Exposing the longevity business

Abstract

The conquest of death has preoccupied the minds of countless scientists, businessmen and charlatans throughout history, and has emptied the pockets of millions who sought immortality. Clearly they didn’t succeed in their quest: all those who shared this vision in the past are dead. Yet the search for eternal youth is very much alive. In Eternity Soup, science writer Greg Critser reminds us that the pursuit of everlasting life has resurfaced, with a cast of characters that are as entertaining, convincing and, in some cases, more dangerous than their predecessors. He also explains how science is inching closer to offering an intervention that slows ageing in people — but it is not there yet. The book’s title refers to a recipe for a long and healthy life that was invented by an Italian nobleman in the sixteenth century. Yet it is still appropriate, as the science and business of life extension are intermingled. For example, Critser describes how his elderly parents, after consulting an anti-ageing practitioner, have come to believe that they will live healthily to age 100 or more. The chances are they will be disappointed, but they derive some comfort from the vision of ageing they purchased. Critser begins with a discussion of the supposedly life-extending effects of caloric restriction, a reduction in food intake that is thought to prolong life in many species. His account is entertaining but sells the reader short because he fails to question the science behind the claim. Experiments in the early twentieth century demonstrated not the lifeextending effects of eating less, but the lifeshortening effects of gluttony. Recent studies suggest that caloric restriction does not work in some species and even shortens life in others. Moreover, it has never been demonstrated to make people live longer. Those eating fewer calories might have favourable cholesterol levels and lower blood pressure, but some of the practice’s most ardent supporters have died at about the same age as those who did not restrict dietary intake.