Nearly two decades later, the team was surprised. “We didn’t find these gene variants that we thought we might find,” Dr. Eric Topol, a cardiologist and founder of the Scripps Research Translational Institute, which conducted the study, tells Fortune.
“There’s only a small component here that’s actually genetic. It’s been overestimated,” Topol says. “I was personally relieved because I have such a terrible family history. That felt good, that, hey, maybe I’m not destined to suffer the same illnesses.”
For Topol, reversing aging or gamifying longevity isn’t the goal; instead, the focus is on reducing the risk of developing chronic diseases that are more common as we get older.
Here are three key takeaways from Topol’s years of observing SuperAgers:
“Exercise is extraordinary. It works across all three age-related diseases,” Topol says of cancer, heart disease, and dementia, highlighting it is the most effective way to keep the immune system healthy and fight disease.
As a cardiologist, Topol has always championed aerobic exercise to reduce the risk of heart disease. Since studying the “wellderly,” he encourages adding strength training, including grip strength exercises and resistance training, to counter age-related muscle and bone loss and improve balance and mobility.
“It’s the best backed-up diet we have,” Topol says of his research on aging thus far. “That diet has consistently been shown to be a winner.”
Age-related diseases usually progress within 20 years. Topol says that many people are unaware of their risks for age-related diseases, and therefore, aren’t making lifestyle changes that could help mitigate those risks.
“How will we be able to forecast very reliably when, who, and what of these conditions we will be at risk for so we can prevent them for the first time?” he asks. More preventative screenings are going to become mainstream, he says.
While the traditional health system treats patients after they are sick, Topol hopes that progressive medicine and technology help quantify people’s risk to allow them to take more control earlier. If someone recognizes that they have an increased risk for Alzheimer’s, using a brain clock or blood test to detect amyloid plaques associated with the disease, they may be more apt to adopt a healthier lifestyle, Topol says.
“We can get ahead of it, so that you never have to face that disease in your lifetime,” he says. “We can make big inroads by preventing age-related diseases.”
