NYC’s Leading Integrative Health Care Center
NYC’s Leading Integrative Health Care Center
The aging process takes place at the cellular level, when structures called telomeres begin to wear down and wear out, hampering cellular regeneration necessary for optimal health. Over time, damaged cells cannot repair themselves and new cells stop forming, resulting in the changes associated with the so-called “natural’ aging process.
Longevity refers to the length of a person’s life, often focusing on both lifespan and the quality of those extra years. It encompasses living long and well.
Genetics account for ~20–30% of lifespan variation. The majority depends on lifestyle and environment—diet, exercise, healthcare access, stress, and habits play major roles.
A healthy diet supports longevity, but no specific diet is clinically proven to extend human lifespan. Broadly, balanced nutrition matters most.
In animals, calorie restriction often increases lifespan, but human evidence is very limited. More research is needed.
Yes. Even moderate leisure activity can extend life expectancy by up to 4.5 years.
Aging is regulated by pathways like Insulin/IGF1, mTOR, AMPK, and Sirtuins—many govern cellular repair, metabolism, and stress resistance.
Some drugs (e.g., rapamycin, metformin, resveratrol) show lifeextension effects in animals. Human trials are ongoing, with no definitive antiaging medications yet.
Senolytics (like fisetin, quercetin) aim to clear damaged cells. Again, these show promise in lab animals, but human efficacy remains unproven.
Techniques like CRISPR have extended life in mice and worms but are still experimental, not ready for humans.
It’s a preventive healthcare branch that uses biomarkers and “aging clocks” to maintain peak health. However, it remains controversial and underregulated.
As of the 2000s, organizations like the AMA did not officially recognize it. It’s considered alternative or experimental at best.
Yes—oxidative damage accumulates over time and contributes to aging. This is why antioxidant systems and DNA repair are crucial.
Centenarians often have enhanced DNA-repair mechanisms (like higher PARP activity), helping protect against age-related damage.
Biological traits such as DNA repair, telomere attrition, and mitochondrial health create a natural cap—currently around 122 years.
Lifespan is total years lived; healthspan is the period lived free of disease and disability. The goal is long healthspan, not just lifespan.
Intermittent fasting shows benefits in metabolic health in animals, but evidence in humans isn’t strong enough to confirm longer lifespan.
Practices like calorie restrictions, exercise, supplements, biomarkers, and possibly gene edits are explored—but most are experimental with uncertain human outcomes.
Roughly 20–30%, meaning the other 70–80% is shaped by lifestyle, which is largely under your control.
Telomeres shorten with each cell division, and their shortening is linked to cellular aging. Restoring them may slow aging, but therapies are still experimental.
No—you can’t stop aging entirely. But a combination of healthy lifestyle, preventive care, and emerging therapies might help optimize lifespan and healthspan.
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