Newt’s World – Episode 843: Dr. Eric Topol on “Super Agers”

Date: May 18, 2025
Host: Newt Gingrich
Guest: Dr. Eric Topol, Executive Vice President and Professor of Molecular Medicine at Scripps Research

Episode Overview

This episode centers on the science and practical realities of healthy longevity, as explored in Dr. Eric Topol’s new book, "Super: An Evidence-Based Approach to Longevity." The discussion delves into what it takes to become a “super ager”—someone who lives into old age without suffering from major chronic diseases—and why now, thanks to new science and technology, we’re at a turning point for preventive medicine. Dr. Topol and Newt examine broadening definitions of health, the critical (and underrated) role of lifestyle, why personalization and prevention will be the new standard, and how breakthrough advances, from nutrition to AI and "organ clocks," might enable a revolution in healthy aging.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Redefining Lifestyle: "Lifestyle Plus"

[02:22 – 03:54]

• Dr. Topol expands “healthy lifestyle” to include not only diet, exercise, and sleep, but also factors such as environmental pollution, processed foods, social connection, and time in nature.
• He argues these broader factors are now crucial, enabling—potentially for the first time—the genuine prevention of the three biggest age-related diseases: cancer, cardiovascular disease, and neurodegeneration.
• Quote:

  "This is a really propitious moment in medicine... We are in a position now to prevent the three major age-related diseases. We've never been able to do that."
  (Dr. Topol, 03:25)

2. Personalized Nutrition vs. "One-Size-Fits-All"

[03:54 – 05:03]

• Dr. Topol emphasizes the failure of universal diets and the rise of "personalized nutrition,” noting people’s unique responses (even identical twins differ).

• Food can exacerbate inflammation for some, highlighting the importance of individual understanding.

• Quote:

  "Even identical twins are unique. So the fact that we would prescribe a diet or anything for all people is really a miscue."
  (Dr. Topol, 04:06)

3. Ultra-Processed Food: America's Chronic Disease Engine

[05:03 – 07:53]

• The U.S. leads the world in consumption of ultra-processed foods—a major cause of inflammation and related diseases.
• The food industry resists reform, investing heavily in lobbying.
• Example cited: Dr. Chris Van Tulleken’s month-long ultra-processed diet, which caused significant weight gain and brain inflammation.
• GLP-1 agonist drugs (like Ozempic) not only aid in weight loss but also reduce cravings for processed food by altering the brain’s reward circuits.

4. Assessing Real Nutritional Value

[07:53 – 09:06]

• Newt suggests a “nutrition factor” label for foods, like today’s calorie labels, as nutritional value varies dramatically even among whole foods.
• Dr. Topol cites research: Of 105,000 people over 30 years, only 9% made it to “super aging”—and those followed a Mediterranean-style, plant-based diet.

5. Practical Steps for Healthy Aging

[09:06 – 11:41]

• Beyond lifestyle, Dr. Topol proposes early, personalized risk identification—using new biological “clocks” (like blood biomarkers for organs) to target pre-disease states up to 20 years before symptoms appear.

• Example: Plasma proteins can now reveal if a specific organ is aging faster, signaling where preventive attention is needed.

• Quote:

  "We have markers for Alzheimer’s that show up more than 20 years before a person would have mild cognitive impairment. We have a capability now to really make a huge dent in these big three age-related diseases, and we're not taking advantage of it."
  (Dr. Topol, 10:33)

6. Strength Training — Not Just Cardio

[11:41 – 12:52]

• Strength/resistance training is just as critical as aerobic exercise for aging well, staving off muscle loss, frailty, and falls.

• Quote:

  "The data show unequivocally that we should be doing some resistance strength training, at least a couple of sessions a week."
  (Dr. Topol, 12:25)

7. Deep Sleep & Recovery: Clearing the Brain

[12:52 – 16:44]

• Deep (slow-wave) sleep is crucial, especially with age, because it allows brain “glymphatics” to clear metabolic waste—a failure linked to Alzheimer’s.

• Wearables like Oura rings and smartwatches are valuable for deep sleep tracking/managing.

• Sleep regularity—the body’s preference for consistent bedtime—is a crucial but overlooked factor.

• Quote:

  "If you have 45 minutes to an hour of deep sleep, that's golden."
  (Dr. Topol, 16:24)

8. Outdoors, Nature, and Mental Health

[16:44 – 18:24]

• Just 30 minutes a week in green spaces significantly lowers depression and blood pressure.

• Physical activity outperforms drugs (SSRIs) for depression in studies.

• “Nature prescriptions” and prioritizing social interaction are needed as part of preventive health strategies.

