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News and ideas worth your attention.
Four decades of writing on living long and living well, with 1,000+ posts on functional and longevity medicine.
438 written by Dr. Frank Lipman
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Mar 10, 2025 · Healthy AgingThe Multi-tasking Miracle Mineral for a Longer Life: Magnesium's Role in Longevity
Good health is like a good recipe – it’s the combination of ingredients that makes the dish. By now, I’m sure you know that the combination of essential ‘ingredients’ – as in, a whole foods diet, plenty of movement, restorative sleep, relaxation and stress reduction – is the right “recipe” for your body to function optimally for a long, long time. What else to add to the good health and longevity recipe? Well, it’s my business to have a number of ideas on that score, but one of the simplest is – just add magnesium to the mix.
Mar 3, 2025 · Healthy AgingThe Lipman Longevity Pyramid: Your Blueprint for a Long and Healthier Life
Traveling the longevity path requires a proactive effort on your part –it’s not a one-and-done deal. It’s about creating a road map that combines health and longevity-promoting lifestyle habits with cutting-edge scientific innovations and treatment modalities to enhance quality of life and reduce the risks of disease and early mortality. So, how do we get there? In my practice, the answer is the Lipman Longevity Pyramid, my framework for cultivating your optimal health, resilience, and vitality for decades to come.
Feb 24, 2025 · Health & WellnessAcetyl-L-carnitine Puts Better Brain Health, Mood and Energy on Your Agenda
As the chemical first cousin of L-carnitine, which you’ve probably heard of, acetyl-L-carnitine (ALC) has been steadily building up a track record of research that’s making the health and longevity world stand up and take notice. While both forms of carnitine are intimately bound up in the body’s production of energy inside the cell’s powerplants, the mitochondria, the acetyl version is better absorbed in supplement form and has been found to have more significant effects “above the neck,” on cognitive and mental health especially. So, if you’re interested in upgrading and possibly extending your healthspan and lifespan (carnitine levels decline with age!) it’s time to get to know ALC better.
Feb 17, 2025 · Health & WellnessHow Chemicals are Making Us Fat and Sick – and 14 Tips to Combat Them
Chemically speaking, the world we’re living in is something of a minefield. Toxic man-made chemicals are everywhere, in the food we eat, the air we breathe and the indoor and outdoor environments we inhabit. They are so pervasive that it’s essential that you protect yourself from the onslaught, minimize your exposure and steer clear of as many of them as you possibly can. Why make the effort? Because the volume of toxic chemicals we’re dealing with daily are laying siege to our bodies, and particularly to our metabolic health, making millions of us fatter and sicker than any generation that’s gone before.
Feb 10, 2025 · Healthy AgingWalking Your Way to Longevity
These days, many of us are seeking simple ways to cultivate better physical and mental health – and longevity. Where to start? Put on your walking shoes. Walking is one of the most easily accessed forms of exercise that has a profound impact for on slowing aging and contributing to longevity. As researchers continue to learn more on the science behind aging, walking consistently ranks high on the list of powerful tools to promote physical, mental, and emotional well-being – all of which are all essential for extending life expectancy and enhancing quality of life for decades to come.
Feb 3, 2025 · Healthy Aging7 High Tech – and Enjoyable – Longevity Tools to Try Today!
While some days you may stick to the longevity landing better than others, keep in mind that a vibrant health span is the product of a life-long journey. In my longevity-focused practice, it’s my job to guide patients towards minimizing their risk for life-altering or life-shortening conditions like obesity, diabetes, heart disease, stroke and cancer. That guidance integrates an analysis of an individual’s medical history, lifestyle advice and state-of-the-art diagnostic testing. It’s all in the service of coming up with a personalized longevity ‘road map.’ One big part of the process is taking advantage of the best health technology available.
Jan 27, 2025 · Healthy AgingMildly Tarnished Wisdom of the ‘Blue Zones’ and 5 Essential Longevity Lessons
Despite its shaky data, Blue Zones reporting on the so-called secrets of living long and well, still has value. It’s less about specific claims of exceptionally long life-and-healthspans and more about the broader, big-picture lifestyle habits it shined a klieg light on for the millions of people who otherwise might have remained in the dark.
Jan 20, 2025 · Healthy AgingThe ‘Miracle’ Diabetes and Weight Loss Drugs — That May Also Keep You Younger Longer
The impact of so-called GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Mounjaro has been, in a word, massive. They’ve been extraordinarily successful at pushing insulin production up – and driving too-high blood sugar levels down and supporting weight loss. But beyond the blood-sugar control and weight loss benefits, GLP-1s are also producing a startling number of additional healthspan-enhancing benefits, and showing themselves to be exceptionally useful tools in the war on aging. In fact, GLP-1s may quite possibly become the most powerful anti-aging, longevity-promoting drugs ever, with the power to change how we age, and how well we do it, for generations to come.
