Abstract
Humans have sought to cheat death for as long as we have been cognizant of our mortality. History’s early explorers of the frontier of immortality include alchemists in the pursuit of an elixir of life and emperors who, ironically, hastened their own death from the consumption of mercurial concoctions. Scientifically grounded approaches to the extension of the human lifespan emerged in the 20th century and were based on hormonal rejuvenation, calorie restriction, and most recently, the consumption of supplements with purported anti-aging effects. A combination of three “longevity drugs” has recently been championed by Dr. David Sinclair, co-discoverer of the lifespan-regulating sirtuin enzymes, and author of the epigenetics-focused Information Theory of Aging (ITA). In this work, we investigate the evidence behind Sinclair’s ITA, highlight concerns related to his regimen, and reflect on the possibility that we are at a nexus in time preceding a dramatic increase in human healthspans. Promisingly, if the ITA holds true, individuals will be uniquely empowered to “hack” their own immortality.
Highlights
For at least as long as recorded history, the realization of life’s finitude has provoked unease among some people
Regardless of whether the Information Theory of Aging (ITA) is correct in all particulars, it represents an advance in the understanding of aging biology. Armed with this increasing knowledge, we are on a better footing today than early 20th century hormone researchers or elixir-imbibing ancient emperors to discover pharmacological interventions to combat or reverse the effects of aging
Sinclair himself advocates for a self-prescribed regimen based on his ITA in both his book and in public lectures
Summary
For at least as long as recorded history, the realization of life’s finitude has provoked unease among some people. In the ITA as proposed by Sinclair, there is one principal cause of aging: loss of epigenetic (non-DNA-encoded gene regulatory) information. In this framework, the aging process is represented by a linear sequence of events, depicted in Figure 2 [6]. Armed with this increasing knowledge, we are on a better footing today than early 20th century hormone researchers or elixir-imbibing ancient emperors to discover pharmacological interventions to combat or reverse the effects of aging
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