A free, evidence-graded guide to preventive health
The Longevity Guide
Everything I have learned about living longer and staying healthy while you do it: what to train, what to eat, which tests and scans are worth it and how often, and which medicines and supplements hold up. It aims for what is optimal, not the population minimum, with every claim sourced and every recommendation graded.
31 chaptersAbout 9.5 hours of readingUpdated October 25, 2026
Part 1
Start here
What matters most, how aging works, and how to judge the evidence.
- The essentialsThe handful of habits, numbers, and checks that do most of the work, set to what is optimal rather than the population minimum. If you read nothing else in this guide, read this.9 min read
- The science of agingWhat aging is, why it drives almost every major disease, how much genes matter, what biological-age tests can and cannot tell you, and where the science stands in 2026.15 min read
- Reading the evidenceHow to tell a strong health claim from a weak one: study types, confounding, absolute versus relative risk, surrogate endpoints, mouse data, funding, retractions, and headlines.13 min read
Part 2
Daily habits
The behaviors that do most of the work: training, food, sleep, mind, and avoiding harm.
- ExerciseFitness and strength predict a long, independent life better than almost anything else you can change. How much to do, how to train each capacity, and how to do it safely.27 min read
- NutritionTwo rules do most of the work: eat about what you burn, and eat mostly real food. Optimal targets for protein, fiber, fats, and salt, and what the evidence says about fasting and the rest.23 min read
- SleepHow much sleep you need, why a steady schedule matters as much as hours, the habits that work, and when insomnia, snoring, or daytime fatigue need a doctor.19 min read
- Mind and connectionStress, depression, loneliness, and purpose shape physical health. What works for screening and treatment, meditation and breathing, relationships, and getting help.16 min read
- Avoiding harmThe preventable things that cut lives short, roughly in order: tobacco, alcohol, drugs, crashes, firearms, home hazards, air, radon, water, chemicals, noise, and heat.22 min read
Part 3
Prevent disease
The conditions that end or diminish most lives, and how to get ahead of each one.
- Heart and blood vesselsHeart attack and stroke are the top killers and among the most preventable. What drives plaque, the numbers that matter, when to scan, and which treatments work.29 min read
- CancerHow to lower your cancer risk, learn whether it runs in your genes, get the screenings that save lives, and judge multi-cancer blood tests and full-body MRI.33 min read
- Brain healthDementia is common and partly preventable. The risk factors that matter most, what APOE4 and the new blood tests mean, and what the Alzheimer's drugs can and cannot do.23 min read
- Metabolic healthInsulin resistance, diabetes, obesity, fatty liver, and kidney disease start silently and years apart. What to test every year, the targets to aim for, and when GLP-1 drugs make sense.21 min read
- Lungs and breathingLung function predicts how long you live, and most COPD goes undiagnosed. Who needs a breathing test, what to check once, and how to protect your lungs for life.16 min read
- Digestive healthMost gut trouble is common and benign, but a few silent conditions and warning signs matter. Fiber, reflux, IBS, celiac disease, H. pylori, and when to see a specialist.17 min read
- Muscle, bone, and mobilityMuscle and bone loss are slow, silent, and largely preventable. How to measure them from midlife, rebuild them, prevent falls, and keep your joints, back, and feet working.17 min read
- Eyes, ears, teeth, and skinSight, hearing, teeth, and skin decline quietly and are cheap to protect. The exam schedules, the evidence on hearing aids, gum care, and sunscreen, and the products worth skipping.24 min read
- Infections and vaccinesThe immune system weakens with age, and vaccines are among the cheapest longevity tools. The adult schedule as of October 2026, where US agencies and medical societies now differ, and the screening tests to get once.16 min read
Part 4
Measure and monitor
The tests, scans, and devices that show where you stand, and the people who help you act on them.
- Your prevention checklistEvery screening, test, vaccine, and habit worth doing at your age, on the schedule a serious prevention plan uses, with the guideline minimum alongside, the source, and the chapter that explains it.1 min read
- Blood tests and biomarkersWhich blood and urine tests are worth getting, how often, how to read guideline cutoffs against optimal targets, how to order tests and what they cost, and when to ignore the hype.20 min read
- Scans and imagingWhich scans are worth getting, which to skip, how much radiation each involves, what they cost, and how to handle the surprises they turn up.17 min read
- Wearables and home monitoringThe optimal home tracking setup and how often to use it, how accurate watches, rings, cuffs, scales, and glucose monitors really are, and how to use the data without letting it use you.16 min read
- Building your care teamThe optimal care model, with the free preventive visit as the floor: how to find a prevention-minded doctor, when concierge, longevity, and telehealth care are worth paying for, and what budgets buy.16 min read
Part 5
Medicine
Drugs, hormones, and supplements, graded by the human evidence.
- Longevity drugsDrugs aimed at aging itself, from rapamycin and metformin to senolytics, plasma, reprogramming, and gray-market peptides: what the mouse and human data show, the risks, and how to decide.19 min read
- SupplementsHow supplements are regulated, how to spot quality, which have real human evidence, and which cause harm. The optimal list is short: creatine, protein and fiber to target, and test-and-correct.29 min read
- HormonesMenopause and hormone therapy, testosterone, thyroid, DHEA, growth hormone, and sexual health: who benefits from treatment, what the trials show, and where the hype outruns the evidence.18 min read
Part 6
Life stages
What changes for women, for men, and after 65, gathered in one place with the plan for each decade.
- Women's healthA guided path for women: the heart, metabolic, bone, and cancer risks that differ, pregnancy history as a lifelong signal, PCOS, endometriosis, fertility, the pelvic floor, and a plan for each decade.17 min read
- Men's healthA guided path for men: why men die younger, earlier heart risk, erections as a vascular signal, prostate and PSA, testosterone, fertility, testicular health, suicide risk, and a plan for each decade.14 min read
- Aging well after 65After 65 the goal is keeping function. How to spot and reverse frailty, cut risky medicines, get through hospital stays and surgery, drive safely, support caregivers, and plan for serious illness.18 min read
Part 7
Putting it together
What I actually do, where to learn more, and the vocabulary.
- My protocolThe training program, eating rules, sleep habits, and testing schedule I built for myself, updated for what the research now says. One person's choices, not a prescription.7 min read
- ResourcesThe books, podcasts, reference sites, and calculators behind this guide, and a record of what changed in this edition.6 min read
- GlossaryPlain-language definitions of the terms used in this guide, grouped by topic. Every term is searchable.20 min read
How to read the evidence badges
- Strong Randomized trials in people with hard outcomes, or very consistent large studies.
- Moderate Good observational data, or small or short human trials.
- Mixed Credible studies point in different directions.
- Weak Mostly animal studies, pilots, or expert opinion.
- Negative Good human studies found no benefit, or found harm.