Bite Back with Abbey Sharp - The LONGEVITY Industry Is LYING to You (Are We Living Longer or Avoiding Living?)

Starting point is 00:00:00 Aging isn't framed as a privilege. It is framed as a devastating decline and a burden to society, and that is in contrast to the associated beauty, productivity, and relevance of maintaining or extending our youth. And not surprisingly, that pressure doesn't land equally between men and women. Welcome to another episode of Bite Back with Abby Sharp, where I dismantle die culture rules, call out the charlatans spinning the pseudoscience, and help you at a little bit of a bit more. achieve food freedom for good. We have officially entered the anti-aging era where the ultimate wellness flex isn't green juice or six-pack abs or even basic weight loss. Now it's biological age scores, underground peptides, cold plunges at 5 a.m., and $200 supplement stacks that

Starting point is 00:00:56 promise to, quote, quote, optimize your cells. Whatever the fuck that means. We're told longevity science is about health, extending our lifetime, adding years to our life. But if this is really about well-being, why does it look so much like a fear of aging? When did getting older become a moral failure? And when it's simply being alive, stop being enough. On today's solo episode, A Bite Back, we're diving deep and breaking it all down. We're going to chat about what the science actually says about longevity, which nutrition strategies genuinely matter, what the biohacker bros get right and very wrong, and the psychological cost of trying to optimize every bite, every habit, and every year of our lives. Because longevity science may be real, but the way

Starting point is 00:01:51 it's currently being packaged should give us all pause. Now before we dive in, a quick reminder that my book, the hunger crushing combo method is now out. And if you want a grounded, evidence-based approach to eating for vitality without the chaos, I would love if you would check it out in the show notes. And if you've already read it, leaving me a review on Amazon or Goodreads makes a massive difference. All right, friends, let's get into it. If you're trying to eat more plant forward and meet your fiber needs without breaking the bank, you need to stock up on nature's touch frozen fruits and veg.

Starting point is 00:02:31 Nature's Touch is a Canadian company that sources their produce from the best growing regions in the world, then freezes them at peak ripeness to lock in nutrients and flavor. They're prepped and ready to eat so I can pull out just what I need without food waste. They also offer organic and pesticide tested options with no additives and preservatives, all in recyclable bags. From berry smoothies to broccoli stir fries to chocolate-covered frozen strawberries, nature's touch frozen produce makes healthy eating so much more practical and delicious. You can check out the link in the show notes for some recipe inspo and to order online or load up in the freezer aisle at Costco locations Canada wide. The anti-aging and longevity industry is really no small potatoes. In 2024, it was valued at over 750 billion and it's projected to approach $2 trillion within the decade. That is not a niche wellness trend.

Starting point is 00:03:29 That is an economic machine. And when an industry is that profitable, we really do have to ask, is this about helping us live longer, better lives? Or is it just about selling us fear of getting older? You know, in many cultures around the world, getting older is associated with status, wisdom, and belonging. So, for example, in Hawaii, elders are widely described as keepers of knowledge and living treasures in community life. where in Japan, they even have a national holiday to honor the elders of the community, commonly translated to respect for the age-a-day. But here in North America, aging isn't framed as a privilege.

Starting point is 00:04:13 It is framed as a devastating decline and a burden to society, and that is in contrast to the associated beauty, productivity, and relevance of maintaining or extending our youth. And not surprisingly, that pressure doesn't land equally between men and women. Just think about the George Clooney's or Pierce Brosnan's or Brad Pitt's of Hollywood. These silver foxes are often seen as distinguished, sexy, and strong. But an aging woman in Hollywood, she's clearly just letting herself go. So at the end of the day, a woman's beauty becomes her business card. And without a million nips, tucks, and lasers, she risks becoming

Starting point is 00:04:55 completely obsolete. And it's not just celebrity. feeling that pressure. We are now promoting Botox in your 20s as preventative. We market skin care as age reversal and we moralize wrinkles as if there are evidence that you didn't try hard enough. You ate the wrong food. You didn't drink enough water. You are not investing in a better you. Obviously, yeah, wanting to have smooth, glowy skin is not the problem. Like we all want to love what we see when we look in the mirror and I would be lying to all of you if I said I also didn't want to look and feel hot in my 40s and beyond. But when visible signs of aging become a personal failure, that is a massive cultural shift. Welcome to the optimization era, the intense new flavor of wellness

Starting point is 00:05:47 culture. If we think about it, you know, diet culture has taught us all that we need to shrink to be worthy. Hustle cultures taught us that we need to grind ourselves to the ground to be worthy. And now longevity culture is teaching us that we need to optimize every choice we make to be worthy of respect in the name of so-called anti-aging. Today, your smartwatch isn't just tracking your steps to help you maintain a healthy weight. It is transforming that data into a hypothetical biological age score, turning every birthday into another performance review. So if your biomarkers aren't perfect or your recovery score dips or your wrinkles peek through and God forbid you crack a smile, the implication is very clear. You didn't invest enough. And that is the cornerstone belief of

