Ageless: The New Science of Getting Older Without Getting Old
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- Create Date：2021-04-12 09:51:59
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Andrew Steele
- ISBN：059321479X
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Summary
A startling chronicle that takes us onto the frontiers of the science of aging， and reveals how close we are to an astonishing extension of our lifespans and a vastly improved quality of life in our later years。
Aging--not cancer， not heart disease--is the world's leading cause of death and suffering。 We accept as inevitable that as we advance in years our bodies and minds begin to deteriorate and we are more and more likely to be felled by dementia or disease。 But we never really question--is it necessary？ Biologists， on the other hand， have been investigating for years， wondering if the decline of our bodies is truly unavoidable。 After all， there are already tortoises and salamanders whose risk of dying is the same as long as they live。 With the help of science， could humans find a way to become old without getting elderly， a phenomenon otherwise known as "biological immortality"？
In Ageless， biologist Andrew Steele shows us that the answer lies at the cellular level。 He takes us on a journey through the laboratories where scientists are studying every aspect of the cell--DNA， mitochondria， stem cells， our immune systems， even age-genes that can lead to a ten-fold increase in life span （in worms， anyway）--all in an effort to forestall or reverse the body's （currently！） inevitable decline。 With bell-clear writing and intellectual passion， Steele shines a spotlight on a revolution already underway and offers reality-based hope。
Aging--not cancer， not heart disease--is the world's leading cause of death and suffering。 We accept as inevitable that as we advance in years our bodies and minds begin to deteriorate and we are more and more likely to be felled by dementia or disease。 But we never really question--is it necessary？ Biologists， on the other hand， have been investigating for years， wondering if the decline of our bodies is truly unavoidable。 After all， there are already tortoises and salamanders whose risk of dying is the same as long as they live。 With the help of science， could humans find a way to become old without getting elderly， a phenomenon otherwise known as "biological immortality"？
In Ageless， biologist Andrew Steele shows us that the answer lies at the cellular level。 He takes us on a journey through the laboratories where scientists are studying every aspect of the cell--DNA， mitochondria， stem cells， our immune systems， even age-genes that can lead to a ten-fold increase in life span （in worms， anyway）--all in an effort to forestall or reverse the body's （currently！） inevitable decline。 With bell-clear writing and intellectual passion， Steele shines a spotlight on a revolution already underway and offers reality-based hope。
Reviews
Lance McNeill
，
Too speculative This book is speculative to the point of near uselessness in practical terms。 It’s interesting if you want to know about the earliest studies happening related to anti-aging， but there isn’t much that is actionable for today aside from the common sense advice of not smoking， eating a healthy balanced diet and exercising。
Greg Teal
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Gave me hope。
Duane Nickell
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Although I gave this book a five-star rating， I have somewhat mixed feelings about it。 First， the writing is excellent， at least in the chapters I understood。 The problem for me was that the first two parts of the book were pretty technical。 I have a degree in physics but you almost need a degree in chemistry and biology to follow some of the narrative。 I'm getting older and I tend to like books that are easy to read。 But， the final two chapters made the book worth the price。 In the next to last Although I gave this book a five-star rating， I have somewhat mixed feelings about it。 First， the writing is excellent， at least in the chapters I understood。 The problem for me was that the first two parts of the book were pretty technical。 I have a degree in physics but you almost need a degree in chemistry and biology to follow some of the narrative。 I'm getting older and I tend to like books that are easy to read。 But， the final two chapters made the book worth the price。 In the next to last chapter he lists eleven things we can do to live longer。 Most of these we know （exercise， eat right， get enough sleep， etc。） But for me the real reward was in the final chapter where he writes about metformin， a drug that is used to treat diabetes。 Research has shown that the drug may also reduce the risk of cancer and dementia and extend lifespan by a bit。 I'm going to call my doctor tomorrow to see if she'll prescribe it！ 。。。more
John
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This is really more of a 3 1/2 star situation for me。 I enjoyed the book， but it was a little dry on the science side from time to time。 This isn't a bad thing， it's just not exactly what I was expecting。 The advice for what to do now is pretty obvious， but Steele goes into an in-depth explanation as to why， which I liked。 There are really interesting and exciting horizons in this field。。。 and after reading this book I'm a bit more aware of what getting old is all about。 This is really more of a 3 1/2 star situation for me。 I enjoyed the book， but it was a little dry on the science side from time to time。 This isn't a bad thing， it's just not exactly what I was expecting。 The advice for what to do now is pretty obvious， but Steele goes into an in-depth explanation as to why， which I liked。 There are really interesting and exciting horizons in this field。。。 and after reading this book I'm a bit more aware of what getting old is all about。 。。。more
