With significant longevity developments just on the horizon, Kiwis are being urged to take control of their own ageing process now, so they can benefit from these health advances as they arrive.

Auckland-based healthy ageing expert, pharmacist, and author Greg Macpherson believes that in the next five years the first pharmaceuticals will be available on prescription for slowing the ageing process, and that a 10-to-15-year health span extension will be within grasp.

Macpherson recently released his latest book Age Less, which includes his research and interviews with some of the world’s leading thinkers in the field of longevity research. It provides a short history of lifespan extension and looks at the cutting-edge developments coming through in this field.

He says we are on the brink of a new era in which billions of people can lead longer, healthier, and more enriched lives and stresses this isn’t just about having fewer wrinkles, but ageing with vitality and energy.

“It’s a bit like penicillin – we discovered that, and all of a sudden, a thousand flowers bloomed in terms of antibiotics. So in the next five years, we will see an absolute bloom in validated longevity protocols,” he says.

Macpherson, who founded Pharmacy Direct, says there are now over a thousand molecules identified in labs that can help to slow the ageing process. He himself has been running clinical trials on a supplement formulation that has shown strong results, reversing biological ageing by six years after recipients took the product for one year. The paper will be published later this year.

“It’s not time that’s our enemy. It’s actually a programme in our DNA that is the enemy,” he says.

Macpherson points out that genes only account for seven percent of how we age, highlighting the importance of lifestyle on health and longevity.

“You can change your (ageing) trajectory at any time – even if you have lived a rock and roll lifestyle or a sedentary lifestyle. The best time to start is 10 years ago and the second-best time is now,” he says.

Greg Macpherson’s top tips for ageing less

Keep inflammation down

‘Inflammageing’ causes many health problems. It refers to gradually increasing inflammation levels in your body as you get older due to ‘zombie cells’ that are past their useful date and start secreting inflammatory molecules, requiring the immune system to come in and clean them up.

“The immune system gets overwhelmed. And it’s at a time when the immune system is getting a bit fatigued as we get older, so it’s not able to clear those cells out as much.

“As we get inflammation, then we get disease, so it’s important to keep our inflammation as low as possible.”

Macpherson says we’re learning that things like fasting, exercise, and specific compounds such as fisetin, found in the likes of strawberries, are good for lowering inflammation.

Consider fasting

Fasting can have significant benefits, Macpherson says. He encourages this both for longevity and the day-to-day health benefits, as when you fast the body eats damaged or compromised cells instead of food. He suggests researching the work of Professor Valter Longo at the Longevity Institute, particularly the fasting-mimicking diet that Dr Longo has developed.

“There are huge benefits (of fasting) for people with autoimmune issues, and just generally for all of us. It’s really helpful for us to get hungry because it just helps clear out some of the junk.”

If you have concerns, speak to your doctor to see if this could be right for you.

Get a health check every six months.

Macpherson says picking up issues early is a real benefit. Arrange to get standard blood tests carried out regularly, which you can do without having to see the doctor first. Get your blood pressure checked at the same time – pharmacies are able to do this for you too.

Look after the basics.

“The more you do now to stay in good health, the more benefits you’ll get as new longevity treatments emerge,” Macpherson says.

Stay in good shape by eating well and cutting back on sugar, getting good sleep, watching stress and exercising.

“When you do the things that are healthy, you turn on healthy genes, and that protects you from the negative genes,” Macpherson says.

Even just going for a five, 10 or 20-minute walk each day now will result in the benefits compounding over time, leading to “legendary” benefits when you’re 55, 65 or 75, he says.

Research suitable supplements

Macpherson says there are supplements that can be taken now that appear to slow cellular ageing. He gives the examples of NAD, an enzyme in our bodies which declines as we age and the compound taurine, for which supplements are available.

Mind your mind

Attitude affects the cells in your body more than you realise, Macpherson says. So, being positive has a material impact on your health.

He recommends being mindful and regularly doing something meditative, whatever that might be for you. “It could be gardening,” he says. It will have a material impact on your cells and a material impact on inflammation.

“We used to live in an environment where you would stare at the stars for entertainment, and now we just don’t do it.”

In addition to creating some form of mind stillness, attitude plays a role, Macphersons says.

“Ultimately, you choose to be positive or negative in your life. Sometimes it’s really hard to be positive because there are a lot of negative things happening. But the more positive you can be as you approach and attack ageing, it will have a really significant impact.”

Consider ‘wearables’

Macpherson describes these as not just trendy accessories but powerful tools to help keep tabs on our health in real time.  For instance, simple fitness trackers (such as fitness watches) have evolved into devices that can track things like sleep quality, blood pressure and stress levels. More commonly known wearables include the Apple Watch, the Oura ring and Whoop band.

The technology of wearable diagnostic tools are moving far beyond just basic health measurements now too, Macpherson says.

“New devices and apps can give us early warnings for neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease or use sensors to warn immune-compromised people of an infection before symptoms appear.”

Some watches, such as the Apple Watch, now even include fall detection features that can alert a loved one if an individual has a fall.