Dr Rangan Chatterjee

Anti-Aging Expert: "STOP These 3 Habits After 40+! – They Predict Early Death" | Rose Anne Kenny

This episode is sponsored by: AG1: Get 10 FREE Travel Packs and Welcome Kit worth $80 visit: https://bit.ly/43FwxQl VIVOBAREFOOT: Get 20% off your first order https://bit.ly/4eAxtvK Order MAKE CHANGE THAT LASTS. US & Canada version https://amzn.to/3RyO3SL, UK version https://amzn.to/3Kt5rUK Longevity is a hot topic these days. We’re obsessed with anti-ageing, as if getting older should be avoided or even reversed at all costs! Of course, we can’t do that and I’m not sure we’d really want to. But today’s guest brings valuable insights about what we can do, to make sure we age healthily and happily. Professor Rose Anne Kenny is a medical gerontologist and Regius Professor of Physic and Chair of Medical Gerontology at Trinity College Dublin. She’s the Founding Principal Investigator of Ireland’s largest population study of ageing (TILDA) and the author of the international bestseller Age Proof: The New Science of Living a Longer and Healthier Life. In today’s conversation, Professor Kenny reveals that while 20 percent of ageing is genetic and can’t be changed, 80 percent is epigenetic – in other words, we have the power to influence how quickly or how slowly we age. #feelbetterlivemore #feelbetterlivemorepodcast ----- Follow Dr Chatterjee at: Website: https://drchatterjee.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drchatterjee Twitter: https://twitter.com/drchatterjeeuk Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drchatterjee/ Newsletter: https://drchatterjee.com/subscription DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.

Dr. Rangan ChatterjeehostRose Anne Kennyguest

Jul 29, 20252h 8mWatch on YouTube ↗

WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT

Lifestyle, relationships, and mindset reshape biological aging after forty

Kenny argues that genes account for roughly 20% of aging, while modifiable epigenetic influences—diet, exercise, relationships, stress, and sleep—drive much of the remaining 80%.
Using the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA), she explains how long-term tracking reveals early risk patterns (eg, metabolic syndrome) that predict later outcomes like stroke, and why earlier lifestyle course-correction matters.
She emphasizes social connection as a top longevity lever, citing Roseto and Blue Zone patterns where community, intergenerational contact, and volunteering correlate with better mental health, less disability, and longer healthy life.
The conversation reframes “anti-aging” away from living to extreme ages toward maintaining independence and quality of life, noting TILDA findings that average quality of life rises into the late 70s before physical ill-health drives decline.
Practical steps include monitoring accessible biomarkers (blood pressure seated/standing, lipids, HbA1c), building more movement and strength into daily life, improving sleep via light/dark cues and routines, and cultivating attitudes like optimism, gratitude, and purpose.

IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING

5 ideas

Treat aging as largely modifiable, not genetically predetermined.

Kenny frames aging as ~20% genetic and ~80% driven by epigenetic/environmental factors, meaning day-to-day behaviors can measurably shift biological aging trajectories.

Prioritize friendship as a core health intervention, not a “nice-to-have.”

She places friendship first (ahead of diet/exercise) and links social connection to better day-to-day wellbeing and, via studies like Roseto/Blue Zones, to lower disease risk despite imperfect diets.

Know three accessible biomarkers yearly after 40: BP, lipids, HbA1c.

She recommends tracking seated and standing blood pressure, a full lipid profile (not just total cholesterol), and HbA1c to catch early metabolic drift while it’s reversible.

Don’t wait for diagnostic thresholds—act when you’re near them.

Population cutoffs are designed for systems, not individuals; she would advise lifestyle changes even at “normal-high” HbA1c (eg 5.8–5.9) because TILDA shows progression can occur within 2–3 years.

Build movement into life; after 50, aim to do more each year.

Rather than “slowing down,” she advocates increasing enjoyable movement annually and embedding it into daily routines (stairs, walking to shops, cycling to work) like Blue Zone patterns.

WORDS WORTH SAVING

5 quotes

Genes only contribute to 20% of the aging process. 80% is within our control, so that's fantastic.

— Rose Anne Kenny

My advice would be do a little bit more every year. I definitely mean that applies to exercise.

— Rose Anne Kenny

Quality of life continued to improve year on year until late 70s... and it was only at age 84 that your quality of life was the same at 50.

— Rose Anne Kenny

The secret of longevity in Rosetta was Rosetta itself.

— Rose Anne Kenny

People who saw themselves as 20 years younger than their age... actually were physically fitter and mentally, cognitively better, independent of all of the other factors we were able to adjust for 10 years hence.

— Rose Anne Kenny

TILDA longitudinal design and what it can predictGenes vs epigenetics and biological aging clocksMetabolic syndrome prevalence and early interventionFriendship, community, and the Roseto effectBlue Zones: diet patterns, built-in movement, social structureSocioeconomic inequality, stress, and accelerated agingSleep chronotypes, light exposure, and phone/blue-light effectsSarcopenia, frailty, strength training without a gymAttitudes to aging, ageism, and COVID-era isolationSex, intimacy, and health signals (ED, vaginal dryness)Purpose, volunteering, laughter therapy and outcomes

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