Michael Payne
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The bowhead whale is also a mammal like us， but it has an estimated lifespan of 200 years。 Why do mice have such short lives while whales have exceptionally long lives？ Answer: Nothing in Biology Makes Sense Except in the Light of Evolution - Theodosius DobzhanskyAntagonistic pleiotropy is the evolutionary mechanism by which our genes favour reproduction earlier in life （when we are most fertile） while our own genes have been selected to later program our cells to age， senesce and die through ap The bowhead whale is also a mammal like us， but it has an estimated lifespan of 200 years。 Why do mice have such short lives while whales have exceptionally long lives？ Answer: Nothing in Biology Makes Sense Except in the Light of Evolution - Theodosius DobzhanskyAntagonistic pleiotropy is the evolutionary mechanism by which our genes favour reproduction earlier in life （when we are most fertile） while our own genes have been selected to later program our cells to age， senesce and die through apoptosis。The better we understand our evolutionary past， the more we can know our biological present。 Andrew Steele explores these questions of how we animals age， how autophagy works， what are the potential therapeutic uses of Yamanaka factors and pluripotent stem cells。 This overview of the latest science is spot on and well worth the read for anyone interesting in knowing better why your own clock ticks。 Though （spoiler alert） humans have yet to find many answers that extend lifespan， outside of caloric restriction。 Alas， Andrew concludes with little more than well known advice of eating less， exercising more， avoiding smoking， and paying attention to obesity， cutaneous fats， and inflamm-aging。 Hopefully， staying alive long enough for science to understand more。In these pages， the spirit of Juan Ponce de Leon lives。 In our genes， our fate like Leon's is foregone。Read on。 。。。more
Virgil
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Very interesting and compelling。。。
Jonathan Palfrey
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I'm uncertain how to rate this book。 On the one hand， it's well written and brings us up to date （in considerable detail！） on the science of aging: what's happening in our bodies as we age， what could be done about it， and what is the current state of research on these methods （in 2020）。 It also points out usefully that to delay aging （extending youth） would be very valuable in terms of health， because much ill health is age-related， so extending youth much improves general health。On the other h I'm uncertain how to rate this book。 On the one hand， it's well written and brings us up to date （in considerable detail！） on the science of aging: what's happening in our bodies as we age， what could be done about it， and what is the current state of research on these methods （in 2020）。 It also points out usefully that to delay aging （extending youth） would be very valuable in terms of health， because much ill health is age-related， so extending youth much improves general health。On the other hand， it doesn't tell you anything that will be of much use in extending your own youth。 Chapter 10 has practical recommendations， yes， but they're recommendations that most people will already be familiar with， if they have any interest in the subject: don't smoke， don't eat too much， exercise， get enough sleep， get vaccinated， wash your hands， clean your teeth thoroughly （apparently this affects general health！）， avoid sunburn。The high level of technical detail in some chapters of the book gives it credibility， but it's overkill for me and probably for many other general readers who aren't scientists。 I resorted to skimming to get through this stuff; it would be indigestible if I tried to read every word of it。In the end， I value the book because I simply didn't know that science had advanced this far， so that practical techniques for youth extension should become available in the short to medium term: within this century， I suppose。Also， I was fascinated to read that some techniques could not just slow the process of aging， but reverse it: restoring youth。 This would enable anyone to benefit who was not actually dead at the time of treatment。 。。。more
Marcus Brooke
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It’s technically a good book which is very detailed on the scientific studies that are currently underway on the extension of human lifespan。 All aspects seem to be covered from cell replication， stem cell research， glycation of proteins to dietary restriction。 However， if you’re looking for answers to what you can do now to extend your life， then it’s limited。 It appears that we’re at an early stage of research and it’s a complicated subject。 It seems that our bodies are on a knife-edge of posi It’s technically a good book which is very detailed on the scientific studies that are currently underway on the extension of human lifespan。 All aspects seem to be covered from cell replication， stem cell research， glycation of proteins to dietary restriction。 However， if you’re looking for answers to what you can do now to extend your life， then it’s limited。 It appears that we’re at an early stage of research and it’s a complicated subject。 It seems that our bodies are on a knife-edge of positive and negative molecular reactions - using stem cells can extend life but can increase the risk of cancer if used in the wrong environment。 Every positive has a negative。