This is a very confusing article for me. The author is a science writer. Anna Drangowska-Way | Lifespan.io
What is your personal experience or belief here?
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In my opinion, pharmaceutical interventions are fine if you’re already leading a healthy lifestyle which includes regular exercise, weight control, eating a balanced diet, and pursuing some social activities. I don’t believe pharmaceuticals will ever be a good substitute for that.
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I don’t understand this article. Exercise is not an intervention any more than breathing air is an intervention or drinking water when thirsty is an intervention. Exercise is what our bodies expect and need to function as “designed”.
I would agree that extreme exercise is an intervention with uncertain benefits. Does running marathons make people healthier and live longer? I don’t know. Does maximizing vo2max make people healthier and live longer? It depends on the trade off (what wasn’t done to make time and optimize for VO2 max)
Does giving enough water to a dehydrated person make them healthier and live longer. I’d bet yes.
When it comes to metformin, I wouldn’t take it if I didn’t have blood sugar issues that need non lifestyle help. I only take 500mg a few days a week to avoid side effects. If I get a longevity benefit, that’s a bonus.
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Below is the original review article. I think they are simply trying to explore whether exercise and some geroprotective drugs are at cross purposes. It is an interesting in-depth review and I tend to agree with their summary conclusion:
" Several pharmacological interventions have been effective at combating aging hallmarks, ameliorating aging diseases, and extending lifespan in preclinical models. Exercise is one of the most impactful lifestyle modifications that can decrease the risk of many cardiometabolic diseases and some cancers in humans. Exercise modulates several fundamental mechanisms of aging and may have rejuvenating aspects in aging tissues [201, 202]. The existing evidence suggests that most leading geroprotective drugs do not cooperate with concurrent exercise training and may limit the healthspan extending effects of exercise (Fig. 2). Opportunities for future research are ripe given few have assessed alternative dosing schemes in the attempt to harness the benefits of exercise and geroprotectors to modulate the biology of aging harmoniously."
s12915-023-01779-9.pdf (1.2 MB)
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