Top longevity competitors lowered their estimated biological age scores by a combined 62 years. Here's how they stay healthy.

Aug 07, 2026 08:31 PM - 1 month ago 322

Most longevity enthusiasts are trying to slow aging, but Adam Ficsor wants to outrun it.

The package technologist and Bitcoin developer says humanity could yet scope "longevity flight velocity," wherever advances successful medicine widen patient life faster than group age.

"I americium talking astir virtually not dying," he told Business Insider for an section of its video bid "The Limit."

To that end, he founded the Longevity World Cup, a title that ranks who tin wind backmost their biologic clock the most.

The inaugural arena announced its first winners successful January, awarding astir $4,000 successful Bitcoin-funded prize money.

The scores were based connected PhenoAge, a instrumentality that estimates your biologic property utilizing your existent property (aka chronological age) and communal humor markers for illustration cholesterol, humor sugar, inflammation, and kidney function. Basically, it's a "blood test-based estimate of your consequence of dying," Daniel Belsky, an subordinate professor of epidemiology astatine Columbia University's Robert N. Butler Columbia Aging Center, told Business Insider.

Participants person astir 1 twelvemonth to execute and taxable their champion results.

First-place finisher Michael Lustgarten, PhD, lowered his estimated PhenoAge by 22.1 years. Subtracting that from his chronological property of 53 by the extremity of the title yielded an estimated biologic property of 30.9.

Researchers proceed to statement really best to measurement biologic aging, and experts be aware that scores for illustration PhenoAge are statistical estimates alternatively than nonstop measurements of really accelerated personification is aging. Moreover, it's worthy noting that ample swings successful biologic property scores complete short periods, specified arsenic weeks aliases months, tin beryllium difficult to interpret, said Belsky, who was not progressive successful the competition.

"To adjudicate these biohacking competitions is an invitation for group to hack the algorithm and make what are yet non-informative results from them," he said.

That said, Belsky added that PhenoAge tin beryllium useful for search wide improvements from healthier behaviors.

"If you're seeing changes successful PhenoAge successful consequence to improvements successful patient behaviors, amended guidance of existing wellness conditions, aliases different manner changes that amended the wide value of your environment, past I would beryllium much apt to spot what the algorithm is saying. That's what it's designed to do," Belsky said.

With that successful mind, Business Insider asked the apical 3 winners of the Longevity World Cup to locomotion america done the habits and routines down their results.

3rd-place finisher Wen Zhuang focuses connected fundamentals

Wen Zhuang powerfulness squating pinch dense weights.

Wen Zhuang allows room for immoderate elasticity successful his routine, particularly for societal occasions.  Courtesy of Wen Zhuang

For the competition, Wen Zhuang lowered his estimated Phenoage by 20.1 years. He was 20.6 years aged chronologically by the extremity of the competition, which intends his biologic property was only 0.5 years.

This doesn't mean that Zhuang and others pinch highly debased bioages are "biologically infants," Belsky said. "They're conscionable group who person different levels of immoderate of the humor analytes that are being tested for successful the algorithm."

Rather than pursuing someone else's protocol, Zhuang said that galore precocious longevity interventions often alteration from personification to person.

At first, Zhuang's regular daily doesn't look particularly extraordinary: He wakes up astatine 6:30 a.m. each day, completes a short grooming and red-light session, eats breakfast, and past strength trains aliases runs depending connected the day. He competes successful way and section arsenic a short-sprint athlete.

He besides sticks to a fare of 45% calories from fat, 27.5% from protein, and 27.5% from carbohydrates, prioritizing seafood, vegetables, and legumes pinch nary added sugar. He favors diverse, spice-rich meals packed pinch polyphenols and cooked astatine little temperatures to minimize perchance harmful compounds.

Toward the extremity of the day, he eats an early meal and reduces ray and stimulation earlier bed. While regular workout and diets rich | successful vegetables and legumes are linked to amended health, location is small grounds that immoderate different parts of Zhuang's routine, specified arsenic red-light therapy, widen quality lifespan.

Unlike immoderate longevity enthusiasts, Zhuang said he's not highly strict pinch his routine.

"When there's a societal occasion, the schedule bends, and I deliberation that's fine." He besides allows for astir 10% of his meals to beryllium social, cooking his ain meals the remainder of the time. "I'd reason that's not a discuss — social connection is 1 of the better-supported longevity variables location is."

Where his regular gets absorbing is erstwhile you look astatine the list of supplements he takes weekly. It's complete 75 different supplements, including Vitamins D, E, B2, B6, B12, zinc, iodine, manganese, folate, biotin, creatine, melatonin, arsenic good arsenic extracts including curcumin, broccoli seed, aged garlic, and ginger — to sanction a few.

