MILESTONE 😊 

25 NEWSLETTERS IN: ❤️ From Heart Health to Brain Hacking 🧠 

You've been with me for 25 episodes of evidence-based health deep dives - from cardiovascular surprises to the truth about acetaminophen, bone health breakthroughs to health anxiety insights, olive oil benefits to direct-to-consumer blood tests, and that wild 226% memory boost from essential oils.

It's been quite the journey through the research, and you've stuck with me through every carefully-referenced twist and turn. Your open rates tell me you love digging into the real science as much as I do.

Want to share the evidence-based love? Forward this newsletter to 3 friends who want health tips that hold up to scrutiny.

As a thank you gift for reading and commenting I'm giving you a 50% discount on all resources available on my Simple Science Resource Site October 21st to November 21st, 2025. On that site, I dive even deeper into hypertension protocols, gut health strategies, exercise science, osteoporosis prevention, and all the other carefully-researched health topics that actually matter.

Because if you're committed enough to read 25 weeks of referenced research, you deserve access to all of it. And thank you!

But, seriously, how do we get younger?

QUICK TAKES

🎂 1. Your Real Age Is in Your Blood, Not Your Birthday

PhenoAge uses 9 blood markers to show how fast you're actually aging. Unlike DNA tests, these respond to what you do. Sleep, diet, and exercise change these numbers in 3-6 months.

🔥 2. Inflammation Actively Damages You

C-reactive protein doesn't just measure inflammation—it damages blood vessels, worsens insulin resistance, and accelerates atherosclerosis. Lowering it isn't cosmetic; it's protective.

🗝️ 3. Low Lymphocytes = Immune Aging

Low lymphocyte percentage predicts 30-80% higher mortality risk. It signals your immune system is aging and losing capacity to fight infections and cancer. Stress, poor sleep, and malnutrition all suppress these critical cells.

🤥 4. Blue Zones Are a Data Problem

These "longevity paradises" have terrible record-keeping and documented pension fraud where families misreport deaths. The extraordinary age claims don't hold up to scrutiny. I’m sorry… don’t shoot the messenger!

☀️ 5. Stick to Research-Backed Approaches

For each marker, there are approaches shown to improve it over time. PhenoAge can be a starting point to tailoring longevity.

FAVORITE FIND

Just one this week!
I love my new PhenoAge calculator. If you have a fairly recent CMP, CBC with differential, and CRP, get your biological age (likely younger than your chronological age if you have been working at being healthy!)

Then if you want a personalized report with actionable steps to improve your health further, head over to our Resource Site to purchase a Simple Science PhenoAge Report.
We’ll send you a report of your biological age and what you need to do in the next 6 months to improve your markers!

DEEP DIVE

September saw the publication of a long and detailed research report on the oldest verified woman: Maria Branyas Morera, who died at age 117. She had requested that scientists study her in case there were insights the rest of us could glean from her astonishing longevity.

In summary, Maria had:

• many longevity genes

• excellent mitochodria (we inherit these from our mother, but exercise and good nutrition improves them)

• excellent immune function

• a great gut biome (I’m not surprised, are you?)

This means the longevity community spent the best part of the last few weeks re-hashing what we know about longevity on the various online platforms. Coincidentally, one of my patients received a report from a national longevity blood test company, and the report claimed that she was many years younger than her chronological age. So, on a dare, I set up to figure out if I could verify this (spoiler alert: I did. It’s correct).

It wasn’t too hard getting the formula for the most reliable test of “biological age” which (that’s the cool twist in the story) turns out to be based on some inexpensive and not at all fancy tests. Meet the PhenoAge.

PhenoAge: Measuring Your True Physiological State

PhenoAge is a specialized biological age calculator designed to estimate the rate at which you are aging at the cellular level. Unlike chronological age, which merely tracks the time you've been alive, PhenoAge reflects your body's actual physiological state. By analyzing 9 specific clinical biomarkers, PhenoAge provides an estimate that can be improved through targeted interventions aimed at optimizing your health and slowing biological aging.

The PhenoAge is one of the most accurate predictors of mortality. It tends to perform better than more expensive measures like the GlycanAge, telomeres, or epigenetic clocks.

To begin tracking your PhenoAge, initial testing requires only a comprehensive metabolic panel, a CBC with differential, and a high sensitivity CRP test. For consistency and glucose accuracy, these tests should be performed as fasting labs (12+ hours) and drawn in the morning. Retest every 3-6 months to track your progress. You can use tests from 1-2 years ago, as the algorithm asks for your age at the time the labs were drawn.

Here is what is going on under the hood for these tests.

The 9 Biomarkers Used in PhenoAge

The PhenoAge calculator uses the results from nine clinical biomarkers, each with a specific target direction for optimal longevity: serum albumin, creatinine, fasting glucose, alkaline phosphatase, C-reactive protein, the lymphocyte percentage, red cell distribution width, mean red cell volume, and white blood cell count.

You will notice that LDL is not one of the biomarkers. It turns out to be redundant: the other markers tell us much of what we need to know. Of course there are exceptions: when lipid parameters are far outside the normal range, it’s worth taking a closer look.

What Your Biomarkers Mean for Longevity

Important Note: All PhenoAge optimization should be done in collaboration with a physician. While the algorithm favors certain directions (higher/lower), values outside normal ranges may indicate underlying medical conditions requiring evaluation and treatment.

