day choices！
Nat
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I'm sorry， but as a person living in a third world country where decent healthcare is not accessible to most people I find it hard to believe that it will somehow magically improve all over the world to the point where we all become immortal。 ***Didn't like that the author was implying that people should take certain supplements that were only proven to be beneficial for mice so far and haven't been studied properly on humans。 ***Didn't like the "animal based food = bad" propaganda。 *** Didn't f I'm sorry， but as a person living in a third world country where decent healthcare is not accessible to most people I find it hard to believe that it will somehow magically improve all over the world to the point where we all become immortal。 ***Didn't like that the author was implying that people should take certain supplements that were only proven to be beneficial for mice so far and haven't been studied properly on humans。 ***Didn't like the "animal based food = bad" propaganda。 *** Didn't finish the book as it became too boring as the author switched to philosophizing about the morals of achieving longer lifespan for humans。 。。。more
Cora Foerstner
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I’m giving this 4 stars because I think there are a few aspects of the book that some readers might not understand from the blurb。 I hope this review will give potential readers a better understanding of what to expect from Lifespan。 1） If you aren’t a science person， this is going to be a slower read。 I fall into this category。 There’s a lot of research and detailed explanations， which is a positive for me—I wanted to understand a little about his research and the why behind his recommendations I’m giving this 4 stars because I think there are a few aspects of the book that some readers might not understand from the blurb。 I hope this review will give potential readers a better understanding of what to expect from Lifespan。 1） If you aren’t a science person， this is going to be a slower read。 I fall into this category。 There’s a lot of research and detailed explanations， which is a positive for me—I wanted to understand a little about his research and the why behind his recommendations。 So if you aren’t someone who loves science but likes to understand the research behind a subject， this might be for you。 Sinclair does an excellent job of making his research palatable and understandable for a lay person; his explanations are easy to understand。 I loved his graphics and illustrations。 For me， his efforts to make his research accessible to everyone was a strength。2） If you are a science person， this book might be basic for you。 I suspect he wrote this book for people like me—an average person interested in being healthy and living a long active life。 If you already have an excellent knowledge of longevity studies and want a deeply academic book that goes into all the minute details， and you are deeply interested in the latest research， my suspicion is you might be disappointed。 If you have a little knowledge and want more， you’ll benefit。3） He’s quick to point out that there isn’t a pill that’s going to create longevity。 Exercise， healthy eating， and practicing lifestyle changed that promote good health are part of living longer。 He goes into this in the book。 4） A good portion of the second half of the book is a discussion on the morality， ethics， the medical applications of his research， problems as well as positive aspects of his research and of people living longer active lives。 a。 Some will find this annoying—it’s a pretty big switch from scientific research and stories about his discoveries。 b。 Personally， I liked this discussion。 As I read the book， my daughter and I discussed issues this research might have on society。 For example: longevity and better health becoming available for the wealthy， but the poor and those with lower incomes unable to benefit。 So， since I’d already thought about some of these things， I was pleased he recognized potential problems and wanted to address those issues。 I admire his honesty and acknowledgements of social issues。5） As much as I like his discussion （see #4）， I suspect a shorter discuss of those topics would have served him better。 The flip side of that is he couldn’t go into a lot of detail and fully address the issues he brought up。 A single book devoted to those issues might interest many people， perhaps with other scientists and medical doctors as co-authors addressing the needs and the “how to” of incorporating longevity research into our healthcare system。 Society definitely needs to address these topics。I hope this helps future readers。 I’d recommend this book， especially if you are someone who wants to make lifestyle changes to improve your health。 。。。more
Beatriz
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Very interesting
Tony Norton
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A book that demands life reassessment。 Difficult concepts rendered entirely understandable。 A fantastic introduction to one of the areas of disruption that together will change the way we live。 Highly recommended to anyone interested in societal change。
Hazel Bright
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Well， they don't teach professors how to teach， do they？ Pedagogy is for lesser human beings。 And that approach is apparent throughout the bulk of this book。 Lots of folksy I-was-once-a-fun-kiddie-had-a-neato-grandma type filler， lots of look-at-me-I'm-from-Harvard-hence-am-smarter-than-you type filler， lots of but-hey-I-gotta-sell-books-I'm-really-just-a-regular-guy-please-like-me type filler， lots of trying-to-be-neato-for-the-undergrads type filler， and a little tiny bit of science。Really dis Well， they don't teach professors how to teach， do they？ Pedagogy is for lesser human beings。 And that approach is apparent throughout the bulk of this book。 Lots of folksy I-was-once-a-fun-kiddie-had-a-neato-grandma type filler， lots of look-at-me-I'm-from-Harvard-hence-am-smarter-than-you type filler， lots of but-hey-I-gotta-sell-books-I'm-really-just-a-regular-guy-please-like-me type filler， lots of trying-to-be-neato-for-the-undergrads type filler， and a little tiny bit of science。Really disappointing。 。。。more
Kathryn
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Absolutely wonderful。
Way Chuang
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I don't want to drag on to old age because of the fear of prolonged sickness， but the author offers a solution， which albeit works in the animal trials and anecdotal accounts on human beings。 I am starting to take NMN and advised my mum to do so too。 I hope it will bear fruit on me 6 months down the road。 Fingers crossed。 I don't want to drag on to old age because of the fear of prolonged sickness， but the author offers a solution， which albeit works in the animal trials and anecdotal accounts on human beings。 I am starting to take NMN and advised my mum to do so too。 I hope it will bear fruit on me 6 months down the road。 Fingers crossed。 。。。more
