LONGEVITY INSIGHTS
Scroll down to explore some of the principles, science and insights that have helped shape The Longevity Plan
THE DALAI LAMA'S PARADOX OF LIFE
‘Man sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices his money to recuperate his health. Then, he’s so anxious about the future that he doesn’t enjoy the present. The result being, that he doesn’t live in the present, or the future. He lives as though he’s never going to die. Then dies, as though he’s never really lived.’
FOCUS ON LIVING WELL, NOT LONGER
Optimising healthspan
Longevity isn’t just about reaching 90 or 100. It’s about staying active and mentally sharp as the years go by. Adding life to your years - being able to function like someone much younger, for as long as possible.
In the world of health science, we focus on two key concepts:
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Lifespan – the number of years you live
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Healthspan – the number of those years you spend in good health
The norm today in most wealthy countries is that healthspan increasingly lags behind lifespan. Often by 10-20 years.
Our aim must be to minimise the gap between the two curves – by extending our healthspan. Known as compressed morbidity.
That means protecting your physical health, brain function, and emotional wellbeing for as long as possible. The earlier we start, the better the results.
HOW WE GOT HERE - AND WHY WE HAVE A PROBLEM
Homo Sapiens are the result of billions of years of evolution.
In our present form, we’ve been evolving for over 200,000 years.
However, almost all the things that detrimentally impact the quality of our lives have come about in the last 200 years:
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Availability of plentiful processed, calorie-dense foods, 24/7
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Consumption of high levels of unhealthy fats and sugars
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Sedentary lifestyles
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Artificial light affecting sleep patterns
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Thermo-neutrality (centrally heated, air conditioned environments)
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Chronic lifestyle stress
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Exposure to a wide range of environmental toxins
Our bodies are not adapted to cope with these recent changes.
THE DISEASES OF CIVILISATION
Why are so many of us unhealthy - and what we can do about it
In wealthy countries like the UK, average life expectancy is now 80+. That's double what it was in 1850. But the reality is that many of those extra years are spent managing chronic disease. And that gap between our healthspan and lifespan is increasing.
Conditions like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer, and dementia account for 80% of deaths. Yet genetics only explains a small part of the risk. The rest? It comes down to how we live.
As Jeff Krasno puts it: ‘We get to choose how we die’.
That might sound blunt, but it reflects an empowering truth. With today’s scientific understanding, we can actively reduce our risks and influence our long-term health outcomes.
OLDER AND HAPPIER
Are older people happier? Science says yes
Research consistently shows that happiness typically increases with age. Many people feel more content, emotionally balanced, and satisfied in their later years - despite common stereotypes.
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The U-shaped curve
Many studies reveal that happiness dips in midlife, then rises again, often peaking in our 60s and 70s. We become better at regulating emotions and start focusing on what truly matters - meaningful relationships and experiences.
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Here’s the catch
We’re living longer, but often not healthier, lives. Many people unfortunately spend their later years managing multiple chronic conditions.
Our opportunity lies in improving healthspan, not just lifespan - so we can make the most of what could be the most fulfilling decades of our lives.
RETHINKING WHAT'S NORMAL
'Genetics loads the gun, environment pulls the trigger'. Dr George Bray​
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Modern life has many comforts - cars, screens, central heating, home deliveries. But it’s also created a perfect storm for declining health. More stress, less movement, ultra-processed food, and poor sleep are everyday facts of life.
These aren’t just bad habits - they’ve become the new normal.
Our bodies weren’t built for this environment. We evolved to move often, eat seasonally, and live in tune with natural rhythms. Instead, we’re now expected to thrive while glued to a desk, snacking on sugar, and juggling endless digital demands.
It’s no wonder we feel tired, inflamed, and out of sync. The solution? Tune back in. Learn to read your body’s signals. Take proactive steps - before symptoms show up. That’s how we start to age on our own terms.
HOW DO WE DEFINE OUR AGE?
Consider five definitions
When we describe our age, we measure it by our birthdays. But other metrics are increasingly valuable in helping us understand our life trajectory.
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There are five definitions we should consider:
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Chronological age: Our actual lived years
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Biological age: How our body ages, based upon a range of biomarkers
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Sociological age: How old others perceive us to be
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Subjective age: How old we feel
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Thanatological age: The amount of time we have left to live – estimated using life expectancy
Of the five, biological age is most pertinent to our quality of life. This reflects our pace of ageing, and ultimately, how long we will live.