Starting point is 00:06:41 basically all of the many iterations of wellness culture. And no one embodies that mindset more than Brian Johnson. Brian Johnson is the infamous millionaire biohacker who reportedly spends around $2 million per year trying to reverse his biological age. We're talking about stem cells, perfect macros, oxygen chambers, red light therapy, and supplement stacks with over 100 pills per day. That, of course, he conveniently sells. Now, I want to make it super duper clear that some of his habits are undeniably evidence-based. Priorizing sleep, amazing. Resistance training? 100%. Eating more plant-based foods? Absolutely. But the question we have to ask ourselves is, is this true wellness? Or is this just anxiety, fear, and control?

Starting point is 00:07:36 And who the hell is a protocol like this reasonably accessible to? Because in my professional opinion, If following someone's anti-aging blueprint requires thousands of dollars per year, which according to my number crunching it would, and a lifetime organized around self-surveillance, restriction, and rules, we're not really talking about health equity here, or really health at all. We're really just talking about aspirational performance. And cutting-edge supplements are the perfect symbol of this. You know, it's very hard to monetize. off of sleep, walking, meatless Mondays, or just like calling a friend. But signing up for a 100 pill a day protocol feels provocative.

Starting point is 00:08:25 It feels powerful. It feels like we are in control of our eventual mortality that in many ways is not fully within our control. So let's separate what is just good wellness culture marketing and what is actually evidence-based. If you've spent just five minutes on longevity talk or biohacker Reddit, you've probably heard about NAD boosters or NMN or NR or Zveratrol or Spermedein or Phycinolctins or peptides with names that sound like very strong Wi-Fi passwords. Like I'm not even going to attempt it. And here's the thing.

Starting point is 00:09:05 A lot of these compounds are mechanistically interesting when it comes to their anti-aging or longevity. potential. So for example, there's a lot of talk about NAD as the longevity molecule because it's involved in energy production, DNA repair, and activating proteins linked to cellular stress resistance. And yes, NAD levels do decline with age. So we see a lot of these longevity stacks include supplements like NMN and NR, which research shows can help to increase NAD levels in the blood. But here's the leap that the marketing then often makes. Raising a molecule is not the same as proving that you're going to live longer. Like we don't yet have strong human data showing that NAD supplementation extends the lifespan or prevents disease in healthy people.

Starting point is 00:09:56 And really across the board with these supplements, most of the buzz has been extrapolated from animal studies, cell culture studies, short-term biomarker changes, or very, very small human trials. with very specific populations. Not to mention, a lot of these supplements and injectable peptides are being sold underground with no FDA approval, no safety checks, and no third-party testing. So there is real concern here that some of these longevity stacks could go from useless to dangerous really, really quick. Ultimately, I'm not suggesting that research into aging antitotes is useless or like a bad thing because it's absolutely not. It is fascinating and incredibly important, and I cannot wait to

Starting point is 00:10:45 see how the industry evolves. But at this point, the bro-science marketing is leaping like 10 steps ahead of the data. So before you drop hundreds of dollars on a longevity stack, let's just ground ourselves in what actually has some solid evidence behind it. Now, the first thing you need to know is that there is no magical pill that will turn back the hands of time or override lifestyle. Hard stop. That said, there are certain nutrients and supplements that may help to support certain aspects of healthy aging. Key word here, folks, support.

Starting point is 00:11:34 Let's just walk through some of the biggies. Starting with creatine. Creatine is one of the most well-research supplements to date. Now, the majority of evidence lies in creatine's ability to help you mobilize energy so maybe you can get that extra rep in with your workouts. And in this way, it may help to support muscle mass growth, which is very important for aging well. As for the claims that creatine can help to support brain health, it does seem to be beneficial for those with pathological brain creatine deficits, but unlike what the wellness girly suggests, we don't have strong

Starting point is 00:12:07 evidence showing a benefit for the general healthy population. Not sexy, I know, but when combined with lifestyle factors, I would say this one is relatively evidence-based. Next, let's talk about protein pattern. Because again, this is not mandatory by any means, but it can be a convenient way to help stimulate muscle protein synthesis when paired with resistance training, and that is key because muscle mass and strength are associated with longevity. And I know the wellness girlies throw around a recommendation to eat a gram of protein per pound of body weight, but the research actually suggests that about 0.55 to 0.82 grams per pound is more than adequate to support muscle growth. Number three is vitamin D3, which is a critical

Starting point is 00:12:52 nutrient for supporting bone health, immune function, and inflammation levels in the body. Since we do lose bone density with age, consuming adequate bone supporting nutrients can help to prolong our independence long term. Now the flag here is that a lot of longevity protocols are recommending up to 10,000 IUs per day, which is well above the 4,000 IUs upper tolerable limit set to reduce the risk of unwanted side effects. Now nutrient recommendations are always just based on average needs, so some people will genuinely need much higher doses to get their levels to a healthy place. But this is why I always recommend getting your blood levels tested before you choose a supplement dose. Fourth, let's talk about omega-3 fats. Omega-3s have so many.

