What if living a longer, healthier life has less to do with winning the genetic lottery and more to do with the choices we make?
In episode 197 of the Fit Strong Women Over 50 podcast, Chris and Maria take a closer look at cardiologist and scientist Dr. Eric Topol’s recent appearance on NPR’s TED Radio Hour, How to be a “Super Ager” (it’s not your genes.)
Dr. Topol discusses the science—and the myths—surrounding longevity and anti-aging. His central message is an important one: rather than focusing simply on lifespan, we should be paying more attention to healthspan—the years we live in good health and free from major age-related diseases.
Chris and Maria discuss some of the ideas that stood out to them, including lifestyle, sleep, exercise, nutrition, social connection, preventive medicine, vaccines, artificial intelligence, and some of the popular longevity trends that may have more hype than evidence behind them.
What Is a “Super Ager”?
Dr. Topol and his colleagues studied people over 80 who had managed to avoid major age-related diseases, including heart disease, cancer and neurodegenerative disease such as Alzheimer’s.
The research challenged the idea that exceptional longevity is primarily determined by genetics. Instead, lifestyle and preventive measures appear to play an important role in helping people maintain their health as they age.
The goal isn’t simply to live longer.
It’s to live more healthy years. Becoming a member of the “WELLderly” instead of the “ILLderly”
The Things We Can Influence
What Dr. Topol calls “Lifestyle Plus” are many of the same fundamentals that have come up repeatedly throughout the Fit Strong Women Over 50 podcast.
Sleep
Getting adequate, consistent sleep is an important part of healthy aging. Dr. Topol particularly discusses the importance of deep sleep and its relationship to brain health.
Nutrition
A healthy eating pattern remains one of the foundations of healthy aging. Chris and Maria connect this conversation to previous podcast discussions about the Mediterranean, DASH and MIND diets.
Exercise
Movement matters—and so does strength training, aerobic exercise and balance training. Resistance training is particularly important as we age because maintaining muscle and physical function can help us remain independent and active.
Short Movement Breaks
Even small periods of movement throughout the day may be beneficial. Chris and Maria talk about the idea of breaking up periods of sitting, particularly during evening television time.
Social Connection
Staying connected with other people is another important part of healthy aging. The conversation brings back memories of previous podcast guest Mary Beth Albright, author of Eat & Flourish, who discussed the relationship between eating with others and health.
Getting Outside
Spending time in nature is another simple habit that can contribute to overall well-being.
Healthspan vs. Lifespan
One of the biggest takeaways from Dr. Topol’s discussion is the distinction between lifespan and healthspan.
Living to an advanced age is wonderful—but ideally, we want those additional years to be active, independent and enjoyable.
We talked about this concept in Episode 175, “Better Choices for Better Healthspan” with Sally Duplantier.
The Role of Preventive Medicine and Technology
The conversation also moves beyond lifestyle into some fascinating developments in medicine.
Dr. Topol discusses:
- Maintaining a healthy immune system
- Treating inflammation
- Vaccines and medications that may reduce the risk of age-related disease. Especially look into the Shingles vaccine research.
- The potential role of AI in medical diagnosis
- What doctors can learn from retinal scans
- How AI-assisted analysis of mammograms may eventually help predict future health risks
The discussion highlights how quickly medical technology is changing—and how these advances could eventually allow physicians to identify risks much earlier and intervene before serious disease develops.
What About the Longevity “Hacks”?
Not everything promoted in the longevity world has the same level of evidence. Chris and Maria discuss several popular trends that Dr. Topol questions, including:
- Experimental or “stacked” peptides
- Taking large numbers of supplements
- Extremely high protein intake
- Keto diets
- Cold plunges
The bigger message is to look for evidence before spending money on the latest longevity trend.
Just because something is popular on social media doesn’t necessarily mean it has been adequately studied in humans—or that it is appropriate or safe for everyone.When it comes to supplements, medications, dietary changes or other health interventions, it’s important to discuss individual circumstances with your healthcare professional.
Links:
- Dr. Eric Topol on TED Radio Hour: The conversation that inspired this episode is “How to be a ‘Super Ager’ (it’s not your genes)” from TED Radio Hour on NPR. The episode was released May 1, 2026 and runs approximately 50 minutes. Listen to “How to be a Super Ager” on TED Radio Hour
- Dr. Eric Topol’s book, Super Agers: An Evidence-Based Approach to Longevity, takes a deeper look at the science behind healthy aging and the emerging developments that could help us extend our healthspan.
- You can follow Dr. Eric Topol on Substack.
What Does Being a “Super Ager” Mean to You?
You don’t have to chase every new longevity trend to age well.
Sleep.
Eat well.
Build and maintain muscle.
Move your body.
Work on your balance.
Stay connected.
Get outside.
Take care of your health.
And keep learning.
Those aren’t particularly flashy “biohacks”—but they’re habits that can help us build a longer healthspan, not simply a longer lifespan.
What do you think? What are you doing today to help yourself become a Super Ager?
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Note: This podcast discusses health and wellness information for educational purposes. It is not medical advice. Talk with your healthcare professional about your individual health, medications, supplements and preventive care.
