How Not to Age

July 1, 2022

Founder of NutritionFacts.org and author of the New York Times best-selling "How Not To Die" series, Greger argues that all the negatives of growing older can be countered by proper eating, e.g., quercetin-rich foods like onions, apples, and kale can wipe out the senescent (aka zombie) cells linked to infection and many age-related diseases. Lots of strategies here; with a 500,000-copy first printing.

Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2023

Author of the million-copy-selling "How Not To Die" series, Greger, a founding member and fellow of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, here seeks to show readers how to slow the effects of aging. His main focus is diet. As he explains, autophagy, the body's way of cleaning out damaged cells, can be boosted by eating tempeh, mushrooms, and wheat germ, while "zombie" cells that prompt inflammation are nicely countered by onions, apples, and kale. With a 500,000-copy first printing. Prepub Alert.

Copyright 2023 Library Journal

Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2023
The latest in the author's How Not To series. Readers who agree that anti-aging books are largely "hype and lies" may perk up to learn that Greger not only proclaims that he is a scientist, but he writes like one. The author delivers a lengthy, encyclopedic account of life-extenders that explains how they work and examines research supporting them, and he is not shy about expressing skepticism. But skeptics often have a modest readership, while enthusiasts write bestsellers; Greger clearly understands this, so he leans over backward to express enthusiasm. The author begins with a discussion of proven elements that lead to longer, healthier lives, including long-lived parents, a plant-based diet, exercise, good medical care, and the money to afford quality food and medical care. After this brief introduction, Greger focuses on an extremely wide variety of nutrients, herbs, foods, spices, new and old drugs, genetic manipulation, specific diets, attitudes, and even geographical areas that published research suggests may prolong lives. Some of the world's longest-living people include Okinawans and Seventh-day Adventists in Loma Linda, California. The U.S. as a whole is 45th in the world in life expectancy. Relentlessly optimistic, Greger includes numerous life-extenders backed by a single study, which he admits is not the strongest evidence. A long middle section on how to preserve function as you age may be the most useful, despite its lack of life-extension hype. The author's avalanche of information is genuinely educational, although an active, middle-class vegetarian probably already possesses more than 90% of what's proven to maximize their lifespan. None of Greger's revelations seems likely to lead to vast life extension, but this is a welcome addition to a genre that continues to grow in popularity. A physician tells you everything you ever wanted to know about life extension with less nonsense than usual.

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