We’re Getting Longevity All Wrong | Professor Colen Murphy

How much do we actually know about living longer?

In this episode of Degrees of Health, Ben Hopkins sits down with Professor Coleen Murphy, a leading researcher in aging and longevity at Princeton University, to talk about what the science really tells us about how we age.

They get into some of the biggest ideas in longevity right now, from calorie restriction and exercise to GLP-1s, peptides, vaccines, AI and the possibility that viruses could play a role in age-related disease.

Coleen also explains why she thinks we shouldn't be obsessed with simply living as long as possible. The bigger goal might be staying healthy, active and cognitively sharp for as long as we can.

They discuss:

Why we still have so much to learn about agingThe science behind calorie restriction and whether it's actually worth itWhy Coleen is much more interested in exerciseThe idea of "longevity escape velocity"Where AI could speed up longevity researchWhy prevention may be more important than trying to fix problems later in lifeThe surprising connection between vaccines and dementia riskWhat we really know about GLP-1 drugs and longevityThe risks and hype around longevity peptidesWhy women and reproductive aging could hold important clues about longevityHow sleep and wearables could help us understand our own agingWhy the brain and the rest of the body are much more connected than we once thoughtThe role of optimism, mindset and purpose in healthy agingWhy simply measuring and tracking what you do might be more useful than extreme longevity protocols

One of the biggest takeaways from the conversation is that longevity isn't necessarily about finding one magic pill or living an incredibly restrictive lifestyle. It's about understanding the biology of aging and figuring out how we can stay healthier for longer.

A fascinating conversation with someone who has spent decades studying the science behind how we age.

Find out more about Coleen Murphy and her research:

Princeton University / Murphy Lab

Book: How We Age: The Science of Longevity by Coleen Murphy

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