Senate Aging Hearing Spotlights Prevention: Exercise, Nutrition and Social Ties as Core to Longer, Healthier Lives

Chairman Tim Scott convened a Senate Special Committee on Aging hearing focused on healthy longevity, telling the panel the goal was to extend not only lifespan but ‘‘health span’’ — the years lived free of disease or disability. The committee heard from four witnesses representing research, clinical practice and community interventions: scientist and health educator Dr. Rhonda Patrick; Dr. Eric Verdin, president and CEO of the Buck Institute for Research on Aging; family physician Dr. Sarah Nossal, president-elect of the American Academy of Family Physicians; and Blue Zones founder Dan Buettner.

The witnesses told senators that lifestyle factors — physical activity, diet, sleep, stress management and social connection — account for a large share of differences in health and longevity and should be central to federal policy. ‘‘Obesity is not inevitable...It is something that can be prevented,’’ said Dr. Rhonda Patrick, who emphasized resistance training, micronutrient status and reducing ultra‑processed foods. Dr. Eric Verdin argued that ‘‘aging is the greatest risk factor and the…