6 things longevity experts wish people would stop saying

Longevity experts have a few pet peeves when it comes to common misconceptions people often repeat. Dr. Sofiya Milman, a professor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, emphasizes the importance of dispelling inaccurate, often unscientific claims circulating in the field of aging research. Steven Austad, a professor of biology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, clarifies that researchers aim to extend healthy life spans, or "health span," rather than just increasing the number of years lived.

He points out that, despite a slight increase in average life expectancy in the United States from 2009 to 2019, healthy life expectancy actually declined during the same period. Experts warn against relying on trendy products like peptides, resveratrol, and NAD+ supplements to extend human life spans, as no drug or supplement has been proven to do so.

A 2026 study even suggests that blood levels of NAD+ remain stable in old age, indicating that replenishment may not be beneficial. Low levels of NAD+ may be a marker of aging, but supplementing it with products does not appear to offer any advantage. One common misconception is that women live longer than men, but they often spend more time suffering from illness and disability.

This discrepancy may be due to the focus of aging research on men for a long time, and recent studies indicate that women, especially post-menopause, face higher risks of autoimmune diseases, arthritis, and Alzheimer's disease. Lastly, while some studies suggest that weight loss can lower the risk of death, research shows that weight loss, particularly among older adults, may not always be protective.

It may lead to the loss of beneficial muscle and bone mass rather than fat, a finding that underscores the complexity of longevity research and its implications for various age groups.