Steele wants the book to be a call to action for everyone， including governments， to start focusing on treating ageing， instead of treating the individual results of ageing - cancers， heart disease， diabetes， dementia， Parkinsons， etc， that come from old age。Spoiler alert - in the penultimate chapter， Steele has these as summary headings:1。 Don’t smoke。2。 Don’t eat too much。3。 Get some exercise。4。 Get 7-8 hours sleep a night。5。 Get vaccinated and wash your hands。6。 Take care of your teeth。7。 Wear sunscreen。8。 Monitor your heart rate and blood pressure。9。 Don’t bother with vitamins。10。 Don’t bother with longevity drugs yet。11。 Be a woman。One thing that I did pick up on， （which was only a single sentence） was regarding glycation of proteins - sugar is bad for the body and causes glycation （inflammation/rearrangement of cells）， leading to impaired elasticity of tissues such as blood vessels， skin， and tendons。 He mentions that fructose seems to be more of a problem than other sugars…I eat a lot of fruit so I’m going to cut down on that。 Also he didn't discuss hydration - it's one of my rules for being healthy， to stay hydrated， but maybe it doesn't affect lifespan。。。。or he's just not looked at it。Overall though， despite it being a tour de force on the subject， I’m left feeling disappointed because there doesn’t appear to be anything new that we can do to increase our lifespan - we’ve got to wait for science to catch up。 。。。more
Live Forever or Die Trying
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Disclaimer: I was given an ARC of this book by Doubleday Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 Over the past two years Longevity， Bio-gerontology， or Life Extension has been a pet subject of mine and during that time I have read over 15 books on different aspects of this topic。 With that background I can honestly say that Ageless by Andrew Steele is one of the top books on the subject。What Ageless does exceptionally well over other books in the topic is being able to convey the s Disclaimer: I was given an ARC of this book by Doubleday Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 Over the past two years Longevity， Bio-gerontology， or Life Extension has been a pet subject of mine and during that time I have read over 15 books on different aspects of this topic。 With that background I can honestly say that Ageless by Andrew Steele is one of the top books on the subject。What Ageless does exceptionally well over other books in the topic is being able to convey the sometimes complex biology of aging research in a simple， yet detailed， and more importantly readable and entertaining way。 Many books are able to provide detail however they come across as dense and academic so they are not accessible to the standard reader。 Others are entertaining but you come away from the book with only a taste of the current situation as only portions of the science are explored。 This book strikes the balance between these two positions perfectly。If you are interested in a no-bs， not overly-optimistic look at the current science of a new emerging field this should be high on your list。 。。。more
S Ravishankar
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Excellent book that explains why we age， treating the aging and living longer despite this。 The methods of increasing lifespan currently in research stage - dietary restriction， senolytics， telemerase point to many possible interventions and drugs that could together increase healthy life。 These could also delay cancers， heart disease， stroke and dementia。 Meanwhile the author argues for a healthy lifestyle to be well and living and thus benefit from these treatments in a couple of decades or mo Excellent book that explains why we age， treating the aging and living longer despite this。 The methods of increasing lifespan currently in research stage - dietary restriction， senolytics， telemerase point to many possible interventions and drugs that could together increase healthy life。 These could also delay cancers， heart disease， stroke and dementia。 Meanwhile the author argues for a healthy lifestyle to be well and living and thus benefit from these treatments in a couple of decades or more。 。。。more
Ruby
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I have mixed feelings on this one。 The author seems very excited about telomeres， and senescent cells and epigenetics。 Okay， fair enough， but he has a very biased viewpoint about anti-ageing research that really troubled me。 It troubles me that this scientist has such tunnel vision about the potential of these treatments， particularly in the hands of rich and powerful people。 While individual human lifespans are lengthening， there is this other little thing called climate change。 As it is， we ar I have mixed feelings on this one。 The author seems very excited about telomeres， and senescent cells and epigenetics。 Okay， fair enough， but he has a very biased viewpoint about anti-ageing research that really troubled me。 It troubles me that this scientist has such tunnel vision about the potential of these treatments， particularly in the hands of rich and powerful people。 While individual human lifespans are lengthening， there is this other little thing called climate change。 As it is， we are facing widespread disease and destruction due to loss of habitat， the spread of disease， natural disasters and their fallout。。。 so many challenges that we know are directly caused by having too many people on this planet。 I was really frustrated by the lack of balance in the book。There was some pretty interesting research， but maybe there’s a part of me that actually hopes that we never find a “cure” for ageing。 I wonder if we should let nature take its course。 Science has brought many breakthroughs for humans and we are getting better and better at surviving， but we do it through dominating the land and destroying it。 。。。more
David C Dawson
