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One of the foundational lessons we can take away from studying centenarians — those who have lived to the age of 100+ — is that if you want to live longer, you have to live longer without chronic disease, not live longer with chronic disease. Unfortunately, our current healthcare system is primarily geared toward helping you live longer once you develop chronic disease. This, of course, is the opposite of the approach I take with my patients.

Over 80% of deaths in people over 50 who do not smoke can be grouped into 4 main categories, what I like to call the four horsemen of chronic disease. These are: (1) atherosclerotic disease (comprised of cardiovascular disease and cerebrovascular disease), (2) cancer, (3) neurodegenerative disease (Alzheimer’s disease being the most common), and (4) metabolic disease (a spectrum of everything from hyperinsulinemia to insulin resistance to fatty liver disease to type 2 diabetes).

We have five main longevity tactics at our disposal to affect our longevity: (1) exercise, (2) sleep, (3) nutrition, (4) medications & supplements, and (5) distress tolerance. Below is a collection of podcasts and articles discussing how we can use these tactics to mitigate, prevent, and reverse chronic disease.

Medications & supplements

Podcast Episode

Peptides: separating scientific promise from marketing hype

Ep. #403

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Free Article

Does protein restriction still make sense in modern kidney care?

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Guest Episode

NMR blood analysis: how heart disease risk, insulin resistance, inflammation, and mortality risk can be assessed from a single blood sample

Ep. #402 with Jim Otvos, Ph.D.

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Free Article

Zero coronary calcium does not mean zero cardiovascular risk

Understanding science

Podcast Episode

How curiosity transforms medicine: extraordinary discoveries that changed modern healthcare

Ep. #401

Medications & supplements

Free Article

Lithium and Alzheimer’s disease: what to weave of this LATTICE?

Nutrition

Premium Article

Should you choose organic food?

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AMA

Environmental pollution and longevity: air pollution, noise, light, EMFs, and practical strategies to mitigate health risks

Ep. #400 (AMA #87)

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Guest Episode

The evolution of Alzheimer's disease and dementia care: how early detection, personalized treatment, new therapies, and a multimodal approach are changing the landscape

Ep. #399 with Gayatri Devi, M.D.

Sleep

Free Article

Does losing sleep mean losing lifespan?

Exercise

Podcast Episode

Building strength and muscle mass: how to optimize training, nutrition, and more for longevity (AMA #71 rebroadcast)

Medications & supplements

Free Article

Metformin and cancer: active surveillance needed

Medications & supplements

AMA

GLP-1 RAs and muscle loss: new data, better questions, and how to preserve muscle during weight loss

Ep. #398 (AMA #86)

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Free Article

The trouble with “good cholesterol”

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Premium Article

Lung cancer screening in never-smokers: the data

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Guest Episode

Endometriosis and adenomyosis: diagnosis, fertility, reproductive aging, and emerging treatments

Ep. #397 with Renato Tomioka, M.D., Ph.D.

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Podcast Episode

Breast cancer screening: understanding risk, deciding when to start and how often to screen, and choosing the right imaging strategy

Ep. #396

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Free Article

Beyond the mammogram: a framework for smarter breast cancer screening

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Guest Episode

Brain lipidology: understanding APOE, cholesterol homeostasis, Alzheimer's disease risk, and the effects of lipid-lowering therapies on brain health

Ep. #395 with Tom Dayspring, M.D.

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Free Article

The beginning of the end of atherosclerosis?

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Free Article

What At-Home HPV Testing Means for Cervical Cancer Screening

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Podcast Episode

Genetic testing: when it's valuable, how to choose the right test, and what to do with the results

Ep. #392

Nutrition

Free Article

A critical look at ultra-processed diets and male reproductive health

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Podcast Episode

Colorectal cancer screening: importance of early screening, colonoscopy as a screening and preventive tool, and how to build a personalized strategy

Ep. #391