The Science Behind Anti-Aging: Separating Fact from Fiction

Four Corners is a news program.

The topic is aging.

The date is Sunday, July 19, 2026, at 5:00 am.

Norman Swan tried red light therapy at a conference.

The longevity industry is growing fast.

Some startups have very high valuations without selling any products.

Some people claim they can make old mice young again and cure blindness.

Biohacking is popular, and people are taking risks with their bodies.

It's hard to tell what's real and what's not in the longevity industry.

Four Corners wants to find out what works and what doesn't.

Some biohackers wear special masks with supplements.

Welcome to the world of biohacking.

A conference in New York City had many products and lectures.

Influencers filmed themselves at the conference.

One speaker said he could make people's bodies dance the salsa.

Some speakers didn't believe in vaccines, which is surprising.

There were many therapies at the conference, including ozone and red light.

There's not much evidence that red light therapy works.

One man said a special gel removed his wrinkles.

He said he looks 20 years younger, but he doesn't.

Another man warned about 'blocked chi' and sold a solution.

People sat in a special pod to unblock their chi.

Some people used infrared capsules at the conference.

Many biohackers think they have the secret to staying young.

But most of these therapies don't have human evidence.

A wellness center in Hollywood offers many services.

The center has IV drips and other treatments for healthy people.

The founder, Darshan Shah, says his clients are mostly healthy.

Next Health offers many services, including full-body MRIs.

Dr. Shah says many clients get infusions of vitamins and NAD+.

He says people come in when they're stressed or traveling.

Dr. Shah says his treatments are for everyone.

The clinic offers many treatments, including oxygen therapy.

The treatments claim to have many benefits, but there's little evidence.

Next Health lets customers inject themselves with nutrients.

Dr. Shah says his target market is everyone.

He wants to help people live longer, healthier lives.

But many of these treatments don't have much evidence.

An expert, Katherine Samaras, doesn't think NAD+ is useful.

She says people can improve their health by eating less and not drinking too much.

Another expert, Luigi Fontana, agrees with her.

He says there's no data in humans to support NAD+.

There are some interesting studies in animals, but that's it.

Some research suggests NAD+ might even be bad for us.

Many Australian businesses are watching Next Health's model.

There are about 100 operators offering similar services in Australia.

Some peptides are unproven and might have bad side effects.

There's a black market for these products, which is dangerous.

The longevity industry operates in a gray area, without much regulation.

Now, let's look at the real science behind anti-aging.

Away from the clinics, real research is happening.

Geroscience is the study of how we can live longer, healthier lives.

If we can develop an anti-aging drug, it could be very valuable.

San Francisco is the center of the anti-aging startup industry.

One investor, Karl Pfleger, thinks the demand for anti-aging tech could be huge.

He says that if it works, it could help with many age-related diseases.

We visited three companies working on different parts of the aging process.

All three have potential, but it's a long road to developing safe, proven medications.

Retro Biosciences wants to increase the healthy years of human life by 10 years.

The company has a lot of money and is valued at $1.8 billion.

Joe Betts-LaCroix and his team are working on a drug for Alzheimer's.

They want to move fast and not waste time with bureaucracy.

They have pop-up labs in shipping containers to speed up their work.

The scientists can work as fast as they want, but they must be careful with human trials.

Retro Biosciences has developed a technology that rejuvenates the body's ability to recycle garbage.

They're doing a safety trial of an Alzheimer's drug in Adelaide.

They've also licensed technology from the Murdoch Children's Research Institute.

Another company, Intervene Immune, is working on rejuvenating the immune system.

They're targeting the thymus gland, which is involved in the immune system.

Greg Fahy thinks regrowing the thymus could revolutionize medicine.

He ran a small trial and was able to show some promise.

But there are serious challenges and potential risks with this approach.

Professor Daniel Gray says it's unclear if the thymus function is the cause of good health outcomes.

He also says that thymus regeneration carries potential risks, like autoimmune conditions.

Dr. Fahy says the risks, particularly those associated with cancer, are a concern.

Then there's the hottest area of anti-aging research: partial epigenetic reprogramming.

It's being trialled at Harvard Medical School in Boston.

David Sinclair is leading the charge, but he's also controversial.

He's attracted criticism from other scientists who say some of his claims have gone too far.

Despite this, his research is still being taken seriously.

Life Biosciences, which he co-founded, is trialling partial epigenetic reprogramming in humans.

The study aims to reverse vision loss due to glaucoma or arterial damage.

But it's not without risk, and the results are still uncertain.

So, what do we know works?

Many physicians say the key to living longer is already well established.

It's exercise, friends, and a healthy diet.

Professor Fontana says supplements are not the answer.

He says some of his patients take 30-40 supplements a day, but where's the data?

Luigi Fontana says the tricks to staying healthy are well-known.

Good quality food and physical exercise go a long way to keeping cells young and functional.

Calorie restriction with optimal nutrition can prevent multiple chronic diseases.

We have strong evidence that a healthy lifestyle can increase our chances of living a long and healthy life.

Watch Four Corners' full investigation into the race to reverse aging.

The date is Sunday, July 19, 2026, at 5:00 am.

The date is Sunday, July 19, 2026, at 7:51 am.

See more ABC coverage in your search results

Promotion

Práctica de escucha