• Quote:

  "Every form of exercise was better than the drugs...for reducing depression."
  (Dr. Topol, 17:54)

9. A New Era for Prevention: AI and Organ Clocks

[18:24 – 22:48]

• AI enables meaningful prevention by processing billions of datapoints—health records, lab tests, polygenic risk, “body clocks”—to predict an individual's risk and timing for disease and tailor interventions accordingly.

• Modern biomarkers (e.g., P-tau217 for Alzheimer’s) can indicate risk decades early, but are underused.

• The objective is healthspan, not just lifespan—years lived free of chronic disease.

• Quote:

  "We're not doing these...before a person ever has a disease. For example, the marker for Alzheimer's...has been available in the US for two years. Nobody knows about it."
  (Dr. Topol, 20:23)

10. Stuck in the Past: Barriers in Medicine and Public Health Policy

[22:48 – 24:31]

• Screening and treatment remain outdated, based on age rather than risk. Most interventions are reactive, not preventive.

• Changing the cultural and systemic inertia in U.S. health care is the biggest hurdle to this revolution.

• Quote:

  "...we have gotten locked into a model which we objectively now know makes you less likely to live longer and less likely to be healthy."
  (Newt, 22:54)

11. What Could a True ‘Health Care’ System Look Like?

[24:31 – 27:16]

• Dr. Topol envisions universal risk assessment as part of every annual checkup.

• When someone is found at high risk, a "high prevent" intervention is triggered—targeting lifestyle changes and, when suitable, cutting-edge drugs (GLP-1s, gut hormone modulators, immune system “rheostats”).

• Quote:

  "We want to have super agers. We don't want to have people like we have today, which are just so much chronic disease."
  (Dr. Topol, 25:48)

12. Breakthroughs and the Acceleration of Discovery

[27:16 – 28:54]

• The 2024 Nobel Prize for AI-based protein structure prediction means the speed of drug discovery is set to explode.
• Demis Hassabis predicts we could eliminate major diseases in a decade, though Dr. Topol warns cultural obstacles are formidable.

13. Policy Levers, Incentives, and the Battle with Big Food

[28:54 – 31:22]

• Newt draws historical parallels: tackling processed food and chronic disease will be as disruptive as breaking up monopolies.

• Financial incentives like annual tax credits for healthy aging could "bend the curve" of health costs.

• Dr. Topol: Just modest lifestyle improvement can yield 7–10 more years of disease-free life.

• Quote:

  "If you do these things and you work on sleep health and you have a healthy diet... you can get seven to ten years of healthy aging without these three age-related diseases. Just that—it's extraordinary."
  (Dr. Topol, 30:50)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Prevention Revolution:

  "We want to create a health care system, not a sick care system."
  (Newt, 31:22)

• On the Super Ager Blueprint:

  "It's not their genes that are doing this, it's their lifestyle, their immune system, not in their DNA for the most part."
  (Dr. Topol, 22:10)

• On the Potential of Modern Medicine:

  "I'm brimming with optimism about what the opportunities are right now."
  (Dr. Topol, 31:37)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Lifestyle Plus: [02:22 – 03:54]
• Ultra-Processed Food & Big Food Lobby: [05:03 – 07:53]
• Personalized Prevention via Organ Clocks: [09:20 – 11:41]
• Importance of Deep Sleep: [12:52 – 16:44]
• Nature, Social Connection & Depression: [16:44 – 18:24]
• AI, Data, and Organ Clocks for Prevention: [18:24 – 22:48]
• The Roadblocks in Modern Medicine: [22:48 – 24:31]
• A Blueprint for a Prevention-Focused Health System: [24:31 – 27:16]
• Breakthroughs in Drug Discovery: [27:16 – 28:54]
• Policy and Incentivizing Health: [28:54 – 31:22]

Summary Takeaways

• Healthy longevity is now science-based; prevention can realistically target the big three chronic diseases decades before onset.
• "Super aging" depends on personalized interventions, broader lifestyle considerations (sleep, social ties, exposure, strength training, nature), and tackling systemic blockers like ultra-processed foods and old-fashioned “sick care” models.
• Technology—especially AI and advanced biomarkers—will be integral.
• A revolutionary shift in medicine, public policy, and culture is possible, though facing fierce resistance from entrenched interests and inertia.
• The potential payoff is immense: healthier, longer lives, and a cheaper, sustainable health system for society.

Dr. Topol’s new book, “Super: An Evidence-Based Approach to Longevity,” is available now. Subscribe to his newsletter Ground Truths on Substack for ongoing research and insights.