The 3 Habits That Slow Aging, Starting Tonight
Sleep, muscle, and blood sugar are the three levers that control how fast you age. And you can start pulling them today
The Big Idea: Your genes load the gun, but your habits pull the trigger — or don’t. Endocrinologist Florence Comite has spent three decades studying why some people age fast and others don’t, and her conclusion is counterintuitive: your DNA is less a sentence than a set of tendencies you can actively override.
Why It Matters: Most people treat aging as something that happens to them. But a growing body of research in epigenetics — how lifestyle shapes gene expression — shows that the gap between your lifespan and your healthspan isn’t fixed. The inputs you control, especially sleep, blood sugar, and muscle, turn out to be among the most powerful levers available.
Try This Today: At your next meal, eat protein and fiber first, before anything else on your plate. That will slow glucose absorption, reduce cravings, and start building the habit Florence calls the single most underrated longevity tool.
These ideas come from Invincible: Defy Your Genetic Destiny to Live Better, Longer by Florence Comite MD. Florence is an endocrinologist and clinician-scientist who founded the nation’s first health center exclusively for women at Yale and has spent 30 years studying healthspan and longevity. Read on for 5 of her big ideas.
1. Don’t blame your health on your parents.
A recent study suggests that more than 50 percent of your health and lifespan are influenced by the genes you inherited. I believe it’s much higher than that. However, your genes do not have to be your destiny.
You can change the expression of your genes—how they work, or what’s known as epigenetics—through the way you live. This includes what you eat, how you sleep, physical activity levels, and how you handle stress. You are much more in control of your health than you realize.
2. They don’t teach that in med school.
While celebrating my med school graduation, my father asked, “How do I keep myself healthy for the rest of my life?” And I couldn’t answer him because they only taught me how to diagnose symptoms and treat the main complaint.
“The answer can be found by looking at the cellular level.”
Medical schools don’t teach proactive prevention. My father’s question haunted me for years until I started realizing that the answer can be found by looking at the cellular level—early clues predicting the emergence of chronic disease. That’s the time to interpret and be proactive to stop disease progression.
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3. Family history isn’t the poor man’s DNA– it tells you even more.
Your health story is a summary of all the data that can help you and your physician accurately gauge your current health status and, more importantly, predict its trajectory and point toward possible interventions to change the course you’re on. But your health story is no CliffsNotes. It must be comprehensive to connect the dots and interpret what’s going on inside you. In my practice, a health story is made up of the following:
Your medical history, lifestyle habits and environment.
Your family’s history of health conditions.
Key blood tests and data from wearables, like sleep trackers and continuous glucose monitors.
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4. If you do nothing else: track your sugars and sleep.
There was a time in my life when I was sleeping terribly, eating junk food, and totally stressed out by overwork. I was overweight, and my bloodwork indicated that I was at risk of diabetes. There I was, a precision medicine doctor, and I couldn’t put my finger on what was wrong.
But then, by using an Apple Watch, Oura Ring sleep tracker, and an Abbott continuous glucose monitor, I uncovered the hidden part of my health story: My inadequate deep sleep triggered wild swings in my glucose, which caused cravings for quick-energy carbs and unhealthy foods. These three wearables taught me which lifestyle habits were sabotaging my health, and why. You don’t need a prescription for tools like these, and they can teach you how to turn your health around.
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5. Eat, muscle-up, sleep.
Here are three simple tips that you can use right now to rewrite your health story and, in time, reverse biological aging:
Sleep like a bat. Not upside down, but in a cool, dark place. Turn the thermostat down to 65 degrees, black out your windows, set your devices aside, and stop eating at least two hours before bedtime. No nightcaps. Getting seven to eight hours of quality sleep every night is the most important habit you can adopt to keep your system (especially your brain) in peak health.
Start every meal and snack with some protein and fiber. Both are filling, digest slowly, and will minimize the impact on your sugars. You’ll crave less and consume less.
Start strength training. You need to get greedy when it comes to muscle. It’s the closest thing there is to a fountain of youth, and we lose it every year. Muscle is an organ of longevity, a repository for glucose that keeps it from spiking in your bloodstream. Resistance training with bands, weights, machines, or your own body weight is non-negotiable if you are serious about living well as you age.
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Amen!
Amazing! I should be sleeping right now!