David Sinclair, 53, says his biological age is a decade younger than his real age.
The longevity researcher swears by dietary supplements, intermittent fasting, less stress and exercise.
Most of its habits are known to promote good health, but their link to longevity is still being studied.
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David Sinclair, a Harvard biologist and antiaging researcher, has lived on Earth for more than 53 years. For several decades he has worked on important discoveries in the science of longevity to build biotech companies and secure dozens of patents.
But Sinclair told Insider that according to components of his DNA that reflect the aging process, he’s a full decade younger than his ID would suggest. That puts him in the top two percent of his peers, he said.
He wasn’t always like this. Sinclair said he ate too much, drank too much and was overweight in his 30s. However, the change in his lifestyle on a plant-based diet and the extensive abstinence from alcohol he believes made a big difference in his life expectancy.
“My calculated biological age has steadily decreased over the past decade to a point where I can expect to live at least a decade longer than if I had done nothing,” he told Insider.
The concept of biological age and its estimation is controversial, and Sinclair has co-founded Tally Health, a platform that allows consumers to repeatedly test their “TallyAge” and make the company-recommended lifestyle changes to halt or reverse it, a vested interest in promoting anti-aging. Sinclair told Insider that he’s calculated his own biological age over the years using many of the same theories and studies that Tally Health is based on.
Still, many of Sinclair’s habits are known to support healthy aging. Here he tells what keeps him young.
Sinclair says longevity begins with nutrition
Sinclair says anti-aging starts with diet. He drinks one or two green tea matchas a day.
“It contains molecules that prevent cancer, among other things,” says Poon, and have an anti-inflammatory effect. Some older Studies have shown, for examplethat green tea consumption may be associated with a lower risk of stomach cancer.
Sinclair also said he takes supplements containing resveratrol. This substance, which is mainly found in red wine, is known for its anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, heart and brain protective properties Research is divided about whether and how well these properties can be achieved in humans by a pill.
“As soon as I see resveratrol in a dietary supplement, they lose all credibility,” he said Matt Kaeberleinlongevity researcher at the University of Washington, told Insider, “it’s been disproved time and time again, at least in the realm of longevity.”
But for Sinclair, who says he’s been taking supplements since his early 30s, “so far, so good.”
Sinclair tries to practice intermittent fasting
Sinclair said he’s also reduced the frequency of his meals: “I try to cram my main meal into a few hours a day whenever possible,” he told Insider. “And this fasting period also has great benefits for my estimated biological age.”
New research results suggest that intermittent fasting may increase longevity as it appears to affect cellular aging and reduce risk of certain diseases. However, they are still running Studies on how exactly how well and whether the benefits of intermittent fasting differ from those of calorie restriction.
Reducing stress and avoiding jerks are important
Sinclair also said that managing stress, including setting up “quiet times” during the day, supports healthy aging. “I don’t stress myself that much about problems,” he said. “I’m increasingly surrounding myself with people who aren’t jerks.”
In fact, research shows that stress isn’t just physical health problems aggravated such as heart attack risk, but it also appears to have a negative impact on life expectancy itself.
In January 2022, Yale psychiatrist Dr. Zach Harvanek dem Connecticut Public Radio above his team’s study from 2021which found that stress not only leads to disease but also contributes to aging — and that stress reduction strategies can help prevent it.
“The most surprising aspect of the study is that resilience factors such as emotion regulation can protect us not only from the psychological effects of stress, but also from the effects of stress on our physical health,” says Harvanek.
Exercise is also key to living longer
Sinclair said he could incorporate aerobic exercise into his routine at least three times a week, but he uses a standing desk to reduce his sedentary work.
A big and much-cited study from 2012 suggests that sitting for more than eight hours a day is just as deadly as regular smoking. According to the Mayo Clinic however, 60 to 75 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per day can offset these risks.
Sinclair said that longevity-promoting habits aren’t just about living longer, they’re also about extending the “health span,” meaning maximizing healthy years.
“No one wants to be sick for a decade or have cancer that drags on or be infirm,” he said, “what we’re really talking about is preventing these things or cramming them into the last bit of life.”
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