#57: How To Reverse Ageing (Part 1 of 4). The History of Longevity Research

24th Jun 2020

My guest today is Sue Armstrong, journalist and author of the fantastic book “Borrowed Time – The Science of How and Why We Age”.

We have a conversation about all things related to ageing, why it occurs, why there’s renewed interest in it and what we can do about it. Sue beautifully lays out the history of longevity research in her book, the origins of this fascinating scientific discipline and what the latest research means for you.

Sue is a writer and broadcaster specialising in science, health and development issues. As a foreign correspondent, she covered EU affairs from Brussels for 3 years. Based subsequently in South Africa for 8 years, she reported for a variety of media - notably New Scientist magazine, BBC World Service radio, and various UN agencies including the World Health Organization, for whom her major focus was the AIDS epidemic then spreading explosively in East, Central and southern Africa.

On the show today we discuss:

• How Sue's career got started as well as her experience reporting on Nelson Mandelas release from prison
• Her time spent researching and reporting on HIV
• The origins of ageing research and interrelated tales of mavericks, worms and fruitflies 
• The different theories of why we age
• Cellular senescence 
• The ageing immune system
• Calorie restriction and its pros and cons
• Whether the quest for longevity is a narcissistic endeavour
• True gerontology vs the “immortalists”

And definitely go and check out Sue’s book - ‘Borrowed Time - The Science of How and Why We Age’ which is a really super interesting read.