Longevity researchers are cautioning the public that no existing supplement or drug, including human growth hormone and resveratrol, has been clinically proven to extend human life span. While average life expectancy in the U.S. gained about six months from 2009 to 2019, healthy life expectancy paradoxically dropped during that same period. Furthermore, popular interventions can carry genuine health risks or contradict newly discovered biological facts, such as findings that blood NAD+ levels remain stable into old age.
Key points
Scientific research focuses on extending health span rather than merely increasing the ov…: Scientific research focuses on extending health span rather than merely increasing the overall number of years lived.
Popular anti-ageing supplements and compounds lack scientific proof of life extension and…: Popular anti-ageing supplements and compounds lack scientific proof of life extension and can cause physical harm.
Women live roughly five years longer than men on average but face elevated rates of late-…: Women live roughly five years longer than men on average but face elevated rates of late-life disability and chronic disease.
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Living longer and healthier is important. But don’t believe everything you hear.
People have long searched for a way to extend life, but the obsession has reached a new height in recent years. According to a 2026 report by XRC Brand Capital Fund, longevity-inspired web searches were four times as high in late 2025 as they were a year earlier. YouTube and TikTok teem with anti-ageing hacks, from supplements to peptide injections.
Yet many popular anti-ageing claims are inaccurate, if not downright dangerous. “A lot is circulating in this space that is not science-based, and it’s really important to dispel some of that,” said Dr Sofiya Milman, a professor of human longevity studies at the Institute for Aging Research at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
Here are six myths longevity researchers would like people to stop repeating.
1. THE GOAL OF LONGEVITY RESEARCH IS TO MAKE PEOPLE LIVE LONGER
Most ageing researchers don’t want to extend the life span. They want to extend the length of time people remain healthy, or what is known as “health span,” said Steven…
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