Nir Barzilai: Is aging, as we know it, over?

The concept of healthspan - the number of years that we enjoy optimum health - has come a long way, in recent years.  In fact, Dr. Nir Barzilai, founding director of the Institute for Aging Research at Albert Einstein College of Medicine,  believes we are "ushering in a future where the norm will be for people to be healthy, active and mentally sharp, during the last quarter of their lives."  In his new book, Age Later: Healthspan, Life Span, and the New Science of Longevity, he argues that aging can be "targeted, improved and even cured," and that it should be thought of as not "as a certainty but as a phenomenon."  In this LLAMA podcast episode, with Peter Bowes, Dr Barzilai, discusses his life's work studying some of the world's super agers, people who are enjoying active and productive lives well into their nineties and beyond.

Recorded:  September 21st, 2020 | Read a transcript and show notes at the LLAMA podcast website.

Topics covered in this interview include:

• Dr Barzilai's lifelong interest in longevity and healthspan
• The impact of Covid 19 and why it has highlighted issues surrounding agism. 
• Post-covid and finding the right balance with social interactions. 
• The TAME (Targeting Aging with Metformin) study and wider uses for the anti-diabetic drug, relating to aging, coronavirus and cancer. 
• Should we all be taking metformin?  The ethical dilemmas. 
• Why "flexible" biology of aging. 
• What has been learned through the study of 750 centenarians?
• Learning lessons from Frieda - the grandmother of Dr. Barzilai's wife. 
• Why we should not put off our dreams. 
• The longevity dividend.
• Caloric restriction, fasting and time-restricted eating.
• Getting enough sleep.

Earlier LLAMA podcast in with Dr. Barzilai: Researching the genetics of exceptional longevity and drugs that could target aging

The Live Long and Master Aging podcast shares ideas but does not offer medical advice.  If you have health concerns of any kind, or you are considering adopting a new diet or exercise regime, you should consult your doctor.

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The Live Long and Master Aging (LLAMA) podcast, a HealthSpan Media LLC production, shares ideas but does not offer medical advice. If you have health concerns of any kind, or you are considering adopting a new diet or exercise regime, you should consult your doctor.