I recently spoke with Simm Rand, author of the new book The Longevity Leap, to discuss the key factors in optimizing your health and longevity. Maintaining your “biological youth” is the most important factor in longevity, but the question is how to achieve this as you age.
Land's book is 500 pages long and has 8,000 references, making it a great resource for a deep dive into strategies to help you stay biologically young. He is a leader in the field of longevity, and a great example of someone who is implementing the programs he talks about and taking care of his biology. Land, who lives in Estonia, is 29 years old chronologically, but claims that his organs are much younger biologically: 17 years overall, and 9 years for his liver.
These estimates are based on interesting, relatively new epigenetic and biological age tests, but we don’t yet know whether the results translate into longer lifespans. I personally have little faith in the results and believe they are flawed. Land explains:One
“What does it mean if you have the liver of a 9-year-old? Does it mean you're going to live exponentially longer than other people? There's no data on that yet… I wouldn't focus too much on the test itself, I'd look at traditional biomarkers like glucose, inflammation… and other things like that.”
Historically, many mistakes have been made in longevity research, particularly when it comes to focusing on extreme calorie, carbohydrate, and protein restriction.2
“The practical consequence is that you eat very little food and you become very weak and skinny. But in the real world, we now know that being weak is a huge risk factor for premature death and mortality. And malnutrition itself increases the risk of a variety of diseases, global mortality, neurodegeneration, and heart disease.
Right now, I think the field is starting to recognize a lot more of these real, practical, functional outcomes, like strength and body composition, as well as other biomarkers that move more toward the theoretical side of biological aging.”
Optimal protein and carbohydrate intake for longevity
Rand and I agree that most adults need about 0.8 grams of protein per pound of ideal body weight (ideal body weight, not current body weight) for adequate muscle maintenance and growth, or about 1.76 grams per kilogram for Europeans.
“If you eat too much, you can have problems with your kidney health and homocysteine levels. If you eat too little, you risk sarcopenia and frailty,” Rand points out. When it comes to carbs, they also agree that low-carb diets are generally not optimal for longevity.
Rand cites studies showing that moderate carbohydrate intake is associated with the lowest risk of death. “Even with carbohydrates, we often think that eating too many carbs is bad for your health. At least in observational studies, the opposite is true. Carbohydrates at 40 to 55 percent of calories are associated with the lowest risk,” he says.three
Land argues that while low-carb diets may be beneficial for certain individuals in the short term, long-term carbohydrate restriction may impair metabolic flexibility.4
“In the short term, someone might have prediabetes or insulin resistance, and then in the short term, it might make sense for them to moderate their carbohydrate intake a little bit to try to regain insulin sensitivity. But chronic ketosis, chronic low-carb, also impairs long-term insulin sensitivity.”
In fact, adequate carbohydrate intake is essential for optimal mitochondrial function and overall health. It is the optimal fuel for mitochondria, but most people do not consume enough healthy carbohydrates. For a healthy metabolism, most adults need at least 200-250 grams of carbohydrates, and active individuals need closer to 400 grams. Chronic carbohydrate restriction can increase stress hormone production and cause muscle breakdown.
Many people experience initial health improvements with a low-carb diet, but these benefits are usually not sustainable in the long term. The short-term benefits occur because you are no longer feeding the harmful bacteria in your gut, which reduces the production of endotoxins that can harm your overall health. However, in the long term, not eating enough healthy carbs will harm your mitochondrial health.
Low-carb diets temporarily relieve symptoms by starving harmful bacteria, but they do not address the underlying mitochondrial and gut health issues. A more sustainable approach is to address the root causes: improving mitochondrial function, reducing exposure to environmental toxins, including endocrine disruptors from seed oils, plastics, and electromagnetic fields (EMFs), and supporting a healthy gut microbiome balance.
The most powerful intervention to maintain biological youth
When asked how to maintain biological youth, Land said exercise is probably the most powerful intervention.5
“Probably the most powerful thing that can be done against biological aging is moderate exercise. Just by maintaining physical activity, it targets all the characteristics of aging in a positive way. It improves every organ function, it improves the risk of every chronic disease. It targets everything that is needed to slow biological aging.”
As highlighted in groundbreaking research by Dr. James O'Keefe,6 It’s important to find the right balance, as too much exercise can be harmful. Land suggests that the best amount of time for vigorous exercise, such as resistance training, is 140 to 200 minutes per week.
