
Ask HN: What are scientifically valid ways maximize my life expectancy? - mxschumacher
Fasting? Blood transfusions? Avoiding UV-radiation, smoking alcohol? A plant based diet? Regular exercise? High mental activity?<p>Ignoring genetic predispositions and accidental death, how can I maximize my life expectancy? Bonus points for peer reviewed scientific sources
======
rthomas6
Here are some scientifically valid answers that are more interesting.

* Restrict calories to 30% less than you want to eat. ([https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19075044](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19075044))

* Starve your father when he was a child. ([https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,195...](https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,1952313-1,00.html))

* Don't sit down very much. ([http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2014/02/19/27946075...](http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2014/02/19/279460759/sit-more-and-youre-more-likely-to-be-disabled-after-age-60))

* Don't take Prilosec/Nexium/Prevecaid. ([http://www.cbsnews.com/news/heartburn-drugs-proton-pump-inhi...](http://www.cbsnews.com/news/heartburn-drugs-proton-pump-inhibitors-ppi-risks-prilosec-nexium-prevacid/))

~~~
mars4rp
I am going to have a short life then :) I better enjoy it!

------
Mz
1\. Eat right.

2\. Exercise, preferably strenuously and several times per week.

I am not going to back that up with sources. It is easily googled and
routinely ignored by people wanting fancy, quick fixes with a lot of flash.

Re accidental death:

I paid accident claims for over five years. Very few of the claims I paid were
genuinely "Wrong time, wrong place. Shit happens." Not counting people gaming
the system, even most legitimate claims had an element of "Why the fuck were
you doing that to begin with???" In some cases, this element was glaring
enough to make the claim deniable under the list of provisos that boiled down
to "If you are doing something egregiously stupid and dangerous, we won't
cover your so-called accident when this results in injury or death."

Some basics you probably already know:

Do not drink or do recreational drugs.

If you do choose to drink or drug, arrange ahead of time to do so under safe
circumstances.

Follow the safety instructions on medication or dangerous equipment. Don't
make an exception "just this one time."

Do not consistently be a horrible, horrible asshole to people. (I paid a claim
where that basically got someone shot.)

If you own guns, dangerous equipment, etc, strictly follow safety practices.
No exceptions.

~~~
miguelrochefort
> 1\. Eat right.

That doesn't meat anything.

~~~
rayj
Yes it does. Heres a start.
[https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-
eating-...](https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-eating-
plate/)

------
PaulHoule
Blood transfusions are pretty dangerous. Isaac Asimov died of AIDS thanks to
blood transfusions after cardiac bypass surgery, and even though there is
better surveillance of the blood supply there will always be new infectious
agents, see

[http://www.nature.com/nrneurol/journal/v2/n6/full/ncpneuro02...](http://www.nature.com/nrneurol/journal/v2/n6/full/ncpneuro0214.html)

~~~
mxschumacher
I mentioned it because of this recent article:
[https://www.economist.com/news/science-and-
technology/217249...](https://www.economist.com/news/science-and-
technology/21724967-might-be-true-people-too-blood-young-animals-can-
revitalise-old)

------
tyrw
HN is probably the wrong forum for health advice, as it's not really something
you'd "hack". Your best bets are mostly mundane according to the large, peer-
reviewed studies that have been done, and you could summarize them as:

* Eat a balanced diet, avoiding excess

* Exercise regularly, avoiding excess

* Don't smoke

* Don't drink more than a glass of alcohol each day, if at all

* Cross your fingers and hope for the best

~~~
blacksmith_tb
I am skeptical many people could manage to exercise to 'excess', a little
digging online suggests there isn't much evidence[1] there's a real danger,
with the possible exception of some competitive athletes - one example that
comes to mind is Graeme Obree[2]

1: [https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/24/can-you-get-too-
mu...](https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/24/can-you-get-too-much-
exercise/)

2:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graeme_Obree#Taking_the_record](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graeme_Obree#Taking_the_record)

~~~
freebish
It depends on your definition of "excess", I guess.