Jan 13, 2025 · Healthy AgingGet to Know TUDCA: The Easy Way to Protect Your Digestion, Brain and Liver
There are many tools in the wellness toolbox but one you might not yet be familiar with is a favorite of mine known as tauroursodeoxycholic acid or ‘TUDCA.’ It’s been a staple of Chinese medicine for thousands of years, and is now gaining traction in the West as a well-tolerated compound with numerous potential health benefits for your digestion, brain, liver and so much more. Here’s my topline on this important health helper.
Jan 6, 2025 · Nutrition5 Smart Strategies for Eating Tuna Without Spiking Mercury Levels
Love fish? Then you also need to be careful about not elevating your body’s mercury levels – a common problem that often comes with ‘too much of a good thing.’ While not over-doing it is a good rule of thumb for just about any kind of fish you enjoy, it’s especially important when it comes to tuna, one of the most popular lunch and dinner staples in the fish-eating world, which despite its many nutritional upsides, can be very high in mercury. So how to minimize the downsides and take advantage of tuna’s pluses? Here are a few thoughts on how to do tuna right.
Dec 30, 2024 · Healthy AgingThe Top 15 Health and Wellness News Articles from 2024
For the past few decades, I’ve made it my life’s work to encourage people to take care of themselves so they can live long and fruitful lives. And while we in the functional medicine and longevity worlds have long appreciated the powerful benefits of a healthy lifestyle, sometimes it takes a minute (or two) for the research to catch up and re-confirm what should be self-evident: the choices we make now have both an immediate and long-term impact on how well we age. So, choose wisely!
Dec 23, 2024 · Healthy Aging14 Articles on Anti-Aging and Longevity Therapies Driving Healthspan Innovation from 2024
In a lot of ways, 2024 has been a watershed year, especially when it comes to advances in the longevity field. And while we may not have yet unlocked the secret to eternal youth quite yet (we’ll leave that to the Twilight crew), just about every day we’re gaining more insights on how to get closer to it and live longer lives with plenty of health and vitality ideally, right up ‘til our last breath. With this in mind, for this end-of-the-year review I wanted to share some of the most interesting reporting on anti-aging and longevity strategies to inspire your journey and offer a quick inside look at these exciting discoveries.
Dec 16, 2024 · Healthy Aging13 Headline-Making Reports and Research on Longevity from 2024
For those of us who have the privilege of aging with health and vitality, the longevity news this past year is giving us even more insights into the multiple aspects of the aging process that we want to combat. So, whether you’re a fit 25-year-old hiker, or a power-lifting retiree, there’s much to learn from these recent reports from longevity’s cutting edge, so check out a few of the year’s best.
Dec 9, 2024 · Health & WellnessReader’s Choice: 13 Most Popular Dr. Lipman Posts of 2024
Over the past twelve months on the blog, we’ve covered a lot of longevity-focused and anti-aging ground! Each post has been about exploring compelling health and longevity pathways and connecting with readers. Some articles emerged as clear favorites, sometimes to my surprise. What made it to the top of the anti-aging must-read list? Posts on maintaining brain health, heart health and managing metabolism ranked high, while posts on red light therapy and biohacking followed close behind. It’s tough for me to pick personal favorites, so I’ve left it to the readers to decide – and here are their 13 top choices for 2024. Enjoy!
Dec 2, 2024 · Healthy Aging7 Ways Longevity Starts with Your VO₂ Max
Why does cardio fitness matter so much to longevity? Cardiovascular fitness, best measured by assessing your VO₂ (oxygen consumption), is one of the most powerful indicators we have to measure your overall health and longevity potential. Your ‘VO₂ max’ reflects how efficiently heart, lungs, and muscles function together to keep the body moving when it’s working hard. Research indicates that higher VO₂ max levels are associated with a lower risk of mortality and a longer lifespan, which is the main reason I encourage everyone to work on improving their VO₂ max.
Nov 25, 2024 · Healthy Aging9 Life-changing Ways to Tend to Your Soulspan
As my readers know, I often talk about ‘health-span,’ the number of years we’re able to physically function well. Well, soul-span speaks to an even bigger issue, as in, what are you doing with all those years? What good is a long life with a well-functioning mind and body if the time you spend on the planet lacks meaning or purpose? I think if we’re honest enough to ask that question, we already know the answer. Which begs the question: how to cultivate and nourish your ‘soul span’ to help seed a happier, and yes, healthier life?
