The Allure of Eternal Youth: A Journey Through Longevity Movements

Having visited the Fountain of Youth multiple times in my childhood, I have fond memories of St. Augustine, the oldest European-founded city in North America established in 1565. This charming city boasts various attractions primarily aimed at families, including the Old Jail, Potter’s Wax Museum, and the impressive Castillo de San Marcos. While the former attractions may have faded over time, the Fountain of Youth endures, backed by archaeological research and personal anecdotes. For one, I’m still here and, thankfully, feel quite youthful most days.

In modern times, the quest for the Fountain of Youth has evolved into what is now referred to as the Longevity Movement. A notable figure in this trend is tech entrepreneur Bryan Johnson, who has transformed his substantial financial investments in self-preservation into a public persona and business venture (see the Business Insider feature and Netflix trailer; though I haven’t watched it, so I can’t speak to its quality).

Major healthcare institutions are also getting involved. Notable examples include Northwestern Medicine, Weill Cornell, and the Mayo Clinic, as detailed in an insightful piece by Sarah Todd in STAT News, Can you live longer for $5,500? Longevity Clinics are the buzzy new trend at nonprofit hospitals:

In a unique fitness assessment, I found myself jogging vigorously on a steep treadmill, donning a mask reminiscent of the “Batman” villain Bane. The tunes of Prince played from an iPad speaker, motivating me with lighthearted flattery. Periodically, a woman beside me would request my input on a color-coded exertion chart ranging from 1 (easy breezy) to 10 (nearly collapsing). The aim was to reach the elusive 10. Admittedly, pushing beyond my comfort zone doesn’t come naturally to me. However, I persevered.

This was the VO2 Max test, the most precise measure of cardiorespiratory fitness that indicates how efficiently the body utilizes oxygen. It concluded a series of evaluations I had undergone at a modern longevity clinic affiliated with Northwestern University, part of a $5,500 annual package.

Launched in July 2025, the Northwestern clinic was followed by Weill Cornell and the Mayo Clinic. Weill Cornell offers two tiers for their longevity programs at $12,000 and $7,500, while the original Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, takes what it can from insurance, resulting in variable out-of-pocket costs. Conversely, their Jacksonville location offers a longevity program at an eye-watering $45,000 annually.

The attraction of these clinics is often compared to the legendary establishments in Switzerland and other exotic locales that promise wellness. As noted by the author:

These clinics provide a unique offering within the U.S. healthcare landscape: compassionate, unrushed consultations with healthcare professionals who impart personalized advice on navigating the challenges of exercising, eating well, prioritizing sleep, and undertaking other essential self-care practices.

Who wouldn’t desire this? As a standard in healthcare, such tailored attention should be commonplace, even without the leisurely pace. This too is echoed in functional medicine, where clients receive extended consultations in comfy environments, addressing what hinders them from achieving their potential. Simply put, functional medicine that works is just good medicine.

In addition to the VO2 test, Ms. Todd underwent several assessments that aimed to reveal her biological age, allowing her to compare it to her chronological age. While the validity of biological age remains debatable, the tests included a DEXA scan for visceral fat, muscle mass, and bone density, alongside an electrocardiogram for heart evaluation. Aortic and femoral artery pulses were also measured to assess arterial stiffness. Parts of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment were included to check for early dementia signs, along with an olfactory test to see if she was aging prematurely. Throughout this somewhat pleasant experience, her comfort was prioritized as she was a paying customer. However, ideally, every patient should receive equally high standards of care, whether they are paying or not.

Yet, several questions linger. Is all of this truly necessary? Does this approach genuinely reflect biological age? Do clients – not patients – gain any significant advantages? Or are these clinics ahead of established scientific reasoning? At Mayo-Jacksonville, head physician Pamila Brar characterized the clinic’s method as “more open to being evidence-informed rather than evidence-based” compared to its Mayo Rochester counterpart. This raises a critical question: when using “evidence-informed,” is it time to seek alternatives? Knowing colleagues from the Mayo Clinic, this shift feels quite disappointing. Dr. Brar, without a doubt, is an excellent internist, but inspecting the article more closely reveals:

Pamila K. Brar, M.D., is the medical director of the Longevity Program at Mayo Clinic in Florida’s pioneering new Longevity Center. In her role, she will outline and oversee a strategic vision for a best-in-class longevity practice while managing clinical care for patients. She plans to collaborate with subspecialty thought leaders at Mayo Clinic to enhance the program. Moreover, her responsibilities include informing key stakeholders about longevity medicine and contributing to an evidence-informed education and research initiative.

Before joining Mayo Clinic in February 2025, Dr. Brar was a senior physician at Human Longevity (HLI) in San Diego, California, where she was present since its establishment in 2015. As its founding medical director, she helped craft a precision preventive health platform and its transition into a membership model for longevity practice, while also acting as the leading researcher for the protocols. [3] During her tenure at HLI, she was also the chief medical officer at the innovative J. Craig Venter Institute in La Jolla. In addition to her clinical duties at HLI, she focused on building external relationships with corporations and business partners, serving as a spokesperson for the platform.