If you work out in the cardio section of any gym, you will eventually see
regulars who are hitting some machines very hard, with a visual appearance of
anorexia. I'm sure some of those people were just skinny, but not all of them.
It's not my role, as a fellow gym member, to recommend psychiatric help. But
heavens knows I thought it, more than once.

In addition, gyms are built around luring in people while assuming that a
large percentage of them will quickly stop attending. Some of the drop-off is
just from laziness or dislike of exercise. But some of the drop-off is from
going too hard, too fast, resulting in injury, especially for first-time
weightlifters.

~~~
blacksmith_tb
That's fair, I wasn't considering psychological problems (it would remain to
be seen if borderline-OCD exercising had negative or positive physical
effects, though). Along similar lines there's 'bigorexia'[1]

1:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscle_dysmorphia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscle_dysmorphia)

------
lordCarbonFiber
On the other side of the question: why do you want to increase/maximize life
expectancy? I'd focus on living a fulfilling life now, as opposed to trying to
squeeze out a few more years after your body has started to fall apart.

~~~
jf22
The alternative approach is to maintain a healthy lifestyle so those last 10
years can be as fulfilling as possible.

This video inspired me:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qo6QNU8kHxI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qo6QNU8kHxI)

~~~
mxschumacher
also:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUmp67YDlHY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUmp67YDlHY)

------
awkwarddaturtle
Just a caveat. A lot of these scientific studies tend to be funded by
industries with an agenda. So I'd take scientific sources with a grain of
salt. Every other day there is a study saying coffee is good for your heart,
tea is good for your liver, so on and so forth.

Though most scientific publications are "peer reviewed", most of them are not
"peer replicated".

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13713953](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13713953)

As sad as it is, a significant portion of the published scientific material
are false or can't be replicated.

I suppose peer reviewed scientific articles are better than old wives' tales
but not by much.

> smoking alcohol? A plant based diet? Regular exercise? High mental activity?

Well according to some people, moderate drinking can reduce risk of heart
attack by 30%. But who knows how valid those studies are.

[http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/21/health/wine-healthy-food-
draye...](http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/21/health/wine-healthy-food-
drayer/index.html)

~~~
Graziano_M
I'd avoid taking it with a grain of salt... that'll kill ya.

------
db48x
The problem with your question is that we can deal only with averages and
statistics rather than with individuals. We might find that X increases the
average lifespan of humans by 10 years, but that's no guarantee that it will
help any particular individual human at all.

That said, I suggest jogging regularly; just don't get hit by a bus.

~~~
mxschumacher
Also: which datapoints would you need to give pointed advice?

~~~
Gregaros
Medicine knows much, much less than it _ought_ to know (from the perspective
of hard limits to current knowledge.)

~~~
gozur88
Studying this kind of stuff is difficult since it depends almost entirely on
surveys.

------
jerrylives
I'm 65 and still coding. My secret is to vape weed every day, which I've been
doing since my late twenties when my then boyfriend showed me how to "hot
knife" hash.

~~~
mxschumacher
65 is a good start, I'd like to take aim at 100+

~~~
jerrylives
I'll let you know in a few

------
Top19
Look at the book "How Not To Die" by Dr. Michael Greger.

His two big things were cruciferous vegetables, so mainly brocolli, and the
Indian spice turmeric. He hammered away at the importance of these two items
across 500+ pages.

------
irremediable
From my understanding of general health evidence, your best bet is:

* Avoid smoking and excessive drinking (excess is easier to reach than you think!).

* Eat a healthy diet (not too many calories, not too many carbs, not too much saturated fat -- in order of descending importance).

* Get regular exercise. Aerobic and anaerobic, plus flexibility. You want to be supple, strong and healthy.

* Avoid occupational hazards -- for the HN crowd, probably eye problems and posture problems. Just taking regular breaks from the screen will go a long way here.

* Make sure you get good healthcare, especially when you're older (60+).

* Have good genetics. (Sorry, not much you can choose about this one.)