tatsumi
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A ‘Fountain Of Youth’ Pill？ Sure， If You’re A Mouse。另一种套路w A ‘Fountain Of Youth’ Pill？ Sure， If You’re A Mouse。另一种套路w 。。。more
Alex Beaver
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Researchers have discovered the epigenetic mechanisms that regulate longevity and aging， and one day may be able to extend life expectancy by several decades。
Henry
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A bit too technical for me， long and dull。
Erica Clou
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Parts of it in the first half were really interesting， but it was also full of filler， repetition， and less than fascinating chapters in the second half。 I think he might have benefited from talking to some less privileged communities because some of the things he said， especially with regards to the job market， seemed way off the mark。 He seems to be unaware of the reality beyond the pre-2020 economic job-numbers which stop counting people that have "stopped looking for work。" Parts of it in the first half were really interesting， but it was also full of filler， repetition， and less than fascinating chapters in the second half。 I think he might have benefited from talking to some less privileged communities because some of the things he said， especially with regards to the job market， seemed way off the mark。 He seems to be unaware of the reality beyond the pre-2020 economic job-numbers which stop counting people that have "stopped looking for work。" 。。。more
TheWink
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There really is nothing new that I can add to other people's reviews。 If you， like me， have never read anything at all about the research being done on aging as a disease， then this book is a good place to start。 The material in the book that disappointed me was whenever he strayed in areas not having to do with the study of aging （nutritional advice， technological biotracking， predictions in areas outside of aging， etc。）。 Overall， if the author stuck to discussing the history of aging， past and There really is nothing new that I can add to other people's reviews。 If you， like me， have never read anything at all about the research being done on aging as a disease， then this book is a good place to start。 The material in the book that disappointed me was whenever he strayed in areas not having to do with the study of aging （nutritional advice， technological biotracking， predictions in areas outside of aging， etc。）。 Overall， if the author stuck to discussing the history of aging， past and current research in aging as a disease， and what more could be pursued in the research of aging， then the book would have been shorter （page count probably cut in half） and more impactful。 Now that my appetite for knowledge about aging has been whetted， I look forward to reading more about this subject in the future。 。。。more
J Pablo
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Changed my understanding on ageing Fantastically well written book that completely changed my understanding of ageing。 Some of the chapters at the start were a bit technical but nothing too difficult to grasp。
DoeJoe
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Stopped eating lunch。 I better now live healthily until at least 120， Mr。 Sinclair， or else I will revise my rating significantly downward。
Alexander Hudtwalcker
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What a book！ It's amazing to see how far science has come and all the research this scientists are doing。 I hope that goverments and the people are ready for what's to come。 What a book！ It's amazing to see how far science has come and all the research this scientists are doing。 I hope that goverments and the people are ready for what's to come。 。。。more
Shanzi
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Pros: author does a good job of explaining the science behind aging and explaining the societal impacts （both good and bad） of extending the average human lifespan。 He convinced me that extending my lifespan by 10-15 years is completely feasible with a few lifestyle adjustments。 His intro and conclusion sections are stellar。 Cons: at times the book read like my high school biology textbook which made it hard for me to be fully engaged in the text。 I wish he was quicker to make his points （just t Pros: author does a good job of explaining the science behind aging and explaining the societal impacts （both good and bad） of extending the average human lifespan。 He convinced me that extending my lifespan by 10-15 years is completely feasible with a few lifestyle adjustments。 His intro and conclusion sections are stellar。 Cons: at times the book read like my high school biology textbook which made it hard for me to be fully engaged in the text。 I wish he was quicker to make his points （just tell me what I have to do！！！） 。。。more
mehmet umut çağlar
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The first scientific part is amazing* especially Sinclair's last paper about the self-repair of eye neurons gives additional power to the book。 When the book published the results were just promising。 When I was reading the book the results are published。 As humanity， we manage to repair an adult mammal neuron by just bringing it to a "young" state。 That is an amazing booster for the impact of the book。https://www。nature。com/articles/s4158。。。* I also believe the book helped the writer to find th The first scientific part is amazing* especially Sinclair's last paper about the self-repair of eye neurons gives additional power to the book。 When the book published the results were just promising。 When I was reading the book the results are published。 As humanity， we manage to repair an adult mammal neuron by just bringing it to a "young" state。 That is an amazing booster for the impact of the book。https://www。nature。com/articles/s4158。。。* I also believe the book helped the writer to find the 200m$ for his Spac which might end up with an amazing company and the products we are all looking for。https://wallstreetpit。com/116075-davi。。。The second sociological part is weak。*He tries to do a decent job in a field that he is not an expert in。 *Do not read those parts as discussions of a scientific expert， but look at them as opinions of a curious intellectual。 You may or may not agree with those opinions but they are not backed up with enough data。 。。。more
Luke
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