20 Tips I’m Stealing from the World’s Buzziest Health Summit
Of all the latest longevity studies, trends, and technology, here’s really works.
I love to nerd out on health-science, so I was lucky to attend this year’s Eudemonia Summit, a global gathering about how to live longer and better.
On one hand, the Eudemonia Summit delivered everything you’d expect from a longevity conference—more gut-health booths than coffee stands and gadgets that promised to melt stress for the low, low price of two mortgage payments.
On the other hand, behind the hype was a surprisingly consistent message: Living longer still comes down to what you do every day, not what you can buy. After listening to dozens of speakers talk about emerging longevity and wellness science, I came home with a short list of longevity habits that actually matter.
1. Test, Don’t Guess
Most health advice is one-size-fits-all, even though our bodies aren’t. Age, genetics, stress, sleep, diet, and past health all influence how your system performs—and universal guidelines can’t capture that variability. Regular testing is the only way to see your unique patterns and intervene early.
“Testing is what allows us to understand not the disease that a person has but who is the person who has the disease, i.e. personalized medicine,” said neurologist David Perlmutter, M.D.
According to Kayla Barnes-Lentz, a longevity expert and the “most measured woman on the planet,” regular biomarker testing has helped her age backwards by 11 years. Testing her micronutrients quarterly led her to switch to a Mediterranean-style diet dictated by her data.
And since our biology is constantly changing—our immune system, for example, reprograms itself every four months based on how we live, what we eat, and how we think, according to biochemist Jeffrey Bland, Ph.D., founder of the Institute for Functional Medicine, testing needs to be ongoing.
Quarterly labs are enough to reveal whether your routine is supporting or stressing your system. Track metabolic health (glucose, insulin, lipids), inflammation markers, key micronutrients, and hormones. Use patterns—not one-off spikes—to decide whether you need more protein, different training loads, or adjustments to sleep, stress, or supplements.
2. Prioritize Fighting Inflammation
Research often focuses on specific organs or systems, but there’s a dynamic involved in all of them that health experts wish we’d focus on: inflammation.
“If you look at every chronic condition on the list—cardiovascular disease, dementia, diabetes—inflammation is somewhere along the way,” said Carl Seger, M.D., emergency physician and precision medicine expert. “Anything that quiets it—training, diet, medication used wisely—is worth a look.”
Seger said an emerging weapon in the inflammation arsenal may be GLP-1 medications, best known for managing diabetes and weight loss. Multiple meta‑analyses of randomized trials suggest that GLP-1s produce clinically significant reductions in systemic inflammation, as shown through decreased biomarkers (CRP, IL‑6, and TNF), independent of glycemic change.1
If GLP-1 medications aren’t right for you (and even if they are), try these evidence-backed ways to regulate inflammation naturally:
- Build and preserve muscle (it’s your biggest anti-inflammatory organ)
- Eat for cardiovascular health—load up on polyphenol-rich foods like apples, dark chocolate, olive oil, and tea
- Prioritize deep, consistent sleep
- Keep your circadian rhythm steady with time-restricted eating
- Repair your body’s barriers, from gut to skin, by easing up on harsh products and processed foods
- Strengthen social ties to lower stress hormones and blunt inflammation at the source
3. Don’t Depend Only on a Vegetarian Diet
When I saw an ultrasound-based liver-test at Eudemonia, I assumed my liver would be in the pink of health because I don’t eat meat or drink alcohol. Not so fast.
Stem cell scientist Christian Drapeau, Ph.D., told me that being vegetarian is no guarantee of a healthy liver—he’s vegetarian too, yet when he tested his liver via ultrasound at last year’s Eudemonia summit, his readings were in the danger zone.
Thankfully, my results were all in the green: bouncy, soft, and squishy, as a liver should be. But it’s a good reminder that avoiding meat alone isn’t enough to guarantee health. Instead, aim for a diet that’s plant-forward, low in added sugars, and rich in fiber, antioxidants, and healthy fats—essentially the Mediterranean diet, whether it includes meat or not.
