Episode 77: Anti-ageing, part 1

Episode 77: Anti-ageing, part 1

Author: Tom Chivers and Stuart Ritchie June 24, 2025 Duration: 1:05:46

Whether it’s people giving themselves goat blood transfusions in an effort to maintain their youth, or yet another influencer telling you to buy XYZ miracle supplements, anti-ageing is big business.

In the first part of what will surely become a longer Studies Show series, Tom and Stuart look at the evidence for a few supposed “breakthrough” treatments that can slow down ageing: rapamycin, metformin, winding back the epigenetic clock, and calorie restriction.

The Studies Show is brought to you by Works in Progress magazine. This week we talked about their new article on “through running”—the deceptively simple idea of not having trains stop at the edge of town and instead running them right through the centre. It seems obvious if you live in London, but it wasn’t always this way. Check out the article for a detailed, nerdy discussion about how we can make trains—and therefore citites—better.

Show notes

* New meta-analysis on rapamycin and ageing

* Website for Bryan “n = 1” Johnson and his related health claims

* Our World In Data on life expectancy and about the reasons why it increased

* Meta-analysis on methylation and the “biological clock” as a predictor of longevity

* The STAP stem cell debacle

* 2016 study using Yamanaka factors to slow down ageing in mice

* 2023 study of the same idea on wild-type mice, showing a 109% increase in life expectancy

* 2014 Scottish study on diabetes, metformin, and life expectancy

* Critical letter noting the study’s flaws

* Failed replication from Denmark in 2022

* The NIH’s Interventions Testing Program

* Older review of calorie restriction and ageing

Credits

We’re grateful to Andrew Steele for talking to us for this episode. The Studies Show is produced by Julian Mayers at Yada Yada Productions.



This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sciencefictionspod.substack.com/subscribe

Every week, Tom Chivers and Stuart Ritchie pull apart the biggest arguments and most confusing claims making headlines. Science Fictions isn't just about celebrating breakthroughs; it's a necessary dive into the messy, contested, and often surprising realities of how science actually works. You'll hear them unpack heated debates, examine questionable studies, and explore why even solid research can sometimes lead to public confusion. This podcast serves as a guide through the noise, separating compelling evidence from overblown narratives. Each episode feels like a conversation with two deeply informed friends who aren't afraid to ask tough questions, offering clarity on topics that matter. For anyone curious about the stories behind the science headlines, this is an essential listen. Tune in for thoughtful analysis that goes beyond the press release, grounded in a genuine fascination with how we know what we know.
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