Book Recommendations
Glucose Revolution
by Jessie Inchauspé
Do you often get hungry soon after eating? Do you feel tired and out of sorts throughout the day? If so, you may be experiencing glucose spikes. In Glucose Revolution, biochemist Jessie Inchauspé explores glucose’s role as our body’s primary energy source while also examining the adverse consequences of too much glucose. She argues that glucose spikes are at the center of most common health issues and offers a collection of strategies for taking control of your health by stabilizing your glucose levels.
In this guide, you’ll learn the basics of where glucose comes from and how it works in the body. We’ll also explore various diseases and conditions that can result from repeated glucose spikes over time and Inchauspé’s strategies for preventing these negative effects by stabilizing your glucose levels. Finally, we’ll examine alternative methods for managing glucose levels and take a closer look at some of the medical advancements Inchauspé references.
Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity
by Dr. Peter Attia
Dr. Attia’s book Outlive was published in March of 2023 and became an almost instant New York Times bestseller.
For those who follow Attia’s podcast, many parts of the book will be familiar. From discussions of which blood tests to get, to the importance of exercise for maintaining healthspan and preventing diseases of ageing, to potential anti-ageing interventions like fasting and metformin, Dr. Attia covers a lot of ground. For those serious about real, proven strategies for increasing their health and, hopefully, lifespan, this book is a “must-read”.
The Telomere Effect: A Revolutionary Approach to Living Younger, Healthier, Longer
by Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn and Dr. Elissa Epel
This New York Times bestselling book is coauthored by the Nobel Prize winner Dr. Blackburn, who discovered telomerase and telomeres' role in the ageing process and the health psychologist Dr. Epel, who has done original research into how specific lifestyle and psychological habits can protect telomeres, slowing disease and improving life. The Telomere Effect book (first published in 2017) will enable you to gain a good understanding of the science and biology behind ageing. The authors use a conversational writing style that makes the science approachable for non-scientists. The book reveals how Blackburn and Epel's findings, together with research from colleagues around the world, cumulatively show that sleep quality, exercise, aspects of diet, and even certain chemicals profoundly affect our telomeres, and that chronic stress, negative thoughts, strained relationships, and even the wrong neighborhoods can eat away at them. The Telomere Effect will certainly make you reassess how you live your life on a day-to-day basis.
Ending Aging: The Rejuvenation Breakthroughs That Could Reverse Human Aging in Our Lifetime
Despite having been published way back in 2007, this book is still an important read for anyone interested in the science of longevity. Dr. de Grey is indeed one of the most visible advocates for anti-ageing research and interventions worldwide.
In Ending Aging, Dr. de Grey and his research assistant Michael Rae describe the details of this biotechnology. They explain that the ageing of the human body, just like the ageing of man-made machines, results from an accumulation of various types of damage. As with man-made machines, this damage can periodically be repaired, leading to indefinite extension of the machine's fully functional lifetime, just as is routinely done with classic cars. We already know what types of damage accumulate in the human body, and we are moving rapidly toward the comprehensive development of technologies to remove that damage. By demystifying ageing and its postponement for the nonspecialist reader, de Grey and Rae systematically dismantle the fatalist presumption that ageing will forever defeat the efforts of medical science.
Lifespan: Why We Age and Why We Don’t Have To
by David A. Sinclair, PhD
This 2019 bestseller has some of the most exciting science from the field of human longevity research, which shouldn’t be surprising given it was actually written by one of the foremost scientists doing that research: Dr. Sinclair runs his own research lab at Harvard Medical School, where he studies the biological processes of ageing and, more importantly, possible interventions to reverse them. He came to prominence initially for his research into the molecule resveratrol (found in red wine) but has since extended his remit to everything from stem cells to fasting to NMN.
This book takes us to the frontlines of research many from Dr. David Sinclair’s own lab at Harvard—that demonstrate how we can slow down, or even reverse, aging. The key is activating newly discovered vitality genes, the descendants of an ancient genetic survival circuit that is both the cause of ageing and the key to reversing it. Dr. Sinclair reveals a bold new theory for why we age. As he writes: “Aging is a disease, and that disease is treatable.”
Age Later: Health Span, Life Span, and the New Science of Longevity
by Nir Barzilai, M.D.
Dr. Barzilai, who founded the Institute for Aging Research at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, is another giant in the life extension research space and his new book covers all his ageing research findings and possible applications.
Beginning with his research on “SuperAgers” (centenarians who manage to stay healthy well into their 10th decade), and touching on theories of why we age, Dr. Barzilai then dives into the current state of longevity research funding and societal (and government) recognition. The book finishes with how best to apply the lessons from his research including sections on diet, supplements, exercise, and medicines like metformin.
The Path to Longevity: The Secrets to Living a Long, Happy, Healthy Life
by Luigi Fontana
Professor Dr. Fontana is a well-respected researcher and clinician in the longevity space. He is credited with running the core studies that discovered the anti-ageing potential of the 5:2 diet, a popular intermittent fasting regimen where practitioners drastically lower their caloric intake two days each week. His vast array of other research has also been instrumental in helping understand caloric restriction, protein intake, and potential anti-ageing supplements.
The Path to Longevity is a summary of more than 20 years of research, clinical practice and Dr. Fontana's accumulated knowledge on healthy longevity. In his easy-to-follow, comprehensive book he outlines a lifestyle plan that integrates the principles of nutrition, diet, exercise, brain health and relationships that can help you not only live a long life but also a healthier more fulfilling life.