4. Explore Root Causes Before Treating
When your car’s gas tank runs low, you fill ’er up, right? The same is not true for the human body.
“If your iron is low, it doesn’t automatically mean you need more iron,” said personalized nutrition expert Ashley Koff, R.D., founder of The Better Nutrition Program. “There are at least 15 possible causes of low iron. Sometimes it’s toxins, sometimes it’s absorption, sometimes it’s loss.”
This approach reflects a shift from rushing to apply a Band-Aid to uncovering the root cause of the problem. “Work with your provider to look for why a marker is low before you start swallowing things,” Koff said.
Getting a comprehensive blood panel can help reveal hidden drivers of a nutritional deficiency or health issue and clue your doctor in on the best way to treat it.
5. Say Yes to Sauna, Maybe to Cold Plunge
A popular longevity practice is heat and cold exposure (contrast therapy), which stresses your system to help build resilience and reduce inflammation. “The evidence for sauna is super strong to support cardiovascular health,” said autoimmune specialist Erin Faules, M.D.
Studies show that making sauna bathing a regular part of life—several times a week for longer sessions—is linked to living longer and having fewer fatal heart problems in middle‑aged and older adults.2
Cold exposure can also trigger anti-inflammatory signaling, Faules says, but one group should beware: For women in perimenopause and menopause, she says that cold plunges may spike cortisol more than they soothe it.
If you’re healthy and have no cardiovascular conditions, a sauna routine of 2–4 times per week, 15–20 minutes per session, is a well-supported “sweet spot” for general health.3 If you have access and enjoy it, 4–7 times per week may offer even greater longevity and cardiovascular benefits (as seen in Finnish studies). 4 Just be sure to hydrate, cool down, and listen to your body.
6. Stop Napalming Your Skin
Gentle exfoliation helps keep skin clear and bright, but assaulting your face on the regular with acids, scrubs, and peels can backfire, compromising the barrier that keeps moisture in and bacteria out.
“Healthy skin isn’t about scrubbing—it’s about repair,” said Carolina Oliveira, Ph.D., a skin-biology researcher and CEO and cofounder of OneSkin. “When you restore your skin barrier, you lower inflammation throughout the body.”
Controlled human and mechanistic studies show that restoring the skin barrier can lower circulating inflammatory cytokines (small proteins that coordinate immune response), supporting the idea that the skin acts as a regulator of bodywide inflammation and that restoring its barrier—through emollients or targeted therapy—can have measurable whole‑body anti‑inflammatory effects.5
I’m retooling my skincare regimen to emphasize barrier repair with fortifying ceramides and fatty acids, ultra-hydrating hyaluronic acid, and soothing niacinamide. Other barrier-boosting ingredients I like to see on labels are panthenol, squalene, and colloidal oatmeal.
7. Try Fasting
Calorie restriction has been shown to slow epigenetic aging.6 Epigenetic age is essentially a molecular clock, combining genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors to show how quickly your body is aging at the cellular level, and it serves as a powerful biomarker of healthspan and disease risk.
If you’re healthy, the most evidence-based way to leverage intermittent fasting for slower biological aging right now is modest, sustainable calorie restriction—to the tune of 10–15 percent fewer daily calories, along with protein and lifting. 7 But if that’s not practical or manageable for you, time-restricted eating—closing the kitchen for 12 hours, say from 8pm to 8am—will still pump the brakes on biological aging.
8. Eat the Right Apples
What you eat can literally speed up or slow down aging, according to physician and researcher William Li, M.D., author of the bestseller Eat to Beat Disease. It’s all about maintaining our vascular health, those 60K miles of blood vessel highway nourishing our cells.
Highly processed foods like sugar and excess alcohol break down blood vessels by promoting inflammation and oxidative stress. Antioxidant-rich foods like pomegranates, coffee, black tea, dark chocolate, seafood, and rye bread repair them by improving circulation and regenerating tissue (angiogenesis).
