Essentials: The Biology of Slowing & Reversing Aging | Dr. David Sinclair

Huberman Lab

Scicomm Media

Science, Health & Fitness, Life Sciences

4.8 • 26.2K Ratings

🗓️ 30 October 2025

⏱️ 39 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this Huberman Lab Essentials episode, my guest is Dr. David Sinclair, PhD, a professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School and a leading expert on the biology of aging. We discuss the cellular and molecular mechanisms of aging—and how specific behaviors, such as fasting, regular exercise and NAD⁺-boosting compounds like NMN, can activate the body's natural longevity pathways. This discussion highlights how lifestyle choices profoundly influence the aging process and may even slow or reverse key aspects of biological aging. Read the episode show notes at hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors AGZ by AG1: https://drinkagz.com/huberman David: https://davidprotein.com/huberman Eight Sleep: https://eightsleep.com/huberman Timestamps (0:00) David Sinclair (0:20) Longevity, Anti-Aging, Aging as a Disease (2:27) Causes of Aging; Epigenome & Genes (4:53) CD & Scratches Analogy, DNA, Silencing & Expressing Genes (6:44) Physical Appearance & Aging (7:36) Sponsor: David (8:54) Childhood Development & Aging, Horvath Clock, Accelerate Aging (11:30) Rates of Puberty & Aging, Growth Hormone (12:37) Body Size & Longevity; Epigenetics (13:07) Fasting, Calorie Restriction & Longevity, Sirtuins, Insulin & Glucose (16:31) Tool: Skip a Meal (17:07) Longer Fasts & Autophagy, “Deep Cleanse” (18:07) Sponsor: AGZ by AG1 (19:36) Fasting, Fluids, Electrolytes (20:16) Sirtuins, Glucose, mTOR & Fasting; Leucine, Tool: Pulsing Behaviors (24:24) Breaking a Fast, Tools: Do Your Best; Transitions (27:00) Sirtuins, NAD, NMN Supplementation (29:04) Sponsor: Eight Sleep (31:10) Iron & Senescent Cells; Personalize Medicine (32:40) Tool: Blood Markers, CRP (34:50) Tool: Aerobic & Resistance Exercise (35:55) Estrogen, Fasting & Fertility; Aging & Rejuvenation (38:20) Acknowledgements Disclaimer & Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to Huberman Lab Essentials, where we revisit past episodes for the most potent and actionable science-based tools for mental health, physical health, and performance.
0:11.5	I'm Andrew Huberman, and I'm a professor of neurobiology and ophthalmology at Stanford School of Medicine.
0:17.3	And now my conversation with Dr. David Sinclair.
0:20.4	Thanks for being here.
0:21.5	I have a ton of questions for you about aging, longevity, lifespan, actionable protocols
0:27.3	to increase how long we live, et cetera.
0:30.0	And I just want to start off with a very simple question.
0:32.7	What is the difference between longevity, anti-aging, and aging as a disease.
0:38.2	Because I associate you with this statement, aging is a disease.
0:43.5	Right.
0:44.2	Well, so longevity is the more academic way we describe what we research.
0:49.2	Anti-aging is kind of the same thing, but it's got a bad rap because it's been used by a whole bunch of people that don't know what they're talking about.
0:55.9	So I really don't like that term anti-aging.
0:58.5	But aging as a disease and longevity are perfectly valid ways to talk about this subject.
1:04.3	So let's talk about aging as a disease.
1:06.7	When I started my research, disease here at Harvard Medical School, it was considered, if there's something that's wrong with you, and it's a rare thing, has to be less than 50% of the population, that's definitely a disease.
1:22.0	And then people work their whole lives to try and cure that condition.
1:26.1	And so I looked up what's the definition of aging.
1:27.9	And it says, well, it's a deterioration and in health and sickness and you can die from it.
1:32.2	Typically you do.
1:34.3	Something that sounds pretty much like a disease.
1:36.6	But the caveat is that if more than half the population gets this condition aging, it's put
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