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Harvard longevity researcher: 'You can change the arc of your life by doing the right things'
🇦🇷 Argentina /Health & Science

Harvard longevity researcher: 'You can change the arc of your life by doing the right things'

From La Nación · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

In-depth Sources not specified Context piece
  • Harvard geneticist David Sinclair suggests aging is not inevitable but a loss of information that can be slowed.
  • He states genetics account for only 20% of longevity, with lifestyle choices significantly influencing gene expression.
  • Sinclair's theory of hormesis explains how controlled stress, like fasting and exercise, strengthens cells and repairs genetic damage.

Harvard geneticist David Sinclair challenges the notion that aging is an unchangeable fate. He proposes that old age is a loss of information, which individuals can actively slow down through conscious choices. Sinclair, a professor at Harvard Medical School, argues that people have substantial control over their healthspan as they age.

You can change the arc of your life by doing the right things.

— David SinclairIn a 2022 interview, the specialist stated that people have significant control over their health expectations in old age.

In a 2022 interview, Sinclair asserted, "You can change the arc of your life by doing the right things." This statement aims to dismantle the traditional belief that an individual's genetic makeup solely dictates future health. Scientific studies on identical twins, he noted, show genes explain only a small fraction of longevity. Sinclair's research indicates genetics account for just 20% of health in later life. He believes daily choices in nutrition, rest, and physical activity shape gene expression over time, placing the responsibility for aging on the individual.

Sinclair detailed that these "right actions" activate a family of proteins called sirtuins, encoded by SIRT genes. These proteins are crucial for DNA defense and act as an emergency response team. For instance, dietary restriction and regular exercise stimulate sirtuin activity. "One of the main reasons why fasting and, for that matter, exercise are good for you is that they activate the longevity genes," he explained. This process, known as "hormesis," involves subjecting the body to controlled stress. Sinclair used the adage, "What doesn't kill you or harm you makes you stronger," to illustrate how hormesis prepares cells for simulated emergencies, repairing accumulated genetic flaws and preventing chronic cellular deterioration.

One of the main reasons why fasting and, for that matter, exercise are good for you is that they activate the longevity genes.

— David SinclairThe specialist detailed that the 'correct actions' directly activate a family of proteins called sirtuins.

Furthermore, Sinclair introduced a novel theory on the biological causes of aging, comparing the physical decline to a DVD that accumulates surface damage over time. This theory posits that aging is linked to epigenetic information loss.

What doesn't kill you or harm you makes you stronger.

— David SinclairThe specialist illustrated the mechanism of biological adaptation known as 'hormesis'.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by La Nación in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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