Dr. Eric Topol shares a new vision for living longer and better
The Excerpt
USA TODAY
4.1 • 1.2K Ratings
🗓️ 24 December 2025
⏱️ 15 minutes
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Summary
What if the second half of life could be just as healthy, active, and fulfilling as the first? Drawing on the latest science, world-renowned cardiologist and researcher Dr. Eric Topol challenges outdated ideas about aging and reveals how factors like exercise, sleep, social connection and cutting-edge AI tools can help us extend not just our lifespan—but our healthspan. Dr. Topol joins The Excerpt to share insights from his new book "Super Agers: An Evidence-Based Approach to Longevity."
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | One of your favorite shows this year was my conversation with Dr. Eric Topol on Super Agers. |
| 0:09.2 | This episode originally aired on May 8th, 2025. |
| 0:17.4 | In an era where aging is often framed as something to resist or reverse, Dr. Eric Topal offers |
| 0:25.0 | a far more empowering vision. What if the second half of our lives could be just as vibrant |
| 0:31.1 | and healthy as the first? In his latest book, Super Agers, an evidence-based approach to longevity, the renowned cardiologist, |
| 0:39.5 | researcher, and author lays out a bold, data-driven roadmap to extending not just how long |
| 0:46.3 | we live, but how well we live. |
| 0:48.7 | In addition to years of research, Dr. Topal has also been recognized by time as one of the 100 most influential people |
| 0:56.7 | leading change in the medical community. Dr. Topal, thank you for joining me. |
| 1:01.6 | Great to be with you, Dana. In the book, you discussed the concept of health span versus |
| 1:07.9 | lifespan. What's the difference in which one should people focus on to improve longevity? |
| 1:13.6 | Well, we don't really want to live to 110 and be demented or have all such other chronic diseases. |
| 1:21.2 | But on the other hand, if we could live well into our 90s and have no chronic diseases, the big with three age-related ones, |
| 1:30.0 | cancer, cardiovascular, and neurodegenerative, that would be the goal. So I think most everyone |
| 1:37.0 | would agree that health span overrides lifespan or longevity. You argue that genes play a surprisingly limited role in healthy aging, |
| 1:47.5 | despite decades of genomic research. What was the most surprising thing you learned from your study? |
| 1:54.3 | So some years ago, we did a study we called the Welderly, and we enrolled 1,400 people, average age of almost 87, who had never |
| 2:04.1 | had a chronic illness, an age-related disease. And we thought the whole genome sequencing was going |
| 2:11.6 | to demystify everything. But as it turned out, we found very little. And so really the emphasis that has been put on our genes for healthy aging is misplaced. |
| 2:22.9 | It's a small component. |
| 2:24.0 | But there are many other factors, especially what I call lifestyle plus factors, |
| 2:29.1 | that appear to play the dominant role. |
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