Prior to her time at HLI, Dr. Brar operated a solo concierge medicine practice in La Jolla (where the average home value is around $2.4M) and chaired the American Academy of Private Physicians (Facebook link). Her earlier research was dedicated to precision prevention (See Note 3). It was indeed her passion for science, innovation, and the business of empowering patients that led her to the field of precision medicine longevity. (My selected keywords are in bold font)

As Sarah Todd articulates in her article, the emergence of Longevitism is a significant shift for these esteemed medical institutions. No rational person would dispute the value of medical tests, provided there is a genuine justification for them. But:

Medical experts express concern that incidental findings arise in 15%-30% of all diagnostic imaging, including masses, aneurysms, and various abnormalities that do not relate to the original scan purpose. This scenario can lead individuals to pursue costly, invasive procedures that don’t necessarily enhance lifespan, cautioned Matthew Davenport, a radiologist at Michigan Medicine who co-authored a viewpoint published in JAMA this spring criticizing such practices.

“Merely diagnosing something does not equate to improving a person’s life,” stated Davenport. While early detection is critical for specific cancers, such as breast and colon cancer, there’s ongoing debate surrounding screenings for other conditions, like early-stage prostate cancer, where early detection may not contribute to a longer life.

Similar concerns extend to early-cancer detection blood tests offered at Weill Cornell and Mayo Clinic, as noted by Davenport. For instance, Grail, a diagnostics firm, markets a blood test for $1,000, yet critics worry about the potential for unnecessary and expensive biopsies alongside the possibility that the tests may overlook certain cancers, giving patients a misleading sense of security.

So, why are these hospitals investing in longevity initiatives?

According to Vikas Saini, a cardiologist and president of the Lown Institute, a think tank focused on healthcare, the move to offer whole-body MRIs illustrates how the standards for evidence-based medicine can erode, even at reputable institutions. “You may think you’ll use discretion,” he commented, “but the gravitational forces of trends, culture, headlines, and profit can cloud judgment.”

This indeed leads to distorted logic. However, such thinking aligns with the broader societal trend that commodifies medicine, particularly seen in the growth of Longevitism:

Driven by increasing public fascination with longevity, the industry — valued at $5.3 trillion (UBS, 28 March 2025) in annual sales in 2023 — is predicted to soar to $8 trillion in global annual sales (UBS, 5 September 2025), making cash-pay longevity clinics an appealing option for hospitals.

Indeed, it’s potentially quite profitable. To paraphrase Senator Everett Dirkson (1896-1969), who reportedly said “A trillion here, a trillion there, and soon you’re talking serious money,” this notion accurately reflects the current climate.

Nonetheless, inasmuch as this obsession with Longevitism brings forth any merit, it highlights the fundamental realization that preventive medicine is paramount—focused on helping patients avert issues before they manifest. Yet, its success hinges on a society that genuinely values a healthy population, something we are still striving to achieve. This ultimately translates to a political rather than a medical challenge. Wealthier individuals tend to outlive their less affluent counterparts by an average of 8-10 years. Genuine progress will only materialize when even large retailers like Walmart operate walk-in Longevity Clinics that are covered by universal healthcare, offering no-cost access at the point of delivery.

Moreover, this fervor for longevity does not immune individuals from unexpected health setbacks. For example, Bryan Johnson, in spite of his extensive biohacking efforts, recently disclosed a diagnosis of autoimmune gastritis, a condition that deteriorates stomach lining, having no definitive cause or effective treatment. This situation heightens his risk of vitamin B12 deficiency and stomach cancer. Contrary to his claims, this unfortunate episode is unlikely a result of his past junk food consumption. We can only hope that he leverages his wealth and passion to seek solutions for himself and others facing similar challenges.

At present, the science underpinning longevity lacks the solidity of true evidence, comparable perhaps to concepts like polywater. Meanwhile, let us remember to prioritize healthy eating, adequate sleep, and consistent physical activity, much like my grandmother (1910-1996) always advised. That remains the most reliable route to a fulfilling, long life. In closing, may you, dear reader, savor each day of existence, embracing life as it comes instead of fretting over its inevitable conclusion, a truth as constant as human nature itself.

Notes

[1] The most unconventional aspect of Longevitism I’ve encountered thus far is discussed in a conversation regarding The Future Loves You: How and Why We Should Abolish Death by Ariel Zeleznikow-Johnston. The idea of abolishing death is as plausible as eradicating human folly.

[2] This discussion serves to lay the foundation for a broader exploration of the science and philosophy behind aging in our contemporary world.

[3] Pamila K. Brar has one published entry in PubMed from 2026, available online prior to its publication: Biological markers of aging across the menopause transition: current evidence. She is the ninth of ten authors, and the conflict-of-interest statement deserves scrutiny. That biological markers of aging linked to menopause exist is somewhat expected, while her limited previous citations suggest that results from the research protocol at HLI mentioned in her Mayo biography have likely yet to publish.