Decoding Longevity with Dr. Eric Verdin of the Buck Institute

What if aging isn't something that simply happens to us, but something we can actually influence? Dr. Poynor is joined by Dr. Eric Verdin - the President and CEO of the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, the world's first institution dedicated solely to understanding why we age and how to do it better.

We break down the science behind why we age, the role of NAD in cellular energy and repair, how inflammation quietly accelerates decline, and what metabolism has to do with how long and how well we live.

Dr. Verdin also walks us through what the latest research says about what we can actually do today—from how we eat and exercise, to the emerging interventions that may one day change the trajectory of aging altogether. He also shares which interventions he’s tried himself and what he’s chosen to skip altogether.

Links to resources mentioned in this episode:

Although epigenetics has been studied for decades, a major breakthrough came in 2013, when geneticist Steve Horvath, PhD, developed the first widely applicable epigenetic clock—a DNA methylation-based biomarker that estimates biological age across multiple human tissues. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/gb-2013-14-10-r115

A landmark 2026 Science study found that human lifespan heritability is roughly 50%, more than double earlier estimates — once researchers separated deaths from external causes (accidents, infections) from deaths driven by intrinsic aging biology. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adz1187

Senescent cells promote tissue NAD+ decline during ageing via the activation of CD38+ macrophages: https://www.nature.com/articles/s42255-020-00328-w

CD38 inhibitor 78c increases mice lifespan and healthspan in a model of chronological aging: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35263032/

CD38 Inhibition Ameliorates Age-Related CognitiveDecline via a Choroid Plexus-Cerebrospinal Fluid-Hippocampus Axis: (This refers to preclinical (meaning animal model) research that was published as a pre-print and has not yet been peer reviewed.) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41542058/

Healthy aging and muscle function are positively associated with NAD+ abundance in humans: https://www.nature.com/articles/s43587-022-00174-3

Pilot Study Evaluates Weekly Pill to Slow Ovarian Aging, Delay Menopause: https://www.nyp.org/advances/article/womens-health/pilot-study-evaluates-weekly-pill-to-slow-ovarian-aging-delay-menopause

Dr. Yousin Suh at the Department of Genetics and Development at Columbia University - you can read more about Dr. Suh’s work here: https://www.crs.northwestern.edu/about/news/2025/nbs-2025.html

Ageing in Drosophila: The role of the insulin/Igf and TOR signalling network: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3087113/

NIA Interventions Testing Program: Investigating Putative Aging Intervention Agents in a Genetically Heterogeneous Mouse Model: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5514387/

Publications from the NIA Interventions Testing Program: https://www.nia.nih.gov/research/dab/interventions-testing-program-itp/publications

The use of semaglutide medicines and risk of non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION): https://www.who.int/news/item/27-06-2025-27-06-2025-semaglutide-medicines-naion

Dr. Eric Verdin LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-verdin-490212

Dr. Eric Verdin on Substack: https://substack.com/@verdinlabbuck

Dr. Eric Verdin on Instagram: @ericverdinmd

Dr. Elizabeth Poynor substack: https://poynorhealth.substack.com/

Dr. Elizabeth Poynor on Instagram: @poynorhealth

Atria Health Library: content.atria.org

Note: In this show, we use “women” as shorthand for people with XX chromosomes. We understand sex and gender are more complex, and acknowledge the experiences we describe reach beyond that word.

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