Harvard scientist reveals 4 simple practices that helped reverse his biological age by a decade

David Sinclair, 54, says he has cut down his biological age by a decade

David Sinclair’s age on paper might be 54, but he doesn’t feel a day over 44. The Harvard genetics professor claims he has managed to reverse his biological age by a decade with a consistent regime of good diet and exercise. Sinclair is among a small number of people who are today experimenting with age reversal and delayed ageing, but unlike many others of his ilk, he doesn’t believe in following a draconian routine. In fact, Sinclair usually sleeps for only six hours a day (as against the recommended seven to eight hours) and doesn’t exercise daily.

In a recent interview with GQ, he broke down his diet and the healthy habits that helped cut his biological age by a decade. “I’ve been getting younger every year for the past ten years, so I’m currently ten years younger,” he said.

Sinclair, a professor in Harvard’s Department of Genetics, said he did not follow a particularly healthy lifestyle in his 20s, but it’s never too late to start. “I think a lot of us think that when you’re in your 20s, you’re impervious to aging and illness, and what we now know is that the epigenetic clock starts ticking from birth and that what we do in our 20s does affect our ultimate longevity,” he told GQ.

“The good news is that it’s also never too late to start, and you slow the aging clock at any age. We’re even finding ways to reverse aspects of aging. I started working on my age in my early 30s,” he added.

Here are some things that have helped David Sinclair cut his biological age by 10 years:

Intermittent fasting

Sinclair usually skips breakfast and avoids sugar. “I think three meals a day plus snacks is too much. It puts the body in a state of abundance, which turns off our longevity genes,” he explained.

Intermittent fasting is a diet plan where followers consume calories only during certain hours of the day. For Sinclair, the window is about eight hours.

“The one that I try to go for is 16 to 18 hours without eating a large meal. That’s basically having a very late lunch or large dinner,” he said.

Taking resveratrol

This longevity expert swears by resveratrol -- part of a group of compounds called polyphenols that are believed to act like antioxidants. Resveratrol is produced by plant sources like berries, peanuts, apples, plums etc – but Sinclair takes it as a supplement with yogurt every morning.

“The one I’ve talked about a lot is resveratrol. Now, it’s just a couple of mouthfuls of yogurt so it’s not going to break my fast and it’s not considered breakfast by any means. But it is how I get all my polyphenols in and they dissolve—I’ve been doing that for about 15 years,” he told GQ.

Along with yogurt and resveratrol, he has matcha green tea which, he says, is “full of healthy polyphenols like ECGC catechins—and that's a cancer-preventative.”

Plant-based diet

Sinclair says switching to a vegan diet made a huge difference to his blood biomarkers and epigenetic age. “I rarely, rarely eat anything other than plant-based and nut-based foods, including milk. I’m off dairy and I’m off alcohol as well,” he revealed.

“In just a matter of months, I was able to further reduce my biological age by eating better,” he added.

Working out

Sinclair admits this is one area where he would like to do better. Before the pandemic, he was doing a lot of gym exercise like weights and running on the treadmill. “After that, I’ve fallen a bit off the wagon. I don’t exercise every day. I have weights at home in my bedroom and a gym in my bedroom that I use,” he said.

The 54-year-old aims to lift weights three times a week. “And if I don’t go for a run, I go for a walk. I would say that’s my biggest challenge right now is to get moving,” he revealed.

Even so, Sinclair has found ways to keep moving throughout the day. For example, he uses a standing desk at home and at work. “I do my best not to sit down throughout the day. I will continuously drink water and hot tea throughout the day until dinner,” he said.