Nov 18, 2024 · Nutrition6 Ways B12 Keeps Mental and Physical Health Humming
Vitamin B12 is one of those unique substances that does so much good that I urge anyone interested in health and longevity not to overlook it. One big reason to keep your levels topped up? It’s great for brain health and keeping your mood on an even keel – just what our difficult times require. What else can B12 do for you? Tend to the essentials like heart health, energy levels, and neurological function and so much more. My advice? Top off your tank every chance you get!
Nov 11, 2024 · Healthy Aging7 Crash-free Ways Ketones Energize Your Life – and Support Your Longevity
Energy. We all need it and want to get more of it, in as healthy a way as possible. In short, we’re all in the market for a healthy energy hack and I’ve got one you might not be aware of – ketones. True, people who have experimented with the keto diet are familiar – the whole point of the no- or super-low carb diet is to cue the body to produce ketones for energy. But even they may not realize you can actually take a ketone supplement, not only to support energy production but also to enjoy an impressive roster of other benefits.
Nov 4, 2024 · Healthy AgingIntroducing ApoB: The Essential and Inexpensive Heart Test You Must Ask for to Live Long and Well
As we get older (and we all, for the most part, do), we tend to worry most about diseases like cancer and Alzheimer’s. Understandably so. But what people often forget is that heart attacks are still the biggest killers in the U.S. and in the whole industrial West. But here’s the thing. Unlike those other lethal diseases, cardiovascular disease, or atherosclerosis, shouldn’t be that difficult to prevent or combat. The fatty plaques that can develop in your arteries usually take decades to grow into life-threatening terrors. We know we can stop this progression, especially of early-stage disease, and, in some cases, even reverse it, with the right diet and physical activity and, when necessary, cholesterol-lowering drugs.
Oct 28, 2024 · Healthy AgingBeyond Big Muscles: Creatine’s Big 4 Anti-Aging Bonuses
While many athletes take creatine to boost performance, endurance and recovery, you might be wondering, what’s the benefit of taking creatine for a regular civilian like me? Well, if you’re starting to age – and face it, we all are – studies suggest that the benefits of creatine supplementation go well beyond just adding muscle. It’s got the potential to be a powerful anti-aging and longevity ally, enhancing everything from bone density to cognitive function.
Oct 21, 2024 · Health & Wellness9 Essential Stress Reduction Tips and Techniques for High Anxiety Times
Be it situational or chronic, we all know that stress brings with it some significant, health-torpedoing downsides, making our approach to how we manage stress more mission critical than ever. Managing stress well starts with reminding yourself there are many ways to diffuse it, and being conscious of all we can do to release stress quickly and in healthy ways. Though avoiding stress altogether is virtually impossible, the key to doing it well is to pack your mental health toolbox with as many stress-busting techniques as possible, so you can tap into them whenever you feel stress levels start to rise.
Oct 14, 2024 · Healthy Aging9 Longevity and Anti-Aging Secrets of Seaweed
Often the easiest health hacks are the dietary ones, and leaning into superfoods is a delicious, no-brainer way to get our wellness and longevity compass pointing in the right direction. Chances are you’re already tucking into a number of the superfood classics a few times a week – think blueberries, spinach, avocados, etc. But you may be overlooking seaweed, one of nature’s most unassuming superfood treasures, packed with the power to enhance our healthy aging process.
Oct 7, 2024 · Health & Wellness10 Ways to Mind Your Mental Health and Heart Connection
By now, regular visits to our primary care doc have made most of us aware of the obvious cardiovascular disease risk factors, things like high Apolipoprotein B, high blood pressure, high blood sugar. But what often gets ignored is our mental health which, the most recent research is making clear, is a major part of the heart disease story and indeed may be what’s helping make the conventional risk factors so toxic in the first place. Mental health issues can drive up heart risk directly, as is the case with blood pressure, or indirectly, when they give rise to bad lifestyle choices which eat away at heart health in different ways.
Sep 30, 2024 · Gut HealthDitch Your PPIs: 5 Secrets of Making Peace with Stomach Acid
In the right amounts, stomach acid is great stuff: it helps to break down the food you each, and also helps the body extract essential nutrients, like vitamin B12 and the mineral magnesium. As well, it’s responsible for maintaining the proper acidic environment in the stomach that helps stop most bacteria, viruses and fungi in their tracks. So making it all disappear (to an extent) with PPIs is to my mind counterproductive to good health in both younger folks and particularly older ones.