Longevity has long been more than just a trend — it has become a central issue of our time. In her book The Longevity compass Dr. Gerd Wirtz and Prof. Dr. Volker Limmroth shed light on the latest scientific findings on healthy aging and provide practical recommendations for a longer, vital life.

In this interview, the expert in medical innovations, longevity and digital health, Dr. Gerd Wirtz, talks about the key messages of the book, surprising findings from Longevity research and how each individual can shape their personal Longevity journey.

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What inspired you personally to write this book and why do you think the topic of longevity is so important right now?

The speed of innovation in medical research in the last ten years has been as fast as in the previous hundred years. Today, with digital technologies, modern medicine and new scientific findings, we can better understand how we can age healthier. But despite progress, our average life expectancy in Germany is around 80 years. We know that people can live up to 120 years. We should close this gap of 40 years quickly.

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In your opinion, what are the biggest obstacles to a long and healthy life in our modern society?

One of the main problems is that we often only care about our health when something is wrong. Our medicine is currently often reactive — a repair shop. We treat illnesses when they occur, rather than preventing them early on.

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“Many chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular problems or diabetes, could be avoided if we became active earlier. ”

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In addition, less than half of Germans regularly use preventive examinations. There is a lack of education and a conscious approach to prevention. Another obstacle is our lifestyle. Many People eat unhealthily, They move too little, sleep poorly and are under constant stress. This thesis is supported by a recent study by the DKV study in collaboration with the German Sports University. The results show that less than 20% of study participants meet the criteria for a “healthy” life.

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The “12 levels of aging” describe the biological mechanisms of aging. Which of these levels do you consider to be the most relevant for preventing diseases of old age?

Traditionally, we look at aging processes at organ level — such as a weak heart or aching joints. But aging starts much earlier, on a cellular level.

I find three mechanisms particularly important that we can influence well:

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• ‍Chronic inflammation: Many diseases are caused by permanent, subliminal inflammation in the body. These can be reduced through an anti-inflammatory diet, sufficient exercise and less stress.

• ‍Mitochondrial function: Our cells need energy, which is produced by so-called mitochondria. With age, they become less efficient. A healthy diet, regular exercise, and fasting can help strengthen mitochondria.

• ‍autophagy: It's like our body's “garbage collection” — damaged cell components are broken down and recycled. This process can be stimulated by fasting or calorie-reduced phases.

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How do you rate the importance of nutrition as a pillar of longevity, and what general recommendations do you make in this regard?

Nutrition plays a central role in our health and aging. A poor diet can promote chronic diseases, while a good diet significantly reduces the risk of many diseases. My most important tips:

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• ‍Avoid bad fats: Stay away from fries and ready meals and use unsaturated fatty acids from olive oil, rapeseed oil and nuts instead.

• ‍Reduce sugar: Sugar is not only found in sweets, but also in fruit juices. Water is easy to flavor with citrus fruits, berries, or ginger.

• ‍Never eat 100% full: Our brain only signals to us that we are full after 15-20 minutes. Eating slowly helps to use this signal.

• ‍Take breaks for digestion: Our body is wonderful at regenerating and repairing itself. But this is only possible if he is not busy with digestion. That is why 16:8 intermittent fasting is so effective in boosting self-healing powers. If that's too long for you: The body is already enjoying 12 hours of fasting.

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Sleep is often seen as an underrated resource for longevity. How should sleep be optimized to slow down aging processes?

Sleep is incredibly important because it helps the body recover and carry out repair processes. During deep sleep and REM phases, a lot of good things happen for our health. That's why we also recommend wearing sleep trackers, at least for a few weeks, to objectively assess how our sleep is doing. Then you can easily see whether your deep sleep phase (10% of bedtime) and your REM sleep phase (15-20% of your bedtime) were long enough.

Tips for better sleep:

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• ‍Regular bedtimes: Try to go to bed at the same time every day and get at least 7 hours of sleep.

• ‍Good sleep hygiene: Avoid heavy food, alcohol, and screen time in the two hours before bed.