Land has adjusted his routine based on this data. “I’m doing about 180 minutes, maybe 150 to 180 minutes of resistance training, three times a week… I rotate between upper body, lower body, or push-pull leg splits,” he says.7
I also reduced my resistance training to 3 days a week because of the potential risk of overtraining, but most people should exercise more, not less. Moderate intensity exercise, such as walking, is an ideal form of physical activity because it is very difficult to overtrain.
The Importance of Protein Quality and Collagen
It’s not just the amount of protein that’s important, but the quality and balance of amino acids as well. Glycine and collagen, which are often overlooked, are among the most important. “I’m going to talk about the importance of protein,” Land explains.8
“Glycine is conditionally essential, not essential, because your body makes 3 grams of glycine a day. But those 3 grams are used for things like creatine synthesis. But then you have 12 grams of glycine for collagen turnover, which is like optimal collagen turnover.”
Most people are deficient in collagen protein, consuming only 0-1g per day. Since collagen makes up about a third of the total body protein, it is important to get enough collagen from foods such as bone broth or grass-fed ground beef with connective tissue. Or, it is important to take glycine, which supports connective tissue health.
Prevalence of insulin resistance and metabolic dysfunction
The Homeostasis Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) is a test developed in 1985 and is the gold standard for measuring insulin resistance. Using HOMA-IR data, up to 99% of the U.S. population may have some degree of insulin resistance. This test is a simple way to assess metabolic health.
HOMA-IR can be determined with two simple tests: a fasting blood sugar level that you can do at home, and a fasting insulin level, which is a cheap test. Multiply the two numbers, and divide by 405 if you are in the US, or by 22 if you are in Europe, since our measurements are different from the US. If the result is less than 1, you are not insulin resistant. Less than 1% of the population is lucky enough to not have insulin resistance.
While Rand agrees that this is a useful indicator, he also emphasized the importance of looking at multiple biomarkers to assess metabolic health.
The Importance of Sunlight and Vitamin D
We also discussed the importance of sun exposure and maintaining optimal vitamin D levels. Land, who lives in high-latitude Estonia, maintains his vitamin D levels through a combination of sun exposure when possible and diet and supplements when necessary.
Sun is one of the most important factors for longevity, perhaps on par with exercise. Without sufficient sun exposure, it is almost impossible to be healthy biologically. If you live in an area where year-round sun exposure is impractical, one way to compensate is to use topical lanolin.
Applying lanolin to your skin before going out in the sun can be especially helpful if you're concerned about photoaging, as it can help increase your skin's production of vitamin D from the sun and reduce dryness, flaking, wrinkles, and cracking.
Practical recommendations for longevity
By focusing on the fundamental aspects of health, from mitochondrial function and gut health to exercise and nutritional balance, you can significantly improve your long-term health outcomes. Here are some key strategies to optimize your health and longevity, covered in the interview:
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Exercise regularly, including moderate-intensity activities such as walking and resistance training for about 150 to 180 minutes per week. |
To support metabolic health, get enough carbohydrates from whole food sources (200-400 grams per day for most adults). |
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Aim for about 0.8 grams of protein per pound of muscle mass, with about a third of that coming from collagen sources. |
Get regular sunlight to maintain optimal vitamin D levels |
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Focus on gut health through diet, lifestyle, and possible targeted interventions. |
Minimize exposure to environmental toxins, including seed oils, endocrine disruptors, and electromagnetic fields. |
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Assess your metabolic health regularly using simple tests like HOMA-IR. |
Prioritize sleep, stress management, and overall lifestyle balance |
More details can be found in Land's book, “The Longevity Leap,” which provides a comprehensive overview of these topics and more, drawing on extensive scientific references. He explains:9
“I cover a lot of specific chronic diseases. I have whole chapters on kidney disease, metabolic syndrome, heart disease, three chapters on heart disease, and actually a chapter on neurodegeneration and inflammation. I'm going to go into a lot of depth on those diseases.”
As longevity science continues to evolve, it’s clear that a proactive, comprehensive approach to health is key. Rather than finding a single magic bullet, the path to longevity appears to lie in consistent application of evidence-based health practices, regular self-monitoring, and a willingness to adapt as new information emerges.