SLOWING AGEING
Pace of ageing: Why age is more than just a number
Our pace of ageing explains the difference between our chronological and biological age.
Your biological age reflects the condition of your cells, organs, and systems. It’s shaped by lifestyle factors like nutrition, sleep, exercise, stress, and environmental exposures.
Two people aged 50 chronologically might have biological ages of 40 and 60, depending on how they’ve lived.
This difference matters: biological age is a much better predictor of long-term health, energy, and disease risk.
For example, if your pace of ageing is accelerated (ie greater than 1.0x), your biological age is increasing faster than your chronological age. However, by positively changing your lifestyle factors, we can slow or reverse it – thereby decreasing your biological age.
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CHANGING OUR LIFETIME EXPECTATIONS
What are the odds of living a longer, healthier life?
Not that long ago, reaching 100 was rare. In 1914, just 1% of people made it to their centenary. Fast forward to the end of this century, and more than half the population in high-income countries could live that long.
We’ve seen a steady rise in life expectancy - gaining two to three years every decade since the 1840s. And while low and middle-income countries have lagged behind, they’re catching up quickly.
For my own generational cohort, the estimates suggest that living to 92–96 is entirely realistic.
Nevertheless, we still see people thriving in their 70s, 80s and 90s as exceptions. But they're increasingly becoming the norm. And with the right lifestyle shifts, we can make those added years far more enjoyable.
A DEMOGRAPHIC TRANSITION
From Pyramid to Beehive: Rethinking ageing in a changing world
As recently as 1950, the world’s population looked like a classic pyramid: wide at the base with most people under 30 (dark blue). Fast forward to today, and that shape has shifted dramatically.
What we’re seeing now is less a pyramid, more a beehive - reflecting two major changes: fewer births and longer lives (yellow).
This balancing out is a powerful shift that touches everything - our families, how we work, how we learn, how we care for one another.
It raises an important question: how do we plan for a society where a large and growing proportion of people are in their 60s, 70s and beyond?
If more of us are going to live longer, we need to make sure those extra years are healthy, active and fulfilling - not just added time, but added life.
This is our opportunity: to see ageing as an asset to nurture, not a burden.
REFRAMING OUR ASSETS
It’s easy to overlook what really matters
We often think of assets as things we can see and touch - our home, savings, pension and car. Things we invest in because we expect them to benefit us over time. These are our tangible assets.
But our most valuable assets are less tangible - like our physical health, mental wellbeing, and emotional resilience. Without these, it’s hard to enjoy the others.
Looking after these intangible assets is as important as managing our finances. And like finances, the biggest returns often come from small, consistent, investments: exercise, sleep, nutritious food and connection with others. Love, friendship, family and a sense of purpose.
They don’t show up on a spreadsheet, but they shape how well, and how happily, we age.
THE TWO LONGEVITY REVOLUTIONS
The First Longevity Revolution - the past 150 years
Characterised by increased life expectancy across all ages, through:
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Public health (eg vaccination & sanitation)
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Medical advances (eg Antibiotics, chronic disease management)
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Reduced infant mortality
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Improved living standards (eg Better education & less poverty)
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Lifestyle shifts (eg anti-smoking campaigns)
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The Second Longevity Revolution - the future
Characterised by prevention of later life morbidities.
Focused on preventing diseases caused, or exacerbated, by lifestyle: cardiovascular disease, cancer, neurodegenerative disease, chronic respiratory diseases, diabetes and metabolic syndrome.
Coupled with likely breakthroughs in: personalised preventative medicine, geroscience therapeutics (eg senolytics and regenerative medicine), neuroprotective interventions, cultural and economic shifts (eg rethinking retirement).
THE MIDLIFE CHRYSALIS
Midlife isn’t a crisis - it’s a turning point
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Between 40 and 65, many of us enter a phase of questioning. Roles and careers shift. Children grow up. Our bodies change. Priorities evolve. We may feel uncertain, or even lost. This isn’t a failure of midlife. It’s a transformation.
