Dr. David Sinclair has answers on why we age, and how we can do it much, much better.
With so much information and advice out there about healthy aging, do you ever stop to wonder why exactly our bodies change so much as we age? Dr. David Sinclair, a professor of genetics and co-Director of the Paul F. Glenn Center for Biology of Aging Research at Harvard Medical School, has been researching this very topic. In fac, he writes in his fascinating, revolutionary book Lifespan that aging can actually be treated. Read our conversation below to find out what that means — and study his five tips for living a longer, healthier life.
Katie Couric Media: You believe that there’s a singular cause for aging. What is it? Can you break it down for us?
David Sinclair: All of our cells have the same DNA, but they read different genes that tell them what type of cell they should be. A nerve cell reads different genes than a skin cell. When we’re young, our cells know exactly what they should be, but over time they lose their ability to read the right genes. They lose their identity and start to fail. I believe this is aging. In my book I explain that aging is simply a loss of this information, not the genetic kind, but the “epigenetic” kind. It’s similar to having a DVD that becomes scratched. The information is still there, but the music sounds terrible.
In your book Lifespan, you say that “aging is far easier to treat than cancer.” What do you mean by that?
Our lab has shown that it’s possible to polish the scratched DVD and recover the information in our cells to be young again. It was never lost, we just needed to find a way to access it. It’s a simple solution, if you understand what aging is: We introduce a few genes into cells to tell them to reset, and they reset. They regain their youth, and they regain their function. Nerve cells remember to be nerves. Skin cells remember to be skin. The epigenetic clock of aging goes backward.
So, what would an effective, game-changing treatment for aging look like? How far are we from having one?
We have discovered how to posit the DVD. We also refer to this as accessing the backup hard drive of cells. We have used gene therapy to reprogram cells. We have reversed vision loss in old mice and, in people, hope to treat diseases of the eye and the ear at first. These treatments are at least 6 years away, but we have molecules at our disposal that I discuss in my book.
Do you think there will be a time when people can live to 130 or beyond?
I don’t see how we can live forever, but we might be able to reset organs and tissues many times. How many times? We’re testing that theory as we speak.
Living longer raises all kinds of other issues. What are some of them that worry you the most?
Consumption is the biggest problem. We throw away half of our food, we burn too much gas. If we’re to be healthier for longer, there’ll be more money to save the planet and species, but we still need to have less impact on Earth. I worry about dictators who will be around for much longer, and changes in politics that they might create.
What are five things people can do right now to live a longer, healthier life?
Here’s what I do:
1. Eat less often. I’m not promoting starvation or malnutrition, but it’s OK skip a meal each day — allow yourself to be a bit hungry.
2. Exercise until you’re out of breath a few times a week.
3. Eat multi-colored foods, and don’t eat too much or too little of any one food group.
4. Keep your BMI optimal, which for me is 23–25.
5. Optimize your microbiome. I eat homemade yogurt each morning but for you that might mean eating or drinking more fermented foods, like kombucha, kefir, or kimchi.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
