Summary of "How Not to Age"

To get access to my 27-page PDF summary of this mammoth work, click here.

Book + videos + citations. At over 600 pages with supplementary materials posted online, How Not to Age (Flatiron Books, 2023) by Dr. Michael Greger is a very deep dive into the current scientific literature on aging, with meticulous connections to nutritional research, resulting in an original and powerful set of recommendations for slowing the aging process. Dozens of short videos on Greger’s website (Nutritionfacts.org) supplement the book, and all 13,000 citations, with links to the original articles, are also there.

What’s not in my summary. There’s too much information in the book to provide summaries of all the explanations relevant biological processes, research findings, and reasons why interventions work or don’t. I focus on the bottom line—what works and what doesn’t. 

Summary can serve as a map. This summary is best used as a guide or map to the book, pointing you to sections you want to read in more depth. Note that I don’t always follow the original sequence of topics within a chapter. I’ve organized the information for ease of understanding and have sometimes grouped things differently from the order they appear in the book.

Evidence-based recommendations. All of the statements and recommendations Dr. Greger offers are backed by research studies. I don’t state that every time. Each suggestion or claim he makes is based on high quality, peer-reviewed research, and the citation or citations numbers are provided in the book and can be viewed on Nutritionfacts.org.

Purpose of the book. Dr. Greger is interested in exploring ways to decelerate the aging process, given that age is a major risk factor for many deadly conditions, including heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and dementia. He emphasizes “health span”—living in health—as well as lifespan. As he puts it, “What’s the point of living longer if you can’t enjoy it vibrantly?” He notes that genetics appears to account for only about 15-30% of how long we live. Lifestyle can significantly influence our lifespan and vitality.

To get access to my 27-page PDF summary of Dr. Greger’s book, click here.