Summary

Part 1 of this book is called Why You Age and How You Stay Young. The book lists 17 “Major Agers”, which are the drivers behind the cellular aging process. These include things like Bad Genes and Short Telomeres, to Toxins, and UV Radiation. Each Major Ager is described in medical detail. The following chapter then describes a major organ system or disease associated with aging, such as the heart or cancer, with basic lessons on how this system or disease operates and how you can prevent or correct it. Throughout the book are tests you can take to determine your overall health (ie; If you urinate more than 12 times a day you should have your blood glucose levels tested before diabetes develops). There are also many “boxes” throughout the book with interesting information and factoids, such as the detriments of taking high doses of vitamin C with a statin drug.

 

The second section of this book describes steps you can take to decrease your “real age” – your biological age based on your lifestyle and behaviors. These include tips regarding exercise, hygiene, healthy eating, supplementation, etc. Theses are laid out in a 14 day program. Spread throughout the book are “You Tools” including plans for quitting smoking, stress management, detoxing, etc.

 

 

Review

This book is packed with very important, useful information. And, since this information is highly technical, the authors have attempted to “fun it up” with a constant stream of cutesy analogies and images like “(sic) a computer virus can lock down your computer, fry your hard drive and send you swirling in a sea of profanity that can be heard three counties over”. I found this very distracting and it became hard to focus on the real message of the book. In addition, nearly every other page is a messy, cartoonish drawing meant to illustrate the concept being discussed. But I found these drawings unclear and annoying. In addition, the lines on the page are spaced so far apart, that you end up with a large, expensive hardback book. I would love to see this material streamlined and presented in a clearer fashion since I believe the Dr.s have a lot of good information and advice.