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I listened to the audiobook of this and recommend it。 Andrew Steele's enthusiasm for his topic is infectious， and he's clearly experienced and comfortable at the microphone。His thesis is fascinating。 In brief， 'curing' ageing is a far better bet than spending time trying to cure many of the common diseases of old age such as heart disease， cancer or dementia。Steele makes a convincing and balanced case。 He gives a lot of detail about how our bodies work， how we got to find out how our bodies work I listened to the audiobook of this and recommend it。 Andrew Steele's enthusiasm for his topic is infectious， and he's clearly experienced and comfortable at the microphone。His thesis is fascinating。 In brief， 'curing' ageing is a far better bet than spending time trying to cure many of the common diseases of old age such as heart disease， cancer or dementia。Steele makes a convincing and balanced case。 He gives a lot of detail about how our bodies work， how we got to find out how our bodies work， and what debates continue as to the best way to live to healthy old age。Highly recommended。 。。。more
gareth
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Interesting book。Have read a lot of science based books on aging it's an interesting read， I found some chapters not as engaging as others。 Interesting book。Have read a lot of science based books on aging it's an interesting read， I found some chapters not as engaging as others。 。。。more
Alicia Bayer
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This is a fascinating book for fellow science geeks， but it's not a book on how the reader is necessarily going to avoid aging。 Steele is a scientist who takes us on a deep dive into the 9 reasons he says we age。 He maintains that aging is not required and that if we can manipulate cells enough， it may be possible for people to never age in the future。 That's the thing though， this is all futuristic stuff。 It's all cell manipulation and promising technology。 It is quite interesting， but I'm not This is a fascinating book for fellow science geeks， but it's not a book on how the reader is necessarily going to avoid aging。 Steele is a scientist who takes us on a deep dive into the 9 reasons he says we age。 He maintains that aging is not required and that if we can manipulate cells enough， it may be possible for people to never age in the future。 That's the thing though， this is all futuristic stuff。 It's all cell manipulation and promising technology。 It is quite interesting， but I'm not even sure that I agree with him that our governments should be funding this research， as I really think it would end up being one more area where the rich benefited and life got even harder for the poor。 The very end of the book tells how to live a little longer in the meantime in order to hopefully extend your life enough to live in times when they can extend it more and then more。 These are absolutely basic things we all know -- stop smoking， exercise， get sleep， etc。 He says not to take supplements （even vitamins）。 The last one is "be born a woman。" I was surprised that Steele didn't go into other things we do know help extend life， like social contact。 He also talked a lot about the length of telomeres and how that translates to life expectancy， but never mentions things like the fact that they've shown that growing up in an abusive home and other sources of stress actually shorten telomeres。 Then there's the giddy fascination he has with all the scientists who sew mice together to study how that affects them （for instance， sewing a young mouse to an older one to see if the old one benefits from sharing cells and such）。 He actually uses the word "shockingly" when he says this research mostly stopped 30 years ago， but then he happily tells us that a married couple of scientists have started doing it again。 Then he tells us about the experiments they're doing on King Charles spaniels in order to try to develop anti-aging technology to sell to dog owners （apparently this breed ages quickly）。 He sees this all as wonderful science。 I just felt sad。 It is an interesting book for those who just love learning。 I found it very interesting， but not actually helpful on a personal level。I read a digital ARC of this book via Net Galley。 。。。more
Mike
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Steele makes some interesting points especially about the longevity of different species， some getting a far better run than others。 We humans do okay but whales and tortoises， wow！ He claims that aging is not a natural thing， its a disease and should be treated as such。 It's a short book and mostly he tries to make the case that the government should be funding more research into aging。 Fair enough， but it tends to detract from the info he is trying to convey to the reader。 Steele makes some interesting points especially about the longevity of different species， some getting a far better run than others。 We humans do okay but whales and tortoises， wow！ He claims that aging is not a natural thing， its a disease and should be treated as such。 It's a short book and mostly he tries to make the case that the government should be funding more research into aging。 Fair enough， but it tends to detract from the info he is trying to convey to the reader。 。。。more
Lewis Franielczyk
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My new goal in life is to become a Galapagos Totoise。
Radiantflux
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2nd book for 2021。Fascinating deep-dive into the study of human ageing and many different medical techniques that are in various stages of development to slow and eventually reverse it。 Four-stars。
Lou
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