~~~
miguelrochefort
What's wrong with saturated fat?

~~~
irremediable
I put this last in that bullet, because IMO its likely effect size is smaller.
Basically, there have been a number of studies looking at the health effects
of sat fats (especially cardiovascular health) and they've had mixed findings.
But the overall recommendation, from various health organisations and the
authors of systematic reviews, is that Western diets should probably cut down
on sat fats, even if just as a precaution.

------
SirLJ
I think it is about the quality of life, otherwise you might not live 100
years, but you might feel like it... My recepie is enjoy everything in
moderation and this includes single malt and cohibas

~~~
mxschumacher
also, who knows whether putting the system under some stress (sipping cohibas)
doesn't have some positive effect in an antifragile sense.

I agree with this notion, my practical solution to this is to not worry about
drinking moderately in social situations, because it makes many of them more
enjoyable

------
paulcole
Do you want to maximize your life expectancy or figure out a balance of how to
achieve a life that's as enjoyable as possible for as long as possible. A
bunch of shitty years at the end really aren't likely worth it. But dying at
40 from partying too hard isn't likely worth it either.

~~~
mxschumacher
if that really is a tradeoff (I suspect it is not) - I want to maximize the
time in great health.

------
sotojuan
Exercise and fitness in general has worked for a while. I know 75 year olds
that have exercised their whole lives and others who haven't - completely
different.

Sure, it's not guaranteed but I think we can all agree that it's a good start.

------
vajrapani666
I'm really surprised intermittent fasting hasn't been mentioned. I've found
eating one meal/day or restricting eating to a 3 hour window to be very
beneficial for my energy levels, focus, time, and financial habits. I'll
probably live longer too,

> In recent studies conducted in overweight humans, caloric restriction has
> been shown to improve a number of health outcomes including reducing several
> cardiac risk factors (Fontana et al., 2004, 2007; Lefevre et al., 2009),
> improving insulin-sensitivity (Larson-Meyer et al., 2006), and enhancing
> mitochondrial function (Civitarese et al., 2007). Additionally, prolonged
> caloric restriction has also been found to reduce oxidative damage to both
> DNA (Heilbronn and Ravussin, 2003; Heilbronn et al., 2006; Hofer et al.,
> 2008) and RNA, as assessed through white blood cells (Hofer et al., 2008).
> Thus, findings of initial human clinical trials appear to support the
> promise of caloric restriction demonstrated in animal studies, at least in
> overweight adults.

[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2622429/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2622429/)

> In this review article we describe evidence suggesting that two dietary
> interventions, caloric restriction (CR) and intermittent fasting (IF), can
> prolong the health-span of the nervous system by impinging upon fundamental
> metabolic and cellular signaling pathways that regulate life-span. CR and IF
> affect energy and oxygen radical metabolism, and cellular stress response
> systems, in ways that protect neurons against genetic and environmental
> factors to which they would otherwise succumb during aging.

[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3919445/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3919445/)

> The most common eating pattern in modern societies, three meals plus snacks
> every day, is abnormal from an evolutionary perspective. Emerging findings
> from studies of animal models and human subjects suggest that intermittent
> energy restriction periods of as little as 16 h can improve health
> indicators and counteract disease processes.

[http://www.pnas.org/content/111/47/16647.full](http://www.pnas.org/content/111/47/16647.full)

One last study, separate because this is on rats.

> Among the 137 rats, the male rat which lived the longest died at 1057 days
> and the oldest female died at 1073 days. Both rats fasted for 1 day in 2,
> but the optimum amount of fasting was on the average 1 day in 3. With this
> amount of fasting, the life span of the males was increased by 20 per cent,
> and that of the females by 15 per cent., but the life span of the fasted
> males just reached the life span of the female controls. Pre-experimental
> nutritional conditions and genetic factors had a considerable influence on
> any specific life span. There was a high degree of genetic uniformity in
> spite of different regimes of feeding and fasting.

[http://jn.nutrition.org/content/31/3/363.extract](http://jn.nutrition.org/content/31/3/363.extract)

~~~
atmosx
Can you elaborate on the eating habits you are proposing?

