Dr. Tony Wyss-Coray: Professor of neurology at Stanford School of Medicine and a pioneer in aging science. He helped show that factors in young blood can rejuvenate old tissue, and co-founded companies (Alkahest, Vera Biosciences) developing blood-based aging diagnostics and therapies.
What this episode covers
Huberman and Wyss-Coray dig into the real science of organ rejuvenation, starting with parabiosis experiments showing young blood can restore memory, stem cells, and reduce inflammation in old animals. They discuss how aging is non-linear, hitting accelerated 'waves' around 35 and 60, and how different organs (and even individual cell types) age at different rates that can be measured via blood proteins. The conversation covers the tension between vitality and longevity (growth hormone/IGF-1), why most touted supplements lack human lifespan evidence, and the proven power of exercise, sleep, sunlight, and social connection. Wyss-Coray repeatedly stresses rigor and caution, warning against unregulated stem cell clinics and over-hyped interventions, while previewing new work mapping the aging of 40 cell types and building a human proteome atlas of genetic diseases.
The guest's own work
Protocols: An Operating Manual for the Human Body
Andrew Huberman
“I have a new book coming out. It's my very first book. It's entitled Protocols: An Operating Manual for the Human Body.”— Andrew Huberman
Also referenced (named, not recommended)
Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain
John Ratey
“There's this idea that was at least to me first put forth in a book called Spark. Do you know John Ratey's book?”— Andrew Huberman
Why We Sleep
Matthew Walker
“we can really truly thank the great Matt Walker for this, um who wrote Why We Sleep.”— Andrew Huberman
NMN (nicotinamide mononucleotide) powder
various
“I confess I take NMN um powder. I don't get paid to say this... it seems to have a pro-energy effect that I like.”— Andrew Huberman
Tru Niagen (nicotinamide riboside)
ChromaDex
“Others have talked about NR. There's, you know, Tru Niagen.”— Andrew Huberman
Garmin (fitness watch)
Garmin
“I measure my steps. I have a a Garmin. I find it useful. I find also the sleep measurements really useful.”— Tony Wyss-Coray
Big reveals from this episode
- Young blood given to old mice reactivated brain stem cells, reduced inflammation, and improved memory function.
- A blinded placebo-controlled trial of plasma exchange (albumin infusion) in 500 Alzheimer's patients showed clear significant benefits.
- Wyss-Coray states flatly there is no human intervention proven to extend lifespan except exercise and diet.
- Argues humans evolved a natural lifespan of only ~30-40 years; living to 80+ is thanks to hygiene and medicine, not biology.
- Blood from exercised young mice rejuvenated other mice's brains more than ordinary young blood did.
- Warns of a doctor friend left paralyzed by an egg-sized infection after a stem cell injection at a Mexico clinic.
- Previews unpublished work assigning protein ages to 40 cell types, finding extremely 'old' muscle cells predict ALS risk.
Worth remembering
- Measuring ~3,000 blood proteins in thousands of people lets researchers guess a person's age from a single sample.
- Companies can now measure up to 11,000 proteins in a single drop of blood (and it's not Theranos).
- An 'age gap' between your real age and your organ's estimated age strongly predicts future disease in that organ.
- Larger dogs live shorter lives than small dogs largely because of higher IGF-1 dosing.
- An exercise-triggered liver protein called clusterin (apolipoprotein J) appears to make the brain function better.
- Cuts inside the bacteria-filled mouth tend to heal with little or no scar, hinting at a pro-healing factor in saliva.
- Sprinters, pole vaulters, and gymnasts gain roughly 5-8 extra years of life versus age-matched peers.
- A lactate-conjugated amino acid (Lac-Phe) spikes during intense muscle bursts and has its own beneficial receptor.
- The Swiss reportedly have the world's highest caffeine intake, alongside heavy chocolate and cheese consumption.
- An 80,000+ subject UK study found bright days and dark nights reduce susceptibility to every mental health condition.