078 The Biology of Aging and Longevity

In This Episode:

Dr. K talks with geriatrician and geroscientist John Newman, MD PhD,  about the biology of aging and his research on ketogenic diets and geriatric syndromes. Dr. Newman is an assistant professor at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging and in the Division of Geriatrics at UCSF. He also works on improving the hospital care of older adults. They discuss:

• How aging biology research helps us understand fundamental aging processes that affect all animals
• The complex relationship between aging and disease, and what is the geroscience hypothesis
• Cellular hallmarks of aging, and biomarkers to assess physiological age
• How we can assess someone’s physiological age
• Why biomarkers of aging aren’t as useful as functional assessments of older people
• How insulin, fasting, and other aspects of metabolism are related to aging
• What Dr. Newman has learned from studying ketones and aging in mice
• What is known about ketogenic diets in humans
• What’s been shown to improve healthspan and lifespan (in mice)
• Why metformin, a diabetes drug, is a “really good drug”
• Why things that slow aging in the lab may not work in humans or under real-world conditions

Related episode: 

071 Interview: How Estimating Life Expectancy Helps Older Adults Get Better Care

Related Resources:

• The Newman Lab at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging
• John Newman’s related research:
  • Ketogenic diet reduces mid-life mortality and improves memory in aging mice
  • Strategies and Challenges in Clinical Trials Targeting Human Aging
• Skipped meals could improve memory, says Buck Institute for Research on Aging researcher