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Described by Chip Conley’s concept of the midlife chrysalis, this stage is like a cocoon: your old identity dissolves, but your new self hasn’t fully formed. It’s a pause - often triggered by change - that invites reflection and reinvention.
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Rather than pushing through, we should slow down, take stock, and reimagine what matters most: health, purpose, joy, and legacy.
As Chip says; ‘Midlife is when you shift from accumulation to editing, from pushing to flowing, from ego to soul’.
THE 12 HALLMARKS OF AGEING
A science-based framework for better ageing
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The 12 Hallmarks give us a scientific framework for how and why we age at a cellular and molecular level.
The Hallmarks:
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Link directly to everyday health concerns - like cognitive decline, muscle loss, and chronic disease. Helping translate science into practical strategies for better ageing.
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Explain why ageing is modifiable - can be slowed, paused, or reversed.
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Enable us to move beyond treating symptoms, and start targeting the root causes of age-related disease.
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Help us to choose meaningful biomarkers (eg inflammation, insulin resistance, mitochondrial health), that give us insight into biological rather than chronological age.
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Empower us to make evidence-based lifestyle choices to slow them down.
WHAT'S ON THE LONGEVITY HORIZON?
We’re on the verge of exponential change
Breakthroughs in medical science, AI and technology are set to redefine our preconceptions of life expectancy.
Sergey Young forecasts three time horizons:
Near-term (Now - 2030)
The focus is upon using existing tools to extend our healthspan. For example:
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Behavioural and lifestyle changes
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Preventive diagnostics and wearable tech
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Personalized nutrition and longevity supplements
Mid-term (2030 - 2045)
Characterised by breakthroughs in gene editing, stem cell therapy, regenerative medicine based on your DNA and AI driven treatment plans.
Long-term (2045+)
Think science fiction. Radical life extension; nanobots and brain-computer interfaces.
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Right now, we should focus upon the near-term. Creating better health today, while positioning us to benefit from tomorrows' innovations.
A NEW APPROACH TO HEALTHCARE
Medicine 2.0 vs Medicine 3.0
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Modern medicine excels in emergencies - treating injuries, saving lives, managing acute illness. Sick care, not healthcare.
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Peter Attia MD calls it Medicine 2.0. It’s typically reactive, focused on symptoms, and built around specialists treating body parts in isolation. Great in a crisis, but less helpful for preventing chronic disease, or supporting long-term wellbeing.
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The result: While people are living longer, many spend their later years struggling with poor health.
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Peter describes an emerging approach - Medicine 3.0.
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It’s proactive and personalised, using data to spot risks early and treat root causes, not just symptoms. It sees the body as a whole system - and puts individuals at the centre of the process.
This predict and prevent approach, made possible by new technologies, should shift government spending towards prioritising public health.
OUR FUTURE HEALTH
To help us live longer, healthier lives
The NHS’s Our Future Health programme is one of the most ambitious health research projects ever launched in the UK. Its mission is to help prevent, detect, and treat disease earlier - before symptoms even appear.
By collecting data from 5 million volunteers, the programme aims to:
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Spot early signs of illnesses like heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and dementia
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Understand how diseases develop and respond to treatment
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Support personalised medicine - tailored to each person’s unique biology
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Help the NHS plan better for the future
Anyone over18, you can take part by donating a small blood sample, completing a lifestyle questionnaire, and allowing your health records to be securely linked.
I support Our Future Health because it aligns with everything I believe in: smarter prevention, better treatment, and longer, healthier lives.
WHY BEHAVIOURAL SCIENCE MATTERS
Good intentions aren’t always enough
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Behavioural Science recognises something that many of us wrestle with: we don’t always do what we know is good for us. Many of our choices aren’t rational or planned - in fact, they rarely are.
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Most people aren’t lazy or unmotivated - and care deeply about their health. But we’re human – with brains wired to seek comfort, stick with familiar routines, and grab quick rewards - even if these conflict with long-term goals.
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That’s why creating lasting change isn’t just about willpower. It’s about building the right conditions - adjusting our surroundings, rethinking our defaults and habits that support what we truly want.
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As Daniel Kahneman put it, ‘We like to think we make decisions with logic. But often, it’s our habits, feelings, or environment that lead the way.’ That’s not a flaw. It’s just how we’re built. The key is learning how to work with it.