What/how do you eat in a week?

~~~
vajrapani666
I just eat in a 3 hour window starting at 6pm every weekday. I sometimes do
this on weekends as well.

If you're curious what I eat in that window, it's mostly non-starch based
vegetables, tofu, and paneer.

------
FullMtlAlcoholc
Besides restricting calories, limiting intake of orocessed foods, and
exercising, maintain healthy social relationships and maintain a level of
curiosity about the world

~~~
mxschumacher
feel like the latter two are counter intuitive (how could one's drive possibly
impact biological life?) but possibly true (some data would be interesting
here)

~~~
FullMtlAlcoholc
> (how could one's drive possibly impact biological life?

There's a wealth of literature on these topics, but I'll leave this here:
[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26729882](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26729882)

It shouldn't be mysterious, your outlook and mood determine your behaviors.
However, it goes deeper than that. As for maintaining a level of curiosity,
think of the brain as a muscle. Inactivity will cause it to atrophy while
exercising it will make it more robust and perhaps help prevent dementia. Our
thoughts have a biological basis and like any complex, chaotic system, small
changes in one area can lead to large changes elsewhere.

The human brain is literally the nerve center of our body and among its many
functions are communicating, coordinating and regulating the organs and bodily
functions. Particularly, it's in "control" of the endocrine (hormone) and
lymph (immune) systems.

Consider this: Has thinking about your own mortality made you feel depressed?
That's an example of your cortex influencing your limbic system. Have you ever
seen or read anything that triggered moral disgust? The part of the brain
responsible for making us gag when we eat spoiled food is activated when we
find something morally objectionable or unfamiliar. Has thinking about an
upcoming deadline caused such anxiety that you feel pain in your chest or
become short of breath?

As a more apt answer to your question, consider the scenario of a drug addict
purchasing their narcotic of choice. The anticipation they experience right
before doing their drug is almost as powerful as taking the drug itself.
People who do stimulants feel the need to go #2 right before doing the drug.

------
wcummings
Smoke alcohol? What?

------
JPLeRouzic
There is an efficient way to maximize life expectancy, it does not involve
taking risks with proposals bordering snake oil and it minimizes the medical
knowledge you must acquire:

Employ at every time three personal high profile doctors at a salary far above
what they could expect, and fire one of them each year. The choice of who is
fired is based on written proposals by each of them. Having three doctors
makes it possible to use majority logic. Make sure that two of them do not
collude.

~~~
drakonka
> Make sure that two of them do not collude.

How? This alone would have the potential to bring down the entire plan even if
someone did have the money to hire three doctors.

~~~
JPLeRouzic
>> How?

That is why they have to write a proposal, it could be used to get advice from
someone else. Another possibility is to use a more complicated algorithm
(like, if two doctors gave the same advice last year, one of them should leave
this year).

>> This alone ...

That is why I mentioned it. The question was about "scientifically valid ways
to maximize life", my assumption is that only one (or more) doctor could
provide a valid advice, I also assumed the parent was not interested in
trivial answers on an Internet forum.

HN being what it is I supposed some clever and funny algorithm would do the
job (I was clearly wrong).

>> even if someone did have the money...

I do not get this part, hiring three doctors is not a big business for
companies. Even if you limit it to individuals, you can look at other parts of
the world, for example in India doctors start at $20,000 per year. Hungarian
doctors earn roughly one tenth of what a western European doctor earns [0],
etc...

[0] [http://budapestbeacon.com/public-policy/hungarian-health-
car...](http://budapestbeacon.com/public-policy/hungarian-health-care-workers-
earn-110th-that-of-their-western-counterparts/20371)

