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Immortality is still science fiction and an unfulfilled dream for billionaires. But lifestyle changes you can make today can extend life. Healthy eating, quitting smoking, and regular exercise could add about 15 extra years to your life.
Journalists at the Daily Mail spoke with leading scientists who are fighting aging and collected their longevity tips.
Secrets to Longevity from Dr. David Clancy
Dr. David Clancy, who has spent decades researching ways to delay age-related decline, offers two key pieces of advice for extending life: calorie restriction and physical exercise. Those recommendations may sound simple, but the mechanisms by which diet and exercise influence aging are complex.
Dr. Clancy says these habits can help clear the body of senescent cells, commonly called “zombie cells.” These cells release compounds that accelerate aging.
A stronger immune system in youth helps the body eliminate these “zombie cells,” but that ability diminishes with age. Some scientists believe aging can be slowed with drugs that “cleanse” senescent cells. Dr. Clancy says common signs like gray hair and joint pain can be mitigated through regular exercise and dietary restriction.
A 2019 review found that physical activity benefits the immune system by reducing the burden of “zombie cells” in skeletal muscle and fat. But a more recent study suggests that effect may require intense, exhausting workouts.
On calorie restriction, Dr. Clancy shares a personal example: his aunt, who lived to 90, attributed her longevity not to exercise but to a relatively easy life and a weekly “liquid day”—one day each week when she drank only tea, coffee, or water. He says the main drawback of these habits is how hard they are to maintain consistently.
Secrets to Longevity from Dr. Andrew Steele
Dr. Andrew Steele, a Berlin-based scientist, says it’s never too late to start exercising. Taking the first step is better than doing nothing.
Dr. Steele points to research showing exercise can improve fitness even in people over 90. In his book “The New Science of Aging,” he cites a 2014 study in which 90-year-old retirees completed a 12-week resistance training program and gained muscle strength and walking speed, signs of improved health and potential longevity.
Dr. Steele notes that during a run you can feel your muscles working and your heart beating—exercise benefits both muscle and cardiovascular health. Physical activity also reduces the risk of cancer and dementia.
Dr. Steele argues that each sign of aging tends to trigger the next, so interrupting that cascade with exercise should help people live longer.
He also warns that drugs under development to slow aging won’t be a miracle pill that fixes everything. They may help clear “zombie cells,” and other approaches like gene therapy could play a role, but Dr. Steele believes exercise remains the simplest and most reliable way to extend lifespan.
Secrets to Longevity from Professor Richard Faragher
Biogerontology expert Richard Faragher is skeptical of anti-aging supplements; their effects often look like placebo. He says many products have dubious evidence behind them.
Professor Faragher, who has spent decades studying aging, doesn’t believe in universal secrets to living longer. Still, he thinks basic lifestyle changes—maintaining a healthy weight, regular exercise, moderating alcohol, and quitting smoking—can extend life.
As Professor Faragher points out, following those recommendations could add roughly 15 years to someone’s life. But he admits people often resist these simple suggestions.
He also says that managing the accumulation of “zombie cells” would be a major step toward controlling aging. While exercise can help the immune system remove those cells, Professor Faragher advises focusing on the basics first.
Get to a healthy weight. Don’t wake up hungover six days a week. Avoid being out of breath every ten minutes. Eat a balanced diet. Once those basics are in place, start doing exercises that strengthen the immune system.
