Research into the science of why we age and what can actually be done about it — verified against PubMed, trimmed of hype.
FINDINGS.md — What we know so far. The short version with evidence ratings.
PREVENTING_AGING_RESEARCH.md — The full research document (~3,200+ lines, 37 sections, all citations). Sections 24–37 added March 2026 covering: nootropics, peptides, stem cells, gene therapy, senolytic vaccines, telomere biology, NIA ITP comprehensive review, thymic rejuvenation, ECM/AGEs, Urolithin A, circadian rhythms, sex differences, social determinants, glymphatic system, IGF-1/FOXO pathway, anti-inflammaging drug pipeline, methionine restriction, and international perspectives.
REGULATORY_AND_ETHICS.md — Why the evidence looks the way it does. FDA classification, supplement loopholes, stem cell crackdowns, international comparison, and the structural thesis.
data/evidence-tracker.csv — Structured evidence ratings for 78 interventions (machine-readable). Updated March 2026.
A living document tracking the state of longevity science, focused on preventing aging mechanisms — not immortality fantasy, but real molecular biology verified against published literature.
Every major claim has been checked against live PubMed data (meta-analyses, RCTs, systematic reviews). Claims are rated:
- HIGH — replicated human RCT data, or definitive animal data from NIA ITP
- MODERATE — strong animal data + early human trials with positive signals
- LOW — single studies, unreplicated, or human trials that missed primary endpoints
- DEBUNKED — contradicted by subsequent evidence
After systematic verification: almost no anti-aging drug has met a primary endpoint in a human trial. Exercise, sleep, and caloric moderation remain the only interventions with strong human evidence for slowing biological aging. The most exciting preclinical findings (IL-11 inhibition, rapamycin, senolytics, epigenetic reprogramming) have either failed to translate or haven't been tested in humans yet.
The science is real. The translation gap is wide. The supplement industry has outpaced the evidence. And much of this is because the regulatory system isn't designed to test whether we can slow aging — see REGULATORY_AND_ETHICS.md for why.
Verified March 2026 against: PubMed, NIA Interventions Testing Program, ClinicalTrials.gov
Key journals: Nature, Nature Aging, Cell, Science, GeroScience, Aging Cell, JAMA Network Open, Lancet Healthy Longevity