What is longevity science?

🧬 What is longevity science? … I’m really asking you. If you said, “It’s the science of how to live longer,” that would be a decent answer. 

In reality, it might not be so simple. The mere concept of life extension is only part of what longevity scientists study. Depending on who you ask, it isn’t even the most important part.

✨ A new year will bring more science, confusion, and a need for clarity. That’s why I want to explain the concept of longevity science.

Hopefully, knowing what it is can 1) help explain why it exists and 2) help you avoid doing things that don’t work, 🛒 buying things you don’t need, and feeling more certain about how to apply what you learn. ‍

👀 Quick check-in

Living longer is not even mentioned in many formal definitions.

🔬 Instead, longevity science is defined as an interdisciplinary field aimed at “understanding, preventing, and reversing the biological processes of aging,” according to the Geneva College of Longevity Science. In other words, how can they prevent and reverse the one process proven to shorten our lifespans? 

Nobel laureate Venki Ramakrishnan, a molecular biologist at Cambridge, notes that aging is not a disease, in the classic sense of the word.

Disease is not normal. Aging is. Evolutionary biologists call aging our body’s default state, and eventually, this leads to death.

Longevity scientists are exploring ways to prolong this inevitability. 🐢 One way to achieve that could be by slowing your pace of biological aging. Although you will continue to get older based on the calendar, your body won’t break down as fast.

And if your body (and brain) can continue to function like a younger version of yourself, your risk of disease, memory loss, and frailty goes down. 💡

At the Livelong Women’s Health Summit on April 17-18, in San Francisco, Dr. Hyman will share the science-backed strategies that are transforming how we approach aging, nutrition, and vitality. Use discount code ERIN to claim your limited-time offer.

Diet, exercise, medications, sleep, and futuristic-sounding experimental procedures like therapeutic plasma exchange are all tools that may influence longevity by reducing disease risk and the key drivers of aging, such as inflammation. 💊

Still. It matters how good you feel, not just how long you live. Longevity science also studies how to protect our quality of life and keep disease at bay, so you can travel, dance, and change the world at any age.

Understanding those different angles starts with defining some key terms.

Health span: The number of years in good health, without major age-related chronic conditions like diabetes, osteoporosis, or cognitive decline.

A good self-check: “How much quality of life is in my years?” 💫

Longevity: Simply put, a long life*. If something is “good for longevity,” it likely supports a longer life. ⏳

Well-being: How good you feel about life. Global health organizations describe it as having purpose and meaning. People who report higher well-being–feeling joy, happiness, and safety–tend to live longer with less disease. 😊💛

Wellness: The active pursuit of making choices that promote well-being and health. It’s the everyday things—eating vegetables, exercising, and spending time with friends. It shapes both well-being and longevity. 🥦🤸‍♀️

At Livelong, we explore stories across health span, longevity, well-being, and wellness through the lens of longevity science.

_{*at the individual level}

Naming something “makes it real.” Having words like longevity, health span, and well-being turn ideas into targets that you can strive for, and it helps you apply the right actions for your goals.

Definitions also make the science less intimidating. If a headline says a drug “optimizes mitochondria,” which is the powerhouse of the cell, you can more easily figure out what it does.

Finally, no one likes to feel confused. Clear definitions help us compare concepts, understand what we’re reading, and decide what to do next.

“The quest to live forever, or to live for great expanses of time, has always been part of the human spirit,” says Paul Root Wolpe, director of the Emory Center for Ethics, in TIME. 🕊️

Experts in longevity science are leading this quest by studying aging, discovering ways to slow it down or even reverse it on a biological level, while we also expand how well we can live as we age.

No one has figured out how to live forever, but we are getting closer to knowing what longevity science really is. 🔍

✉️Ambassador call-out! We’re looking for ambassadors for the Livelong Women’s Health Summit. Head to https://livelongmedia.com/ambassadors to learn how you can get involved and make a difference.

👉 Join the Livelong Women Circle Community: Connect with like-minded individuals taking control of their health journey. 💬🌱

✨Market booth and sponsorships: Meet your clients where they are at the Livelong Women’s Health Summit, April 17-18, San Francisco. See Media Kit.

This week’s episode is exclusively available on the Livelong podcast.

We asked, you answered:

Which 2026 longevity trend feels the MOST REAL?

Livelong readers agree. The mouth-brain connection will be the most accessible and important trend of 2026.

Butttt I am sensing sneaky excitement about the vagus nerve and longevity-designed cities. One reader told us that they would consider longevity in their next move if more of these cities existed. The good news is that it’s never too late to get the ball rolling in your own home.