Live Long with Peter Bowes

What is the most important thing in your life?   What is the most important thing in your life?  For most of us the answer is a no-brainer - it's our health and the wellbeing of our loved ones. It is a philosophy that Simone Gibertoni carries with him every day, in his role running Clinique La Prairie (CLP) in Montreux, Switzerland.  The medical spa has been nurturing the longevity of its cli...

Professor Valter Longo, director of the Longevity Institute at the University of Southern California (USC), returns to the LLAMA podcast to discuss his pioneering work and fascination with "youth-span." Over the past 30 years Prof. Longo has published ground-breaking research focussing on the role nutrients play in aging and age-related diseases, such as cancer and diabetes. During this...

Researchers in Germany have found that a compound found in pomegranates may play a key role in fighting cancer.   Human trials are needed to establish whether findings seen in mice and test tubes also apply to people, but early results look promising.  Let's dive into the detail.  Pomegranates and other foods, such as nuts, contain ellagitannins. We use them to produce Urolithin A (UA) which...

Starting a fitness journey is one of the most challenging things we can do.  There are obstacles, excuses and setbacks that many find overwhelming.  Shebah Carfagna, a single mother of an autistic child, knew she had to be strong to confront the challenges she faced - not only for the sake of her son, but her own wellbeing. Pre-dawn workouts and a lifetime of learning led to a career in fitness, w...

Aging, according to Bill Rawls, MD, is the loss of functional cells as we go through life. An author and physician, Dr. Rawls is on a mission to elevate the importance of  caring for the basic building blocks of our body.  Our cells, he says, are the key to healthy longevity.   The fourth generation physician, from Raleigh in North Carolina,  confronted a mid-life health crisis of his own that tra...

Choosing the most appropriate supplementation for optimum health and longevity can be a perplexing process.  This episode is the first of a series, over the coming months, in which we will focus on a single nutrient and its importance for our every day health.   Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant.  It is important to maintain the immune system and cellular health. It is found in many foods but do...

The search for the Fountain of Youth has intrigued and challenged scientists for centuries. Now, longevity is a buzzword - a multi-billion dollar industry with myriad interventions that could help us live longer and better. But are we any closer to fully understanding what it takes to extend healthy lifespan or healthspan? Nicklas Brendborg is a biotechnology researcher and the author of Jellyfish...

Telling the stories of long, healthy and productive lives is what we do here.  We share insights into how people conduct themselves - the habits, hacks, lessons and learning curves that evolve over time.  We hear about relationships, athletic adventures and career achievements - the highs and the lows of a life well-lived. One day, hopefully in the distant future, it will be obituary-time. A few p...

Our balancing skills start to decline as early as our late 20s and our ability to balance is high on the list of things that determine our lifespan. Toppling over and requiring hospital treatment could signal the beginning of the end, in fact the leading cause of injury-related death for people 65 and over is falling. How often have you heard that an older person 'had a fall' and was nev...

As we prepare to welcome 2023, what better time to kick start a new healthy longevity lifestyle.  We're excited at LLAMA to continue our never ending journey of learning, with this inspiring conversation about living for a million hours. Have a wonderful New Year!  Dr. Alka Patel is a London-based General Practitioner who believes that it is possible to live for well over a century, with targ...

Of all the lifestyle interventions that could help us live longer and better, fasting has been hailed by some as the holy grail of health. It comes in many - and somewhat confusing - forms.  From time restricted eating to intermittent fasting and longer term food deprivation, fasting has a long and fascinating history.  Steve Hendricks is a freelance journalist and the author of The Oldest Cure in...

An understanding of the hallmarks of aging is at the heart Dr. Nick Bitz's mission to achieve a long healthy life.  The hallmarks are the functional mechanisms - such as mitochondrial health - that drive the aging process. The challenge is to identify how lifestyle interventions can be implemented to mitigate the decline in biological resilience of the human body.  Dr. Bitz is a Los Angeles-b...

