:

The Livelong Newsletter: Feature Edition

Hi everyone,

The Olympic Games Paris 2024 have begun, so it seems only fitting to give recognition to another Olympics happening in the longevity community.

🏅I am talking about the Rejuvenation Olympics. 

The online challenge does not have competitive breakdancing (breaking), surfing, canoe slalom, or marathon runs like the Paris Games (a bit of a let down if you ask me, but…).

However, these participants may be running their own metaphorical marathon—a race against time.

In today’s newsletter, you will learn:

• All about the Rejuvenation Olympics.

• How to participate.

• What the Rejuvenation Olympics tell us about longevity.

• The player aging slower than Bryan Johnson (and on a lower budget).

• And so much more…

HEALTH AND CULTURE

The Rejuvenation Olympics

Some players probably have the competition, health, and discipline of the athletes we see in Paris.

What are the Rejuvenation Olympics? 

The Rejuvenation Olympics were started by millionaire and Project Blueprint entrepreneur Bryan Johnson and anti-aging expert Oliver Zolman, MD.

They began as a way to, “drive forward the science of biological aging through rigorous competition and collaboration,” according to the website.

• The aim of the game: see how quickly and dramatically players can slow down biological aging—the slower the aging, the better.

• Players can compare stats with other players, according to Vox.

• Approximately 4000 participants are competing in the Rejuvenation Olympics (data from January 2024), Fortune Magazine writes.

Participants use epigenetic tests to calculate aging biomarkers, biological age, and rate of aging. Website guidelines suggest retesting this age every three months.

• In order to get a ‘verified badge’ of participation, people need to have completed at least three epigenetic tests within two years.

Do you win?

⛳ Think about it like golf—the lowest score wins.

But the Rejuvenation Olympics uses a dynamic leaderboard, so new people can always make it to first place.

Somewhat surprisingly, Johnson is not in first place, according to recent stats.

• Johnson is ranked number three (last I checked!), and he is aging at a rate of 0.66 of a year for every given chronological year, based on epigenetic tests.

Longevity can be expensive

The ultrarich make up key investors, according to Vox, with more than $5 billion being invested in longevity-related companies in 2022. 

• OpenAI founder Sam Altman invested $180 million in a company whose mission is to add 10 years to human lifespan, according to MIT Technology Review.

• Jeff Bezos contributed to the $3 billion investment to Altos Labs, a company researching biological programming, according to the Review.

Johnson spends approximately $2 million a year on his anti-aging protocol, which includes 100+ supplements and blood transfusions from his son. 

But history shows that those before Johnson went to extreme measures to find the key to longevity.

• Hence why an aging expert like Stuart Jay Olshansky would call the anti-aging industry “the second-oldest profession,” according to Vox.

• Moreover, it’s an industry being “pushed by a lot of people who have a lot of money,” Olshansky adds.

The (in)accessibility of longevity therapies

Therapies that are technically ‘accessible’ to people (I say this relatively)—which include the likes of IV drip therapy, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, blood transfusions, and other tools said to optimize a healthy lifestyle—are costly.

Certain treatments are also not FDA-approved for anti-aging, limiting accessibility.

• For example, rapamycin—believed to have anti-aging properties—is not FDA-approved for anti-aging; while some prescribe it off-label for longevity, it is not generically available to the masses.

Higher-end therapies and treatments (i.e., peptide therapies, stem cells, invasive injections and procedures, etc), are expensive and the anti-aging benefits are not backed by years of science. Take stem cells.

Stem cells

• Biohackers and health enthusiasts use stem cells to stave of signs of aging.

• However, they are not FDA-approved to treat illness (many consider aging an illness).

• This makes quality stem cells harder to come by, expensive cost increases this inaccessibility, and the trade-off between cost and anti-aging benefits may be subjective.

• Moreso, some studies show they are not necessarily able to treat age-related disease in older adults.

Another expense seldom addressed is time

Some people have the luxury of time, which allows them to pursue time-consuming treatments, body scans, longevity-related activities, and more.

The layman may not be able to afford the costliness of time, making it more difficult to pursue longevity as much as they might wish.

Being a Rejuvenation Olympian on a budget

Meet Julia Clark Gibson

Rejuvenation Olympics participant Julia Clark Gibson achieved number 2 on the leaderboard with a monthly budget of only $108.

Gibson is aged 55 years and follows rigorous but fairly modest lifestyle habits, including a 4:45-5 a.m. wake-up time, emphasis on strength and cardio fitness, practicing a 16:8 fasting routine, weekly sauna sessions, a vegetable-rich diet, and a personalized supplement plan.

Meet Amy Hardison

Amy Hardison became a star in the Olympics when she reached number 5 on the leaderboard—at the time, she ranked even higher than Johnson, she tells Business Insider.

• “My daughter told me: 'Mom, this is kind of a big deal. The guy just underneath you [Johnson], spends $2 million a year to get these kinds of results,'” Hardison recalls.

She is unlike many of the personalities in the longevity space, not only because of her age, but because of her philosophy on aging.

Gibson is a grandmother in her mid-60’s, and she pushes practicality, moderate lifestyle decisions, and an emphasis on connection. She also doesn’t intentionally want to live to 100, or even beyond it for that matter.

“[Ages] 84, 85, 86 is plenty for me,” she tells Fortune magazine. “I just cherish the experience of life, and I cherish the perspective that comes from being older.”

You can be a Rejuvenation Olympian. All it takes is the desire to be healthy, and I’m pretty sure you’ve got that covered.

TOOLS

Longevity habits from a Rejuvenation Olympian

Amy Hardison shares her longevity practices in Fortune:

• Daily aerobic exercise for one hour

• Eat fruit, vegetables, and lean meat, and cook most of your own meals

• Avoid processed food and alcohol

• Keep a wary eye of health fads 

• Prioritize relationships

• Promote growth mindset, which contributes to resiliency and healthy aging

• View aging with a positive lens

🤔 FOOD FOR THOUGHT

The investment of being an Olympian

Ironically, even though longevity doesn’t necessarily have to be expensive, there is a cost to see if it’s “working” to make you younger.

• As an Olympian, it can cost approximately $1500 in epigenetic testing to just become a verified player and see if interventions like diet and lifestyle are “working” to slow biological aging.

The cost is worth it for many, although there are certain lifestyle choices can slow biological aging without needing to pay for testing, such as healthy anti-inflammatory diet.

• What makes the leaderboard unique is the community aspect—so, while players pay for testing, they also agree to join a community with shared values and goals.

Thought this was interesting?

That’s great! Please take a second to share this newsletter with a friend. This way, we can continue to give you fresh, actionable, and evidence-based information that supports your health and well-being.

We love to hear from you

Please share your feedback, stories, questions, testimonials, ideas, and more with us at [email protected].

🔔 Catch up on last week’s newsletter

We learn about OpenAI’s new project to stop chronic disease, a biohacker’s love story and health regimen, and much more.

We can’t wait to cover more trending topics in longevity in our next newsletter. Stay tuned.

-Erin

Longevity Media LLC

Be your own expert. Optimize your health. Look beyond conventional.

Always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified health care professional before starting any exercise, wellness, or health program. Nothing in our content, products or services should be considered, or used as a substitute for, medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Livelong is a media company and not a medical provid