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In 2007, researchers were on a mission to understand why some people become “SuperAgers“—those who live to their 80s without major chronic conditions and have the brain health of someone much younger. Is it genetics? Lifestyle? Luck?
Nearly two decades later, the team was surprised. “We didn’t find these gene variants that we thought we might find,” Dr. Eric Topol, a cardiologist and founder of the Scripps Research Translational Institute, which conducted the study, tells Fortune.
This cohort of over 1,000 people with the average age of 87, who Topol refers to as “the wellderly,” helped scientists uncover a new meaning of “SuperAgers”—one that gives much more weight to lifestyle than previously thought.
“There’s only a small component here that’s actually genetic. It’s been overestimated,” Topol says. “I was personally relieved because I have such a terrible family history. That felt good, that, hey, maybe I’m not destined to suffer the same illnesses.”
Topol’s latest book, Super Agers: An Evidence-Based Approach to Longevity, is the result of decades of work and highlights the keys to living longer.
In a world where longevity has become a wellness megatrend, dominated by a growing number of companies offering scans, tests, lifestyle hacks, and more, Topol is eager to cut through the noise. “We have a lot of things that are without any basis out there, and some of it is egregious,” he says, nodding to companies solely selling supplement subscriptions, full-body MRIs, and not widely recommended medicines under the guise of longevity experts.
For Topol, reversing aging or gamifying longevity isn’t the goal; instead, the focus is on reducing the risk of developing chronic diseases that are more common as we get older.
Here are three key takeaways from Topol’s years of observing SuperAgers:
Exercise is the gold standard
Exercise is an age-old pillar of health and for good reason. Exercise reduces the risk of heart disease, helps keep the brain active and fight cognitive decline, and decreases the risk of age-related falls and frailty.
“Exercise is extraordinary. It works across all three age-related diseases,” Topol says of cancer, heart disease, and dementia, highlighting it is the most effective way to keep the immune system healthy and fight disease.
As a cardiologist, Topol has always championed aerobic exercise to reduce the risk of heart disease. Since studying the “wellderly,” he encourages adding strength training, including grip strength exercises and resistance training, to counter age-related muscle and bone loss and improve balance and mobility.
The Mediterranean diet
The Mediterranean diet is the standard diet in many of the world’s blue zones. The diet, consisting of whole foods, colorful fruits and vegetables, lean meats, whole grains, olive oil, and minimal dairy, is the diet that’s most protective against chronic diseases, Topol says. Research suggests that the diet is associated with improving bone, heart, and brain health and reducing cancer risk.
“It’s the best backed-up diet we have,” Topol says of his research on aging thus far. “That diet has consistently been shown to be a winner.”
The diet also de-emphasizes ultra-processed foods, or what Topol refers to as UFOs, which can, when consumed routinely, increase the risk of chronic conditions like heart disease and stroke, and lead to early mortality.
Embrace preventative screening
Age-related diseases usually progress within 20 years. Topol says that many people are unaware of their risks for age-related diseases, and therefore, aren’t making lifestyle changes that could help mitigate those risks.
“How will we be able to forecast very reliably when, who, and what of these conditions we will be at risk for so we can prevent them for the first time?” he asks. More preventative screenings are going to become mainstream, he says.
While the traditional health system treats patients after they are sick, Topol hopes that progressive medicine and technology help quantify people’s risk to allow them to take more control earlier. If someone recognizes that they have an increased risk for Alzheimer’s, using a brain clock or blood test to detect amyloid plaques associated with the disease, they may be more apt to adopt a healthier lifestyle, Topol says.
“We can get ahead of it, so that you never have to face that disease in your lifetime,” he says. “We can make big inroads by preventing age-related diseases.”
This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
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Alexa Mikhail
