<p>Dr. Judith Campisi is a professor of biogerentology at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging and a co-editor in chief of the Aging Journal.</p> <p>As an expert on cellular senescence, the discussion involves a lot of talk about aging and cancer, where senescence plays a very important fundamental role. What are some of the strategies we might use in the future to prevent senescent cells? What causes them in the first place? </p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In this episode, you'll discover: </span></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>(00:00)</strong> Introduction</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>(05:12)</strong> F</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">undamental molecular and cellular processes of aging</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>(13:19)</strong> What is senescence and why did we evolve this cellular function? </span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>(24:09)</strong> The difference between lifespan and healthspan</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>(30:32)</strong> DNA damage and mitochondrial dysfunction promote senescence </span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>(35:45)</strong> Prolonged fasting suppresses senescent cells and stimulates new cell growth</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>(47:30)</strong> Exercise extends healthspan, partially by lengthening telomeres</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>(54:03)</strong> Consumer tests for DNA damage and cellular senescence</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>(59:58)</strong> NAD+ boosters, fasting mimetics, and aging in non-human animals</span></li> </ul> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">If you're interested in learning more, you can read the <a href="https://www.foundmyfitness.com/episodes/judy-campisi">full show notes here</a>.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Join over 300,000 people and get the latest distilled information on cancer & aging straight to your inbox weekly:</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://www.foundmyfitness.com/newsletter">https://www.foundmyfitness.com/newsletter</a></span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Become a FoundMyFitness premium member to get access to exclusive episodes, emails, live Q+A's with Rhonda and more:</span> <a href="https://www.foundmyfitness.com/crowdsponsor"><span style="font-weight: 400;">https://www.foundmyfitness.com/crowdsponsor</span></a></p>
Actionable Insights
1. Prioritize Moderate Exercise
Engage in moderate but persistent exercise, as it is considered the single most important intervention for improving health span and mitigating multiple age-related diseases like sarcopenia.
2. Utilize Periodic Prolonged Fasting
Consider periodic prolonged fasts (e.g., 48 hours for mice, translating to ~4 days for humans) to robustly clear damaged cells, including senescent cells, and replenish stem cell populations.
3. Periodically Clear Senescent Cells
Explore strategies to incrementally knock down senescent cells every few months (in mice) or potentially every few years (in people) to improve health span, as senescent cells gradually accumulate.
4. Adopt Healthy Lifestyle Habits
Incorporate moderate exercise, maintain a good diet rich in greens and vegetables, and avoid smoking, as these are personal practices adopted by Dr. Campisi based on her research.
5. Manage Lifestyle for Telomere Health
Manage lifestyle factors such as stress, vitamin D levels, omega-3 intake, and sugar consumption, as these have been associated with telomere length and may help prevent the accumulation of cellular senescence.
6. Mimic mTOR Dampening with Fasting
Engage in periodic prolonged fasts, which may mimic the effects of mTOR dampening drugs by suppressing the inflammatory arm of the senescent cell secretory phenotype, thereby breaking feedback loops.
7. Clear Senescent Cells Naturally
Employ dietary and lifestyle interventions to help clear out senescent cells, which accumulate with age and contribute to chronic inflammation and aging pathologies.
8. Exercise During Chemotherapy
Incorporate moderate but persistent exercise into your regimen during chemotherapy to potentially mitigate some of the treatment’s side effects.
9. Exercise Caution with Senolytics
If senolytic drugs become available, exercise caution and avoid taking them around the time of surgery, as senescent cells play a beneficial role in wound healing.
10. Re-evaluate Fasting Mimetics for Senescence
Be aware that some ‘fasting mimetics’ like resveratrol may not directly affect senescent cells or their pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion, even if they offer other health benefits.
11. Support the Podcast
Contribute financially to the podcast by creating a pay-what-you-can subscription at foundmyfitness.com/crowdsponsor to help fund research, content creation, and community nurturing.