Starting point is 00:13:40 potential benefits related to inflammation reduction and brain function, but it's most notably linked to a reduced risk of cardiovascular mortality, aka the leading cause of death. So if you're not consuming two to three servings of fatty fish each week, it might be worth speaking to your doctor about getting a supplement in with EPA and DHA. Lastly, let's quickly talk about magnesium. Magnesium plays critical roles in muscle, nerve, bone, and metabolic health, and we do see an increased risk for magnesium deficiency as we age. Now, magnesium is found in a lot of foods like pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, and black beans, but again, supplements can be helpful if you're having a hard time getting enough. Now, I don't know if you notice anything, but none of this is fancy or glamorous

Starting point is 00:14:25 or magic. These are nutrients that largely can be found in everyday foods that are really just one of many tools in the healthy aging toolbox. They are not a panacea for turning back the hands of time. And if you're just focused on those basics, I'm really not concerned. But longevity culture has taken it way beyond moderate evidence-based nutrition and the psychological cost is impossible to ignore. Because when every wrinkle and every gram of protein and every biomarker becomes data, your body becomes reduced to a project. And women especially are already well condition to self-surveal, where we check every mirror, you know, we monitor our weight, we hyper fixate on every little bump or blemish on our face. And when you then add in biological age

Starting point is 00:15:20 metrics and optimization culture, suddenly your whole existence becomes one big exhausting performance. The desire to just be healthy can quickly teeter into obsessive tracking, orthorex, and an overwhelming fear of imperfection. And obviously I'm not denying here that nutrient-dense diets and engaging and health-promoting behaviors are important. Like, I'm a dietitian. I care deeply about this. But food isn't just an intervention.

Starting point is 00:15:54 It is nourishment. It's culture. It's memories and its joy. Like, I cannot imagine getting to 80 years old and realizing that I skipped the croissant in Paris or declined every spontaneous dinner or event or went to bed at 8 p.m. sharp every single night all of the time in the name of biological age optimization. And I hope to God that when I do die, that people at my funeral will have something more to say about me than just like my smooth, wrinkle-free skin. Because personally, I don't think I would want to make it to my 120th birthday. If I've just spent all of those extra

Starting point is 00:16:35 years simply existing rather than living. And you know what the most ironic part of this psychological toll is? Social connection is actually one of the strongest predictors of longevity. So I'm talking about things like community, purpose, belonging, not peptide stacks or hyperbaric chambers, like actually spending time with people you love. So I know that the biohackers are really going to hate this, but true longevity isn't actually that sexy. It's just like movement and balanced eating and sleep and stress management and community, where higher cardiorespiratory fitness is associated with lower mortality. Muscle mass protects against frailty. Fiber supports metabolic and cognitive health. Sleep regulates hormones, inflammation, and cardiovascular risk,

Starting point is 00:17:25 and social connection improves survival rates, and so on and so on. These are the same old boring-ass habits that healthcare professionals have been recommending for decades. The difference today is that they're just being rebranded and sold back to you as these revolutionary biohacks. And sure, of course, like, track your steps on your Apple Watch if that motivates you to get outside, or take creatine if it supports your training. But if your pursuit of longevity is fueled by a fear of aging, rather than a love of living, I feel like that is worth. re-examining. And I really do invite you to do just that the next time you get fed some kind of biohacking longevity protocol ad on your TikTok feed. The goal of this episode is not to tell you

Starting point is 00:18:12 not to care about your health or living longer. It's perhaps to help you remember that health is not just control. Longevity isn't like a 40 supplement stack. It's not daily unregulated injectables or fear of wrinkles. And it's certainly not punishing yourself for aging. I believe that true longevity is less about the micromanaging of time and more about living your best life inside of it. But I would really love to hear your thoughts on this as well. So if this episode resonated, please do leave me a five-star review.

Starting point is 00:18:51 Subscribe and share the episode with somebody who needs it. And if you want a grounded sustainable approach nutrition that supports vitality without obsession, please do check out the hunger crushing combo method in the show notes. Signing off with Science and Sass, I'm Abby Sharp. Thanks for listening.

Bite Back with Abbey Sharp - The LONGEVITY Industry Is LYING to You (Are We Living Longer or Avoiding Living?)

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.