Age Less

Having recently read Judy Bailey’s Evolving about ageing, reading Age Less: The new science of slower and healthier ageing, it felt like a natural progression to explore the science behind ageing less.

Age Less explains why we age and the scientific theories of ageing. I hadn’t realised there was so much research into why we age.

Not only does author Greg Macpherson introduce a series of ageing experts, but the reader can also scan a QR code to hear an interview with each of the experts from around the world. Their theories transverse biology, genetics, DNA, hyperbaric medicine, immunology, and biophysics to name just a few. There’s a lot to sink your teeth into here and for the scientifically inclined, it’s likely a treasure trove. Macpherson also explores the idea of ageing as a disease.

I found I enjoyed chapter five the most, The Science of Ageing. Macpherson describes how this chapter “gets into the nuts and bolts about what we know about the ageing process.” Here he talks about the ‘hallmarks of ageing’, a framework developed by experts in 2013 which “sought to identify and categorise the fundamental molecular and cellular changes that cause ageing”.

To give you an idea of what the hallmarks delve into, number one is genomic instability and number two is telomere attrition. I won’t even begin to try and explain these but think DNA and how it is effectively a blueprint for all our cells as a very rudimentary start.

Macpherson says, “Our external environment and the biological processes and changes that happen in our bodies influence how we age at a cellular and molecular level.” These, he notes, can be different for everyone, which can explain why we all appear to age differently.

“Chronological ageing is straightforward and absolute… yet biological ageing is not as predictable or uniform”, the author says.

Age Less provides a wealth of information about how we age. The scientific journey Macpherson takes you on with a team of experts at hand is informative, and though dense in parts, is a well-balanced look at what we can do to increase longevity.