• ‍Relaxing atmosphere: Darkness, silence and a pleasant room temperature promote good sleep.

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How could genetic and epigenetic testing help people develop an individual longevity strategy?

Genetic testing shows the risk of hereditary diseases, but can be emotionally stressful — this requires sensitivity. Epigenetic tests, on the other hand, measure “biological age.” They show how our lifestyle influences our biological age. This is particularly exciting because it allows you to see in practice whether changes in diet, exercise or stress management actually help. It becomes possible to measure how healthy you live — and that can be very motivating.

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What do you think are the most effective measures to close the gap between health span and life span?

The most important measure is to put health at the center of life — as early as possible. In my book, I describe the

8 pillars of longevity, which are all interlinked: diet, exercise, sleep, stress management, social contacts, prevention, mental health and meaning of life. Depending on your individual situation, you can work specifically on areas that still have potential. What is important is:

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“Small steps are often enough to make big changes.”

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That is why we have downgraded our proposals for action from SMART (simple) to ADVANCED (intensive). This allows everyone to decide individually how they want to optimize their health. It's about finding the balance and taking the steps with joy.

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The Blue Zones are known for the high life expectancy of their inhabitants. What findings from these regions could be transferred to Western societies?

The 5 blue zones are located in very different regions of the world. The lifestyles of the individual areas differ significantly from one another. Now you might think that the people there are genetically preferred. However, emigrants from these areas are losing their longevity.

The inhabitants of the Blue Zones — regions with particularly high life expectancy — have four things in common:

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• They move a lot and naturally, such as by working in the garden or taking walks.

• They eat fresh, regional food and prefer plant-based food.

• ‍Community is very important — they are very socially active and support each other.

• They have a task in life that gives them meaning, such as family cohesion or volunteer work.

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These findings are universal and could become more relevant in Western societies.

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‍What influence do social contacts and community have on longevity, and how can people work on them in a targeted manner?

‍Loneliness is a big issue, especially in today's world where we are more and more alone. In many western countries, including Germany, loneliness leads to stress and can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, or even Alzheimer's disease. So it's really important to maintain social contacts. “Everyone should try to spend time with family and friends on a regular basis.” But even if that's not always possible, you can look for groups or activities that you enjoy — for example sports clubs, cooking or reading groups. Pets also help you feel less lonely.

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Every encounter in the community gives us a true cocktail of beneficial hormones.

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‍Just 20 seconds of hugging releases the binding hormone oxytocin, shared experiences, fun or dancing release the happiness hormone endorphin and mutual praise gives us a flood of the reward hormone dopamine.

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‍Do you think that research can increase the maximum biological age of humans over the next few decades, and how could this influence social life?

‍Research and technology are progressing incredibly fast, and there are good reasons to believe that we can significantly extend maximum life expectancy over the next few decades. New technologies such as wearables or health apps are already helping us to better monitor our lifestyle and make healthier decisions — for example by alerting us to an excessive heart rate or poor sleep.

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Clinical studies such as the TAME study (Targeting Aging with Metformin) could soon show us new ways to slow down aging. There are currently numerous drugs in development that can slow down or even reverse cell aging. For example, this could help treat or even prevent serious aging diseases such as Alzheimer's, cancer or cardiovascular diseases.

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Personalized medicine is also making tremendous progress. With the help of big data and artificial intelligence, treatment plans can be individually tailored to the respective person. This means that we can identify diseases earlier and treat them in a targeted manner.

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Despite all these scientific advances, the challenge of motivating people to lead a healthy lifestyle remains. Studies show that centenarians often only experience short periods of illness and remain productive for a long time. This would not only relieve our healthcare system, but would also make better use of the potential of the older generation.

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“We are facing an exciting future in which we could have significantly more healthy life years.”

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It is important that these advances are accessible to all and not just individual groups benefit from them. A society in which everyone can benefit from the new opportunities would be a big step forward.

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Extending our healthy lifespan will be the central research topic of the next decades — an exciting perspective!

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Find out mor in the book The Longevity compass.