We are built to move.  The human body thrives on it and relies on it to live life to the full. As we age, ailments and diseases can hinder our ability to get around, but it is never too late to nurture the body's fundamental urge to move.  It can be extreme, repetitive and invigorating in nature, but even gentle movement also has the power to heal.  Judith Sachs is the founder of Anyone Can M...

Extending lifespan is the goal of many in the field of human longevity, with myriad companies developing pharmaceuticals to target the key biological markers of aging. But which interventions actually work? A team of researchers at BioWorld   recently delved into the latest science to try to make sense of the many clinal trials focused on the biology of aging. Anette Breindl is a co-author of the...

How often have you heard an older person refer to themselves as being so many "years young?" What about those who blame a "senior moment" for the occasional memory lapse?  These are examples of what the writer Priscilla Long describes as "toxic ageism." Oftentimes, she argues, ageist attitudes are perpetuated by the very people who're thriving in old age, but for...

Aspiring to live a long, healthy life is a universal goal of mankind.  We are wired for survival and the latest longevity science is making it ever more realistic to reach a great age. Nick Engerer, founder of the Longevity Blog , is the ultimate healthy aging enthusiast.  A triathlete and serial self-experimenter with the latest, science-based, lifestyle interventions, Nick and LLAMA's Peter...

Do you have a problem sleeping? The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says insufficient sleep is a public health problem linked to chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart problems, obesity, and depression. The implications for human longevity are obvious.  So what can be done to get a better night's sleep - even if you think you've tried everything? The Silicon Valley...

As the world mourns the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, the Live Long and Master Aging podcast extends its deepest sympathies to members of the Royal Family and everyone who loved and respected the UK's longest-serving monarch. We want to pay our respects to the Queen in this, the 200th episode of LLAMA. She devoted her life to public service and, as King Charles noted, it was "a life wel...

Nate Wilkins is enjoying a remarkable journey through life.  The 68-year-old functional aging specialist is the co-founder of Ageless Workout, a Miami-based health, healing and wellness company that seeks to bridge the gap between fitness and medicine.  The goal is to help people of all ages achieve their maximum potential. It is based on a lifestyle that Nate and his partner, Shebah Carfagna, hav...

Red light therapy is a popular treatment for skin health, muscle strength and even sleep quality. It involves exposing the body to low levels of red or near-infrared light.  Considered safe, it is a form of therapy that is usually offered in a health practitioners' office or wellness center.  The technology is also available for use at home.  The Norwegian company, Recharge Health, has develo...

Kara Collier is the director of nutrition at the metabolic health company, NutriSense. She is, by her own admission, obsessed with all things to do with personalized nutrition, metabolism, glucose, preventative health and longevity.   My Day | My Life is a bite-sized supplement to the Live Long and Master Aging podcast.  We explore the lives of people who have, in one way or another, mastered the...

It could all end in a heartbeat. Sometimes life itself, with its unpredictable path, can be the biggest motivator to change us for the better. Take Alan Carpenter. He was a fit 66-year-old, enjoying a hike on the US Pacific Crest, when his life suddenly imploded.  A dramatic fall led to a stay in hospital and a long period of recuperation.  It also prompted him to reassess his state of health - no...

More and more people are re-training rather than retiring as they age. Reinvention is the preferred option for some of today's boomers, who are enjoying good health and vitality.  Not only are older people sharing the wisdom of their years with younger generations, many are discovering that they have the energy and enthusiasm to take on an entirely new career.  Katie Waldegrave MBE is the co-...

When Jatin Chaudhary set his sights on climbing the world's highest mountain, he knew he had to optimize his body's ability to operate in extreme conditions. The 43-year-old software development manager from India was aware that his chances of scaling Mt. Everest were diminishing every year and that he would benefit from the physical endurance abilities of a younger man. He dived into th...

Do you want to live forever? Or do you prefer to focus on living for as long as possible while enjoying the best of health? Lifetime aspirations come in many forms and are often merged together - or confused - under the banner of human longevity. Some are more realistic than others. In his new book, The Price of Immortality: The Race to Live Forever , the British journalist, Peter Ward, teases apa...