Longevity research blog

Evidence-based articles on living longer, backed by peer-reviewed studies.

How not to die: the complete guide to living longer

A comprehensive, evidence-based guide covering every major factor that determines how long you will live. From exercise and diet to sleep, stress, social connections, and the surprising role of tennis.

Longevity Exercise Diet Sleep Research
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Smoking, alcohol, and drugs: what they really cost you

The complete science of how substances affect your lifespan. From the 10-year penalty of heavy smoking to the surprising longevity curve of moderate coffee consumption, backed by the largest cohort studies ever conducted.

Smoking Alcohol Drugs Coffee Research
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Loneliness, stress, and mental health: the hidden killers stealing years from your life

Loneliness kills as surely as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. The complete science of how chronic stress, depression, social isolation, and psychological wellbeing determine how long you live, backed by 25+ landmark studies.

Mental Health Loneliness Stress Depression Research
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Sleep and longevity: how sleep duration determines when you die

Sleeping less than 6 hours raises mortality risk by 12%. Sleeping more than 9 hours is even worse. The complete science of how sleep quality, duration, and timing determine how long you live, backed by 40+ studies.

Sleep Circadian Rhythm Insomnia Sleep Apnoea Research
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Exercise and longevity: which exercises add the most years to your life?

Tennis adds 9.7 years. Jogging adds 3.2. Gym activities add just 1.5. The complete ranking of exercises by years of life gained, from the Copenhagen City Heart Study to VO2 max research covering 661,000+ participants.

Exercise VO2 Max Strength Training Walking Research
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Diet and longevity: what to eat to live the longest, according to science

The Mediterranean diet adds 4-5 years. Nuts reduce mortality by 20%. Each 10g of daily fibre cuts death risk by 10%. The complete evidence on which foods extend life and which ones shorten it, from the PREDIMED trial to the Adventist Health Study.

Diet Mediterranean Fasting Nutrition Research
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Blue Zones: what the world's longest-lived people do differently

Five places on Earth where people routinely live past 100. From Okinawa's hara hachi bu to Sardinia's shepherds to Ikaria's afternoon naps. What the science says, what the controversies are, and what you can actually use.

Blue Zones Okinawa Sardinia Ikaria Research
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The science of aging: telomeres, senescent cells, and the race to slow your death clock

Rapamycin extends mouse lifespan by 14%. Senolytics clear zombie cells. Epigenetic clocks measure your biological age. The complete guide to what aging research has actually proven, what is hype, and what might work in humans.

Aging Science Telomeres Senolytics NAD+ Research
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Sex, love, and longevity: how your relationships determine when you die

Men who orgasm frequently have 50% lower mortality. Social isolation kills as surely as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. The complete science of how marriage, sex, friendship, and community shape your lifespan.

Relationships Marriage Social Connection Loneliness Research
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Your environment is killing you: how pollution, climate, and where you live determine your lifespan

Air pollution kills 6.7 million people per year. Your postcode predicts your death date better than your genetics. The complete science of how your environment, from PM2.5 to green space to noise pollution, shapes how long you live.

Pollution Environment Climate Green Space Research
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How stress is literally killing you (and what science says actually works)

Chronic stress shortens telomeres by the equivalent of a decade of ageing. The Whitehall II study tracked 10,000 civil servants and found job stress increases heart disease risk by 23%. Here's what actually works to fix it.

Stress Cortisol Telomeres Workplace Research
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Loneliness kills more people than obesity: the science of social connection

The Holt-Lunstad meta-analysis of 308,849 people found strong social relationships increase survival odds by 50%. The Harvard Study followed men for 85 years. The answer was always the same: relationships matter most.

Loneliness Social Connection Harvard Study Community Research
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Nature vs nurture: how much of your lifespan is genetic?

Twin studies said genetics explain 25% of lifespan variation. Then a 400-million-person Ancestry.com study dropped that to 7%. APOE4 carriers have 12x Alzheimer's risk. Here's what your DNA actually controls.

Genetics Epigenetics Twin Studies APOE Research
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Intermittent fasting and longevity: what 30 years of research actually shows

Calorie restriction extends rodent lifespan by 30-40%. The CALERIE trial proved it works in humans too. But the 2024 AHA study raised cardiovascular concerns about 16:8 fasting. Here's the full evidence.

Fasting Autophagy Calorie Restriction mTOR Research
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The BMI paradox: what your weight really means for how long you'll live

The Global BMI Mortality Collaboration studied 3.9 million people. The lowest mortality is at BMI 22-25, not underweight. But waist-to-hip ratio predicts death better than BMI. The obesity paradox explained.

BMI Obesity Weight Body Composition Research
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Your brain is shrinking: how meditation actually reverses cognitive decline

Sara Lazar's brain imaging showed meditators have thicker prefrontal cortex at age 50. MBSR reduces cortisol by 23%. Loving-kindness meditation slows telomere shortening. The neuroscience of how meditation fights brain ageing.

Meditation Brain Ageing Mindfulness Neuroplasticity Research
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The NIH study that changed everything: how hydration affects your biological age

A 2023 NIH study of 11,255 adults over 25 years found that people with high serum sodium (poor hydration) age biologically faster and die sooner. Proper hydration could add 15 years to your health span.

Hydration Water Biological Age NIH Study Research
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Dogs add years to your life: the surprising science of pets, plants, and nature

A Swedish study of 3.4 million people found dog owners have 33% lower risk of death after heart attack. Forest bathing lowers cortisol by 12.4%. Living near green space reduces all-cause mortality. Nature is medicine.

Pets Nature Dogs Green Space Research
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The wealth gap is a death gap: how money buys you more time

Chetty's landmark 2016 study found the richest 1% of Americans live 14.6 years longer than the poorest 1%. Your postcode predicts your death date. Here's the complete science of how poverty kills and what can change it.

Poverty Inequality Income Healthcare Research
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Is coffee actually good for you? What 500,000 people taught us about hot drinks and death

The UK Biobank study of 500,000 people found that coffee drinkers have lower mortality at any dose. Green tea drinkers in Japan have 26% lower death risk. The complete science of caffeine, polyphenols, and longevity.

Coffee Tea Caffeine Polyphenols Research
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