Markers of Metabolism, Inflammation, and Organ Function

SERUM ALBUMIN (Higher is better): Albumin is the most abundant protein in blood and serves as a marker of overall health status. Low levels can signal chronic inflammation, malnutrition, kidney disease, liver disease, or malabsorption disorders. Higher albumin levels within the normal range correlate with better outcomes and survival in clinical studies, reflecting good nutritional status, a healthy liver, and low systemic inflammation.

SERUM CREATININE (Lower is better): Creatinine is a waste product filtered by the kidneys, making it a key marker of kidney function. Lower levels within the normal range suggest better kidney health and filtration capacity. Elevated levels may indicate kidney disease, dehydration, or excessive muscle breakdown, all of which can impact longevity.

FASTING GLUCOSE (Lower is better): This measures blood sugar levels after fasting and reflects how well your body regulates glucose. Lower levels indicate metabolic health. People with elevated fasting glucose tend to have more cardiovascular disease, cognitive decline, cancer, and accelerated aging processes throughout the body.

ALKALINE PHOSPHATASE - ALP (Lower is better): ALP is an enzyme found in liver, bones, and other tissues. Elevated levels can indicate liver dysfunction, bone disorders including osteoporosis, systemic inflammation, or vascular calcification. Research shows higher ALP is robustly associated with increased mortality risk, making it a powerful predictor of biological aging. However, very low levels may indicate zinc deficiency or other nutritional issues.

C-REACTIVE PROTEIN - CRP (Lower is better): CRP is produced by the liver in response to inflammation throughout the body. It's considered a "bad actor" because it doesn't just reflect inflammation—it actively promotes disease by damaging blood vessels, worsening insulin resistance, and fueling atherosclerosis. Lower levels indicate less systemic inflammation and better cardiovascular health. You have to measure the “cardiac” or “high sensitivity” CRP to use this biomarker.

Markers Reflecting Blood Health and Immune Status

LYMPHOCYTE PERCENTAGE (Higher is better): Lymphocytes are white blood cells crucial for adaptive immunity, including T-cells and B-cells that fight infections and cancer. Higher percentages within normal range indicate better immune function and "immune reserve." Low lymphocyte percentages are a hallmark of immune aging (immunosenescence) and strongly predict frailty and reduced longevity.

RED CELL DISTRIBUTION WIDTH - RDW (Lower is better): RDW measures the variation in size of red blood cells. Higher values indicate that your red blood cells vary greatly in size, which can signal nutritional deficiencies, chronic inflammation, or various disease processes. Lower RDW suggests more uniform, healthy red blood cell production and less systemic stress on the body.

MEAN CORPUSCULAR VOLUME - MCV (Lower is better): MCV measures the average size of red blood cells. Both too high and too low values can indicate problems: high MCV may suggest B12/folate deficiency or thyroid issues, while low MCV often indicates iron deficiency or chronic disease. Thus values outside normal ranges require medical evaluation.

WHITE BLOOD CELL COUNT - WBC (Lower is better): WBC count reflects overall immune system challenges. Both high and low counts can be problematic: elevated counts may indicate chronic inflammation, infection, or stress, while very low counts may suggest immune suppression. The goal is a balanced immune system, not simply higher or lower numbers.

Optimizing Your Biological Age

While PhenoAge provides valuable insights into biological aging, optimization should always be done in collaboration with a qualified healthcare provider. The research shows that these biomarkers respond to comprehensive lifestyle interventions focusing on:

Foundational Approaches:

• Optimize the Gut Biome: each biomarker has strong ties to bacterial metabolites

• Sleep optimization: Consistent sleep timing and quality sleep are critical for multiple markers

• Anti-inflammatory nutrition: Mediterranean-style eating patterns with emphasis on fiber, omega-3s, olive oil, and other antioxidants

• Regular exercise: Cardiovascular training, resistance work, and yoga

• Stress management: Chronic stress negatively impacts multiple biomarkers

Targeted Interventions:

Each biomarker may benefit from specific nutritional, supplemental, or lifestyle approaches. Some markers respond to addressing nutritional deficiencies, others to reducing systemic inflammation, and some to optimizing metabolic health through diet and exercise timing.

Important Considerations:

• Biomarker optimization requires patience—most interventions take months to show measurable effects

• Some abnormal values may indicate underlying medical conditions that require treatment beyond lifestyle modification

• The goal is sustainable, long-term optimization rather than quick fixes

• Regular monitoring helps track progress and adjust interventions

A note on Blue Zones: while these regions have captured public imagination, recent rigorous analyses reveal significant concerns. The areas identified as Blue Zones consistently have poor vital statistics systems, and researchers have documented pension fraud patterns that inflate apparent ages. The longevity claims should be viewed with considerable skepticism given these data quality issues.

Nevertheless, we do have science-backed interventions that should improve your PhenoAge markers.

Monitoring Your Progress

Retest Schedule: Test every 3-6 months to track biomarker trends and adjust interventions as needed.

What to Track Beyond Numbers:

Energy levels and daily stamina

Sleep quality and recovery patterns

Exercise performance and recovery time

• Overall sense of vitality and well-being

• Sense of purpose

When to Seek Medical Evaluation:

Sudden significant changes in any biomarker

Values moving outside normal ranges

New symptoms accompanying biomarker changes

Poor response to lifestyle interventions after 6+ months

The Bottom Line

PhenoAge provides a scientifically-backed window into your biological aging process. Unlike genetic tests that show predisposition, these biomarkers reflect your current physiological state and can be improved through evidence-based interventions.

Research suggests that systematic optimization of these 9 markers can slow biological aging, which would improve healthspan.