One of the biggest blood vessel boosters in the produce aisle? Apples. Eating one to two a day is associated with a 10 to 20 percent risk reduction in bladder, colon, and lung cancer, according to Li. Research backs it up. 8 9 10
For the most potent polyphenols (antioxidants) for angiogenesis, Li recommends reaching for Granny Smith, Red Delicious, and Reinette (Little Queen).
9. Go Organic for Better Nutrition
Organic isn’t just about fewer pesticides, according to Li. “When plants have to defend themselves from insects, they produce more chlorogenic acid—a natural compound that protects our bodies, too, when we eat them.”
Pesticide use suppresses those defense mechanisms, making conventional produce less nutrient-dense. So when you eat organic, you’re not just avoiding toxins—you’re getting more medicine in your food.
To get the most nutritional bang for your food buck, seek out fresh, organic, plant-based foods that are regeneratively farmed (meaning the soil microbes and carbon cycles are restored, delivering higher mineral content). At the very least, choose organic versions of the “dirty dozen,” the fruits and vegetables that tend to soak up the most pesticides.
10. Be a Snob About Supplements
Yes, supplements can fill holes in your diet and meet an increased demand your body may have for certain nutrients. But they vary wildly in quality.
“We tested single-ingredient supplements from major brands and 80 percent failed potency tests,” said biochemist Shawn Wells. “Twenty to 30 percent had no active ingredient at all.” Some even contained heavy metals or banned substances.
Complaints have flooded Amazon in particular, which tends to throw all of a brand’s products into the same bin for distribution regardless of where they were manufactured.
“Amazon isn’t the bad guy,” Wells said. “Counterfeiting is. Even reputable brands get faked.”
His advice: Buy directly from companies that publish lot-testing results, can show GMP (the seal of Good Manufacturing Practices) and third-party testing. Avoid links from non-expert influencers on Instagram and TikTok.
11. Bank Muscle as Health Insurance
I’d rather do 18 loads of laundry than pump iron, but the messaging from experts is clear: “Skeletal muscle is the body’s most powerful anti-inflammatory organ,” said Faules. “Every time you lift, you quiet the inflammatory cascade.”
Even two to three strength sessions a week can shift the balance of cytokines toward less inflammation. “Muscle lowers insulin resistance, improves recovery, and predicts biological age better than any blood marker,” added Seger.
And in case you think you’re just more brains than brawn, a 2025 study found that muscle mass is a key indicator of metabolic health, and people with more muscle (especially relative to belly fat) tend to have “younger” brains on MRI, suggesting better long-term brain health and lower risk of neurodegenerative decline.11
The gold standard baseline of resistance training for general health and longevity is two resistance training sessions per week, doing two sets of 8–12 reps across major muscle groups.12 You’ll see stronger results—better muscle mass, metabolic health, and bone density—with 3–4 sessions/week or greater weekly volume (2–4 sets, heavier loads, progressive increases). 13 But if you’re really busy or just starting out, a single-set, 2–3 times per week will still deliver muscle gains that boost your overall health.14
12. Grow the Gut of a Super-Ager
If you’re not already taking probiotics to enrich your microbiome, that community of gut bacteria that helps drive better health and longevity, this research may convince you to start.
