Welcome to the latest issue of The Longevity Newsletter, bringing you this week’s longevity breakthroughs.

Today, we have news on the role of hearing aids’ in longevity… Bryan Johnson’s new subscription offer… and a top longevity researcher’s latest predictions. Let’s dig in.

LONGEVITY LIFESTYLE DEPT.

Hearing aids extend longevity for those with hearing loss

What's the news: Hearing aids are tied to longer longevity among those with hearing loss.

Why should we believe it: This news is based on a new study published this week by scientists at USC and Johns Hopkins. The study looked at a population of 9,885 adults, average age 49. The scientists tracked these subjects over the course of 10 years. Results:

• Hearing loss was present in 14.7% of study participants

• Hearing loss was an independent risk factor of death (40% increase) in the study population

• Regular use of hearing aids was linked to a 24% lower risk of death among those with hearing loss

• Occasional use of hearing aids was statistically no better than no use

Why this is a big deal: We already have lots of evidence that hearing loss is linked to dementia, and that hearing aids reduce the risk of dementia if you have hearing loss.

The current study gives us an even stronger statement: Hearing loss is linked to death, and hearing aids are linked to life. And yet, according to the current study, only 12.7% of adults with hearing loss use hearing aids regularly.

So what specifically can you do now: Get your hearing checked. And if your hearing is going, get a hearing aid. There are amazing new hearing aid technologies, they are perfectly discreet and socially acceptable now that everyone is wearing headphones anyhow, and they could literally save your life.

DEPT. OF SELF-EXPERIMENTATION

Bryan Johnson looking to expand Blueprint to 2,500 longevity seekers

What's the news: You can now participate directly in Bryan Johnson's Blueprint self-experiment — for a price.

Why should we believe it: This news was announced yesterday via Johnson's website and social media channels. As you might know, Johnson is a Silicon Valley multimillionaire who has become a longevity celebrity thanks to the Blueprint, his $2M/year longevity regimen.

Johnson has been 100% open about the longevity interventions he is practicing, and lots of people have tried following along. Now, Johnson seems to be creating a kind of paid service out of his Blueprint project to help others participate. The service kicks off next week for 2,500 initial participants.

What's included: As a first step, this program/experiment includes 400 calories’ worth of food that Johnson & Co will ship to you, and which he says compete for the "most nutritious food program" in history. What’s included is a drink mix, eight supplements, and two of Johnson’s dietary staples, extra virgin olive oil and nutty pudding. The price per month is $333.

Why this is a big deal: Rather than framing this as a for-profit business, Johnson is framing it as a joint experiment that will take the Blueprint from 1 subject to 2,500 subjects. Participants are encouraged to get various health markers measured, in an effort to show that eating these Blueprint foods and supplements is making real improvements in health and reductions in the speed of biological aging.

Whether this whole thing will be scientifically meaningful is to be seen. But Johnson has been very good at raising interest in longevity over the past year, and there's no doubt in my mind that this new project will result in still more mainstream media headlines about Johnson, his project, and the topic of longevity in general.

So what specifically can you do now: You can get informed more about Johnson's blueprint self-experiment study, and decide if you might even want to join. You can do so at this page. The self-experiment will start the week of Jan 15, so if you're interested, I suggest you check it out now.

IRREVOCABLY PERSONAL DEPT.

Pura Muñoz Cánoves, longevity researcher at Altos Labs

Who we're talking about: Pura Muñoz Cánoves, a Spanish longevity research working on mechanisms of muscle regeneration. Muñoz was a professor at the Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona until last March, when she was recruited to work at Altos Labs, the secretive $3-billion longevity startup funded by the likes of Jeff Bezos and Yuri Milner.

Why this is a big deal: Altos has brought together some of the biggest names in longevity research, including Nobel-prize winner Shinya Yamanaka and Steve Horvath, the inventor of the aging clock.

As a result, Altos is doing some of the most advanced and exciting rejuvenation work today. Last year, Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte, a director at the Altos Labs institute in San Diego, gave a talk in Boston about this work that had such attendance that police had to be called to clear the room.

And the news is: Two weeks ago, Muñoz was profiled and interviewed in El País. She talked about her own research, and gave a peek at the work being done inside Altos. A few interesting quotes:

• "The proof of concept is there: it is possible to go back in time a little. And that proof of concept gives you hope of figuring out how to do it safely."

• "It will not be very complicated for those already born to live to 100 years, or more than 100 for those born now."

• "Rejuvenating and turning back the clock is something very revolutionary that is not going to happen tomorrow, but I think that the accumulation of advances is going to generate synergies that will make us go faster than we think now."

What's next? Altos Labs' approach is not to fix stuff in the body that's aged and become worn out, but rather to reset the entire human body to a younger state. This has already been done in mice, and is currently being tested in monkeys.

Like Muñoz says, such rejuvenation won't come to humans tomorrow, but it might come faster than you might think. If you're curious about this future, the El País interview with Muñoz is worth a read.

AROUND THE WEB

How to transcend a midlife crisis (free download)

Bryan Johnson's anti-aging skincare routine

Lifespan extension is possible and these drugs prove it

What should you eat for longevity? (interview with Walter Willet)

5 keys to building muscle mass & strength after 50

DEPT. OF LONGEVITY RECORDS

World’s oldest wild bird makes a new landing

Wisdom is a wild female Laysan albatross. She was first tagged in 1956, when she was estimated to be 5 years old. Scientists have tracked her ever since, and have had to replace her tag six times to accommodate her unusual longevity. She's believed to be 72 years old today.

Wisdom is the oldest confirmed wild bird in the world. She is estimated to have flown over 4.8 million kilometers in her long life. She has raised at least 30 chicks, the latest in 2021.

Wisdom's longevity is all the more impressive considering that most members of her species live around 50 years on average. And yet, she's still alive, flying, and was reported to have landed last month in Midway Atoll in the Pacific.

Point being, life expectancy statistics don't always apply — to birds, and to humans as well.

I’ll leave you with that thought for this week. As always, thanks for reading. If you enjoyed this issue, consider forwarding it with someone who would find it interesting as well. I'll be back in your inbox next Thursday, with more practical, inspiring, and fun news based on the latest in longevity science.

- The Longevity Hound