In this episode, Dr. David Sinclair and co-host Matthew LaPlante discuss why we age. In doing so, they discuss organisms that have extreme longevity, the genes that control aging (mTOR, AMPK, Sirtuins), the role of sirtuin proteins as epigenetic regulators of aging, the process of "ex-differentiation" in which cells begin to lose their identity, and how all of this makes up the "Information Theory of Aging", and the difference between "biological age" and "chronological age" and how we can measure biological age through DNA methylation clocks.
Follow David Sinclair
Follow Matthew LaPlante
Links
- Weapon fragments in bowhead whales
- Rapamycin extends lifespan in mice
- Targeting Aging with Metformin (TAME) Trial
- Metformin improves healthspan and lifespan in mice
- Metformin reduces all-cause mortality
- Reprogramming to restore vision
- DNA methylation age
- Genome-wide methylation profiles & human aging rates
- Reversal of epigenetic aging in humans
- Danish twins study
Timestamps
00:00:00 Introduction
00:03:14 Goal of the Lifespan Podcast
00:07:11 Acknowledgement of Sponsors
00:10:45 Aging is a Controllable Process that can be Slowed & Reversed
00:16:42 Organisms with Extreme Longevity
00:21:47 Genes that Regulate Aging: mTOR, AMPK, Sirtuins
00:21:55 mTOR & Rapamycin
00:24:33 AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) & Metformin
00:30:57 Sirtuin Proteins as Epigenetic Regulators of Aging
00:35:33 Ex-Differentiation
00:43:30 Measuring Aging - Biological Age vs. Chronological Age
00:49:30 "No Law That Says We Have To Age"
00:50:33 Episode Summary & Key Takeaways - Why Do We Age?
00:54:00 Information Theory of Aging
00:57:59 Aging is a Medical Condition
01:01:00 Aging Myths - Telomeres & Antioxidants
01:01:55 Options for Subscription and Support