A study examining the gut health of super centenarians (people aged 105 to 109) identified four specific strains of beneficial gut bacteria they had in common 15:
- Akkermansia muciniphila. It strengthens the gut lining, reduces inflammation, improves insulin sensitivity, and amplifies immunity, activating an army of super soldiers to fight cancer. This bacteria is nourished by polyphenols and healthy fats: Think berries, grapes, tea/coffee, cocoa, extra virgin olive oil, nuts, and omega‑3 fish. 16
- Oscillospira. It lowers HDL and blood glucose for lower body fat and better metabolic health. It thrives on fiber and resistant starch: Think whole grains, high‑fiber vegetables, nuts, and fermented plants.17
- Christensenellaceae. It lowers visceral fat, cholesterol and triglycerides, and supports healthy aging. It’s fed by high‑fiber, minimally processed foods. Think whole grains (barley, rye), diverse legumes (beans, lentils, chickpeas, split peas, black‑eyed peas, soy foods), prebiotic vegetables, nuts, and polyphenol-rich fruits (berries, citrus, apples, pears, and plums).18
- Odoribacter. It produces a bile acid that calms inflammation and supports immune balance. It’s boosted by plant-based diets that emphasize fiber and healthy fats. Think leafy and cruciferous vegetables, whole grains, legumes, high‑fiber fruits.19
Li generally recommends getting your probiotics from food, but if your diet is less than ideal or your immune system needs a boost, consider a daily probiotic. Choose ones with a daily dose of 5–20 billion CFU and that guarantee their CFU (colony-forming units) count through the expiration date, not just at manufacture. 20 As for me, I’ll be ordering a formula with some of the strains found in the thousands of people who’ve lived past 100.
13. Embrace Your 9 P.M. Bedtime
Kayla Barnes-Lentz lists her top two health priorities as exercise and sleep. “Sleep is the foundation of health,” she says. She uses an Oura Ring to test her sleep quality, aiming for two hours spent in deep sleep each night—deep and REM sleep are where most of your repair, hormone regulation, and memory consolidation happen. 21 22
“The evidence is clear about the connection between poor sleep and inflammaging,” Faules said, referring to the persistent, low-grade inflammation that wears down cells and shortens healthspan. “Even one week of bad sleep can raise CRP and IL-6—markers of inflammation.”
Aim for 7–9 solid hours of sleep per night, according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society, even if it takes some trial and error.
Wells, a lifetime insomniac, is working on improving his sleep with blackout curtains plus a red light panel at night and red and blue light panels in the morning to regulate his circadian rhythm. Controlled trials and meta‑analyses support the idea that bright blue‑enriched light in the morning and reduced blue light (or red‑spectrum light) at night improve circadian alignment and sleep quality.23 24
14. Make (and Keep) Social Plans
As a precision medicine physician and CEO of TruDiagnostics, Matt Dawson, M.D., knows all the buzzwords. “We can talk rapamycin and spermidine all day,” he said, referring to two compounds with potential anti-aging properties, “but they’re dwarfed by one thing: the strength of your relationships. I can’t talk longevity without talking friendship.”
A 2025 study found that older adults with consistent social support lived an average of two years longer than those who were socially isolated; they also spent more years free of disability and chronic disease.25 Another 2025 study linked higher levels of emotional and instrumental support to better cognitive function and lower inflammation, both key biomarkers of healthy aging.26
There’s no optimal “dose” for socializing, but generally more is better, quality relationships trump casual interactions, and some research points to the benefits of getting your social fix from a mix of leisure, community, and informal contacts.27
Instead of meeting for a drink, nutrition and gut health expert Amy Shah, M.D., suggests a walk-and-talk in the sun. “It’s social and circadian therapy in one.”
15. Menopausal Women: Throw a “She-Esta”
After a wake-up call related to menopause, Academy Award winning actor Halle Berry has become an advocate for women’s health, launching a digital health platform for women’s midlife and longevity health, with a particular focus on menopause care.
“I have this belief that for women to take care of ourselves, we have to change our culture,” she told the audience at Eudemonia. “We celebrate our kids with bar and bat mitzvahs, quinceañeras, graduations—we have to start being celebrated. In other cultures, women our age are revered at this time—not so in our country. We have to change that.”
Berry recommends throwing a “she-esta” to honor women of a certain age. What that looks like is entirely up to you, but if you create a she-esta mood board, please share it.
16. Bust Out of Your Routine
Apparently, humans weren’t meant to eat the same foods and follow the same routines day after day. Who knew?
“Variety is everything for health and longevity,” Shah says. “Eating 30 different plant foods a week keeps your gut bacteria diverse, which means better hormones, immunity, and mood.”
Bland recommends varying your experiences for immune system health. “Expose yourself to new microbes, new foods, new environments. Garden. Travel. Walk barefoot,” he said.
