Flip to live longer? Deepinder Goyal's Continue says upside-down poses may slow aging

Eternal CEO Deepinder Goyal

Continue Research — the longevity and upstream biology initiative backed by Eternal CEO Deepinder Goyal — has published its first major research findings, claiming that passive inversion practices may counteract the long-term effects of gravity on the brain and aging.

The organisation says its early data shows that methods such as using commercial inversion tables or simply putting one’s legs up against a wall can deliver a measurable rise in cerebral blood flow (CBF), which it argues plays a central role in how humans age.

What has Continue Research found?

Continue Research claims that passive inversions increase blood flow to the brain by about 20.2%, outperforming active inversions commonly found in yoga, which it pegs at 13.3%. The group says even basic, accessible movements such as the legs-up-the-wall pose deliver a modest but noticeable increase.

According to the organisation, 10 minutes of daily passive inversion for six weeks resulted in a 7% rise in daily average brain blood flow in human subjects. It equates that improvement to roughly “10 years of younger age”, based on the average annual decline in CBF associated with aging.

The data was generated using a new experimental device developed by Continue Research to measure cerebral blood flow continuously in real time.

Why does Continue believe gravity accelerates aging?

At the heart of the findings is what Continue calls the Gravity Aging Hypothesis, which argues that lifelong exposure to gravity steadily reduces cerebral perfusion, leading to a chain reaction of biological decline.

The hypothesis attempts to connect several aspects of aging — vascular deterioration, neurodegeneration, autonomic weakening and metabolic slowdown — to a single upstream cause: chronic reduction in brain blood flow.

While active health practices like walking, strength training, sleep optimisation, hydration, green leafy foods and social interaction have long been linked to better perfusion, Continue says passive inversion may be the “most direct and immediate” way to counteract gravity’s toll on the brain.

How is the scientific community responding?

Several scientists quoted in Continue Research’s note described the hypothesis as intriguing but emphasised the need for independent validation.

Rachael Seidler of the University of Florida called the idea “provocative” and said it could reshape thinking around longevity. Salk Institute professor Satchidananda Panda said the model “establishes a new conceptual frontier” that merges gravitational physiology with aging science. Boston University’s David Boas said it “weaves together” multiple aspects of brain aging into a unified model, while Harvard’s Meher Juttukonda described it as a theory that invites rigorous testing.

The comments signal cautious interest rather than endorsement, with most experts highlighting that the claims remain in early stages.

What is Continue Research and why is it doing this?

Continue Research was set up two years ago as an independent scientific initiative aimed at exploring upstream biological mechanisms of aging. It operates separately from Eternal and is positioned as an open-source, globally collaborative programme.

The initiative is now expanding after the Eternal CEO committed $25 million of personal capital to back research efforts worldwide that seek to prove, refine, or directly challenge the Gravity Aging Hypothesis.

Continue says all data and insights will be placed in the public domain rather than commercialised, arguing that accelerating scientific progress in longevity requires unrestricted access.

What’s next for Continue?

The organisation is calling for scientists, labs and independent researchers to test its claims and run competing experiments. With its first dataset now public, Continue is preparing additional studies around cerebral flow, biological resilience and potential interventions that go beyond inversion.

Whether the Gravity Aging Hypothesis holds up under broader scrutiny remains to be seen — but the Eternal CEO’s personal bet has placed India squarely in the global longevity-science conversation.