David Sinclair – Science of looking younger
Co-host Matthew LaPlante
We’ve evolved to have children up to ~30yo – after that risks increase
Infertile ~40yo – menopause – lots of physical changes
Estrogen + progesterone / HRT treatment can be beneficial
Most women don’t know their baseline levels especially during menstrual cycles
Truth to “you’re as old as you look” – subjective physical appearance is correlated with longevity
Importance of skin health
Skin is body’s largest organ
Simple skin test – palm on table, pinch back of hand, skin should return to place in <2 seconds when young – by 40s to 50s it’s <10 seconds
Problem of epidermal thinning – menopausal women, older men
Bruising, ripping, tearing – becomes life or death especially when older
Health of skin cells is very correlated with measured biological age
Skin is full of dying cells (senescent cells)
The dying cells secrete bad chemicals, and if you kill these cells it can improve health
Prevention –
Avoid UV light
Wear sunscreen – 10-20 mins of sun can be good but don’t overdo it
Other bad things – smoking, alcohol, processed foods
Cures / Treatments –
Collagen supplements (jury still out on benefits, but likely no harm)
Vitamin C
Retin A / Retinol (short-term benefits, but unclear on long-term)
Anti oxidants (literature is not good for longevity, except resveratrol in certain applications)
HA (hyaluronic acid)
Botox – very effective at reducing wrinkles for 6-9 months; it’s cosmetic not medical
Nails
Rate of nail growth is good indicator of aging
Decreases 0.5% per year
Hair loss
It’s strongly genetic – 600 genes involved – carried on X-chromosome
Hair follicles shrink with age
Treatments – RetinA; Rogaine; Propecia
Laser treatment has proven benefit (low laser light therapy) – likely causes hormesis and rejuvenates stem cells – similar to how infra saunas are growing in popularity
Gray hair as evolutionary indicator of experience, status – stress can induce it, and gray hair is reversible (especially in early stages)
Believes there will be products to naturally restore hair color before long
Hair starts growing in wrong places as you get older
Likely due to gene expression going awry
Eunuchs – no testes – live 14-19 years longer than the normal man (!)
In a study of 81 eunuchs, 3 became centenarians (100x greater rate than baseline)
Smaller people live longer too
All cells have fundamental same causes of aging, and similar treatment pathways
“If you keep yourself looking good, you’ll probably live longer too”