17. Add Creatine to a Hot Beverage
Bodybuilders have used creatine for years to enhance muscle performance, strength, and recovery, but mounting data show that this natural compound plays a role in brain health, bone health, and mood. 28 29 30 A 2025 study suggests that creatine can even boost cognition in people with Alzheimer’s disease.31
Women need creatine too, to support muscle and bone health, especially post-menopause when estrogen declines, said Shah. In fact, creatine was among the most touted longevity supplements for both men and women at Eudemonia, along with magnesium and omega-3s.
18. Don’t Ignore Stress
Chronic stress is one of the fastest ways to accelerate biological aging. Bland described it as a signal that tells the immune system the body isn’t safe, triggering inflammaging.
Studies confirm that chronic psychological stress shortens telomeres, speeds epigenetic aging, and increases risk for metabolic and cardiovascular disease.32
Tackle stress in two ways: Identify your biggest stressors and cut out or minimize them as much as possible. For unavoidable stress, build in coping strategies, whether it’s yoga, deep breathing, meditation, a hike in nature or a dance party in the kitchen.
To ease stress more regularly, I picked up a vagal nerve stimulator from Nuropod at Eudemonia. The wearable device, which looks like a remote control connected to an ear clip, sends electrical impulses to the brain via the vagus nerve to regulate the nervous system. It’s FDA-approved for rheumatoid arthritis but has clinically proven benefits across neurologic, psychiatric, cardiovascular, and inflammatory conditions, including depression and migraine. 33 34 35
I’m aiming to use it for 15 minutes a day, ideally at night, to unwind the day and prep for sleep.
19. Find Your “Why”
Dan Buettner is the National Geographic explorer and bestselling author who first identified five regions of the world where people live exceptionally long and healthy lives. He spoke about the qualities he observed in these “blue zones,” notably in Okinawa, Japan.
“There’s no word for retirement in Okinawa,” Buettner said. “There’s no artificial punctuation between a life of productivity and a life of repose. Retirement is an artificial construct invented by the Social Security Administration, and it’s why the second most dangerous year of your life is the one after you retire.”
Instead, Okinawans have a word for purpose: It’s Ikigai, or “reason to wake up.” “People who can articulate their purpose live longer than people who are rudderless,” Buettner said.
You should still feel free to retire someday, of course, but try to retain ties to something meaningful, whether it’s part-time work, a hobby, volunteering, or spending QT with family and friends.
20. Talk Yourself Up
Buettner started his Eudemonia talk with a lightning round of eight questions, one of which was: Do you think your health is good or even excellent? If you answered yes, he said it was likely to be 60 percent accurate. Thinking positively is a hallmark of the world’s blue zones and one of the most accessible tools in your longevity toolbox.
Practices like self-affirmation and self-compassion correlate with lower inflammation markers and stronger immune responses—supporting the idea that mindset helps regulate immune health.36
Try switching up your inner dialogue. Consciously convert complaints to comfort and grief to gratitude, and you may just live better, longer.
Ren, Yifan. et al. (2025) The effect of GLP-1 receptor agonists on circulating inflammatory markers in type 2 diabetes patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis
↑Laukkanen, Tanjaniina, et al. (2018) Sauna bathing is associated with reduced cardiovascular mortality and improves risk prediction in men and women: a prospective cohort study
↑Lee, Earric. et al. (2022) Effects of regular sauna bathing in conjunction with exercise on cardiovascular function: a multi-arm, randomized controlled trial
↑Laukkanen, T. et al. (2015) Association between sauna bathing and fatal cardiovascular and all-cause mortality events
↑Ye, L. et al. (2019) Topical applications of an emollient reduce circulating pro-inflammatory cytokine levels in chronically aged humans: a pilot clinical study
↑Waziry, R. et al. (2023) Effect of long-term caloric restriction on DNA methylation measures of biological aging in healthy adults from the CALERIE trial
↑Waziry, R. et al. (2023) Effect of long-term caloric restriction on DNA methylation measures of biological aging in healthy adults from the CALERIE trial
↑Huan, Liu. et al. (2015) Fruit and vegetable consumption and risk of bladder cancer
↑Gallus, S. et al. (2005) Does an apple a day keep the oncologist away?
