What can you expect from a longevity clinic in the Netherlands?
A longevity clinic can offer you interesting measurements of your health markers and a good exercise programme. For most supplements and hormonal treatments, the evidence in people is still too thin to support firm promises. Always ask the clinic what evidence lies behind any treatment they offer.
Longevity clinics often measure your 'biological age' using epigenetic clocks: they look at patterns in your DNA that are linked to ageing. In large studies following many people over time, this kind of measurement predicts things like the likelihood of death and physical functioning better than your date of birth alone. But what that score means for you personally has not yet been established. Several measurement methods are also in use, and scientists have not yet agreed on which is best. The score you receive therefore depends partly on the choice the clinic has made.
The most solid offering from a longevity clinic is a good exercise programme. A combination of cardiovascular training, strength training, balance and flexibility demonstrably improves physical functioning, counteracts muscle loss and bone thinning, reduces the risk of falls and raises quality of life. This holds true even for frail older adults. How large the effect is depends on how well the programme is tailored to you. This is the best-supported intervention in longevity medicine.
For supplements and substances aimed at ageing, such as products intended to clear out worn-out cells, stem-cell therapy or 'longevity supplements', the picture is far less promising. Hundreds of substances extend the lives of laboratory animals, but studies in healthy people are rare. Whether those substances do anything in people is largely unknown.
Hormonal treatments, such as growth hormone, testosterone or thyroid hormone, are sometimes offered as a way to turn back the clock. Growth hormone in healthy older adults has no proven benefit and carries risks. For other hormones, strict medical criteria apply. When they are prescribed outside those criteria, the risks are considerable. If you have symptoms that may be hormonal in origin, discuss them with your own doctor before considering an expensive clinic treatment.
In short: a longevity clinic can give you useful insights through measurements of your health markers and can set up a good exercise programme. But for most other treatments on offer, it is wise to ask critically about the underlying evidence.
All claims are based on reviews and studies that are not individually indexed. No directly sourced studies in people with a controlled design or many studies formally combined are available. The strength of the evidence varies considerably by sub-topic: strong for exercise interventions, moderate for epigenetic clocks, insufficient or limited for most supplements and hormonal interventions.
Which health interventions have the greatest impact on living longer?
Exercise, a Mediterranean diet, adequate sleep, social contact and quitting smoking each have a measurable influence on how long you live in good health. Combining several healthy habits brings the greatest benefit.
How safe are stem cell treatments at clinics abroad?
Regulated stem cell research programmes show a reasonably safe profile across more than 1,200 patients. Commercial clinics outside that system offer no comparable guarantees in terms of quality control, follow-up, and transparency about side effects.
Does ergothioneine work as a longevity supplement?
Ergothioneine shows a positive signal in a small study of older adults with memory complaints, but it is too early for firm recommendations. Eating mushrooms is a risk-free way to obtain the compound; a supplement is worth considering only once larger studies provide greater clarity.
Do GLP-1 medications (such as Ozempic) help you age more healthily?
For people with cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, or fatty liver disease, GLP-1 medications offer proven benefits that are also relevant at older ages. As an anti-ageing intervention in healthy people, their use is not yet supported by evidence.
Does taking resveratrol make sense as an anti-ageing supplement?
Research shows that resveratrol does not activate the mechanism behind the anti-ageing theory in people. There are small indications of benefit for muscle function in people who exercise, though that evidence is thin.
Does metformin help you stay healthy for longer?
Metformin can largely prevent diabetes in people with prediabetes or metabolic syndrome, and that brings real health benefits. Whether it also slows ageing in healthy people has not yet been demonstrated.