"If personification sounds this and takes 1 point away, I'd want it to beryllium the sleep, training, seafood, and metabolic markers — not the pill list," he emphasized.

2nd-place finisher Zdenek Sipek relies connected consistency

The apical 3 winners of the Longevity World Cup

Business Insider

Runner-up Zdenek Sipek lowered his estimated PhenoAge by 20.6 years. He was 46.4 chronologically pinch a bioage of 25.8.

Sipek said maintaining his regular doesn't require constant motivation because subject has go portion of his personality.

"I americium very regimented and strict pinch myself, and I for illustration it successful truth that way," he said.

When asked wherever he occasionally slips, Sipek said it mightiness beryllium "a portion of chocolate," but he said small other interrupts his routine.

He besides believes longevity doesn't person to beryllium expensive. Sipek estimated that personification starting retired could walk little than $100 a period connected longevity interventions, depending connected wherever they live.

Outside of nutrition, Sipek studies Buddhism, Daoism, and Hindu texts. He said practices that beforehand bid of mind are an overlooked portion of longevity because they tin thief trim stress.

"I deliberation the bid of mind is perfectly captious for wellbeing," he said.

He besides makes his longevity protocol disposable free connected Substack because, he said, "this accusation should beryllium shared freely and amended group successful wide each astir the world."

1st-place finisher Michael Lustgarten tracks everything he can

Michael Lustgarten moving out.

Michael Lustgarten lowered his estimated PhenoAge by 22.1 years for the Longevity World Cup competition.  Courtesy of Michael Lustgarten

Lustgarten, an progressive investigation scientist, said his biggest advantage successful the title is years of collecting information connected himself.

He's been measuring his blood biomarkers alongside his regular fare and regular since 2015, pinch much than 70 humor tests complete the past decade, he told Business Insider.

He said he has up to 3,000 measurements of definite biomarkers, which gives him acold much opportunities to spot what changes impact his biologic age, for amended aliases worse. He provides his search methods connected YouTube.

His diet, for example, is 1 of the first places he starts erstwhile targeting biomarkers crossed the committee to effort to lower his biologic age.

He consumes astir 40% fat and 30% carbs. He utilized to eat much carbs and little fat, but aft search biomarkers for cardiovascular illness risk, he said that fare wasn't optimal.

Beyond diet, he intends to optimize the basics, chiefly workout and sleep. Similar to Zhuang, Lustgarten said supplements aren't the end-all be-all for maximizing health. In fact, he said he prioritizes making dietary changes complete supplemental ones.

For beginners looking to monetize their wellness optimization, Lustgarten recommends starting pinch regular humor activity alternatively of an costly supplement routine.

A modular objective chemistry and metabolic sheet tin only costs astir $35 done immoderate direct-to-consumer labs, though panels astatine hospitals tin beryllium much expensive. These panels are adjuvant successful that they supply accusation astir kidney, liver, immune, reddish humor cell-related measures, and metabolic health.

"What I urge group do and what I do is earlier each humor test, search diet, exercise, duration, sleep, HRV, each the things you tin deliberation astir search for astatine slightest a week for each test," he said. Then, aft a mates of tests, commencement looking wrong your ain information to spot what whitethorn beryllium moving the needle, he added.

This article is not a substitute for master aesculapian advice, diagnosis, aliases treatment. Always consult your qualified expert aliases healthcare provider.

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Jessica Orwig is simply a elder editor astatine Business Insider, wherever she collaborates pinch reporters, editors, and producers crossed teams to shape, write, edit, and people stories that link pinch a world audience. While her roots are successful subject and exertion journalism, her activity coming spans business, careers, culture, and the large ideas shaping the future.She earned her Master’s successful Science & Technology Journalism from Texas A&M University and holds a Bachelor’s successful Astronomy & Physics from The Ohio State University. Throughout her career, she’s helped lead sum connected everything from abstraction exploration and ambiance alteration to innovation, the early of work, and evolving taste trends.Career HighlightsLed sum connected technological milestones, including:

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Reported connected breaking news and technological discoveries, including:

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Popular stories she’s edited connected subject and health:

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Daniel is simply a shaper and big astatine Business Insider, creating videos that research the limits of anticipation successful exertion and the quality body.He is simply a 2025 News Emmy Award winner for “The True Cost of Mining Electric Car Battery Metals” and helped to launch Authorized Account, an question and reply bid that achieved BI’s highest mean watch time. His activity includes producing the most-watched video connected the Insider News transmission and processing World Wide Waste, a deed bid astir world garbage systems that generated much than 38 cardinal hours of watch time and added 500,000 caller subscribers by precocious 2024.

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