↑Fabiani, Roberto et al. (2016) Apple intake and cancer risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies
↑Radiological Society of North America (2025) More Muscle, Less Belly Fat Slows Brain Aging
↑American College of Sports Medicine (2013) Resistance training for health and fitness
↑Schoenfeld, Brad J. et al. (2021) Loading Recommendations for Muscle Strength, Hypertrophy, and Local Endurance: A Re-Examination of the Repetition Continuum
↑Nuzzo, James et al. (2024) Resistance Exercise Minimal Dose Strategies for Increasing Muscle Strength in the General Population: an Overview
↑Biagi, Elena et al. (2016) Gut Microbiota and Extreme Longevity
↑Anhe, Fernando et al. (2016) Triggering Akkermansia with dietary polyphenols: A new weapon to combat the metabolic syndrome?
↑Yang, Jinpeng. et al. (2021) Oscillospira – a candidate for the next-generation probiotics
↑Biagi, Elena et al. (2016) Gut Microbiota and Extreme Longevity
↑Xiao, Yue, et al. (2024) Achieving healthy aging through gut microbiota-directed dietary intervention: Focusing on microbial biomarkers and host mechanisms
↑World Gastroenterology Organisation (2023) Probiotics and Prebiotics
↑Patel, Aakash K. et al. (2024) Physiology, Sleep Stages
↑Lutz, Nicolas D., et al. (2024) Sleep’s contribution to memory formation
↑van Maanen, Annette, et al. (2016) The effects of light therapy on sleep problems: A systematic review and meta-analysis
↑Gooley, Joshua J. et al. (2010) Spectral Responses of the Human Circadian System Depend on the Irradiance and Duration of Exposure to Light
↑Kayonga, Catherine Suubi et al. (2025) Association Between Social Support Dimensions and Mortality Among Older Adults: 21-Year Follow-Up of the Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Aging and Dementia (CAIDE) Study
↑Kayonga, Catherine Suubi et al. (2025) Association Between Social Support Dimensions and Mortality Among Older Adults: 21-Year Follow-Up of the Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Aging and Dementia (CAIDE) Study
↑Luo, Linbin. et al. (2025) Association between diversified social interaction and health among older adults in China: a longitudinal analysis by interaction type and frequency
↑Forbes, Scott C. et al. (2022) Effects of Creatine Supplementation on Brain Function and Health
↑Candow, Darren G. et al (2024) Effects of Creatine Monohydrate Supplementation on Muscle, Bone and Brain- Hope or Hype for Older Adults?
↑Candow, Darren G. et al. (2023) “Heads Up” for Creatine Supplementation and its Potential Applications for Brain Health and Function
↑Smith, Aaron N. et al (2025) Creatine monohydrate pilot in Alzheimer’s: Feasibility, brain creatine, and cognition
↑Wang, Xuanqi et al. (2025) The relationship between telomere length and aging-related diseases
↑De Melo, Paulo et al. (2025) A Mechanistic Analysis of the Neural Modulation of the Inflammatory System Through Vagus Nerve Stimulation: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
↑Bottomly, Juliana M. et al. (2020) Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) therapy in patients with treatment resistant depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis
↑Elamin, A. et al. (2023) Vagus Nerve Stimulation and Its Cardioprotective Abilities: A Systematic Review
↑Ballesio, Andrea (2023) Comparative efficacy of psychological interventions on immune biomarkers: A systematic review and network meta-analysis (NMA)
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Aviva, Hone's Executive Editor, is an award-winning health-science journalist and former executive editor of Psychology Today, Reader's Digest, and The Healthy. She has written for national print and digital publications including Health, Prevention, Women’s Health, Men’s Health, Shape, Fitness, SELF, New York Magazine, and more.
