Eric Topol authors book on the science of healthy aging

Latest book by Scripps Research executive vice president guides readers through medical breakthroughs that are primed to extend healthspan

May 06, 2025

LA JOLLA, CA—Ninety five percent of Americans over 60 have at least one chronic disease and almost as many have two. What if we already have everything we need to make a huge dent in preventing the biggest chronic killers: cardiovascular and neurodegenerative disease, cancer and diabetes?

Health and wellness experts often focus on controlling the aging process through age reversal and biohacking. In Super Agers: An evidence-based approach to longevity, Eric Topol—executive vice president and professor at Scripps Research, chair of the Department of Translational Medicine and The Gary and Mary West Chair of Innovative Medicine—outlines that not only do we lack sufficient data to support their claims but also there are data-driven ways to increase one’s healthspan. While lifespan refers to the length of time we live, healthspan is the time we remain free of major ailments and disease.

By outlining the latest scientific evidence around five dimensions impacting human health—lifestyle, cells, omics, artificial intelligence (AI) and drugs and vaccines—Topol provides a necessary counter narrative to the longevity discourse to make medicine better and more individualized.

“We have much better information now about optimal lifestyle. I call it “lifestyle+” because there are so many more dimensions than just exercise, nutrition and sleep,” Topol says. “Beyond that, now that we have AI, we can take each person’s data and are able to predict decades before an illness occurs, which will have a huge impact on reducing age-related disease.”

Readers of Super Agers will learn about how new tools are transforming cancer and cardiovascular disease screening. The book also documents the rise of GLP-1 medications such as Ozempicâ and how their benefits exceed well beyond weight loss and the management of diabetes.

Topol explains why measuring a healthy lifestyle should factor in environmental conditions, socioeconomic status, social isolation and loneliness, in addition to the usual diet, sleep and exercise. He also outlines advances in addressing autoimmune diseases, tools to protect us from infectious agents and promoting mental health.

Throughout the book, Topol highlights the transformative power of AI in accelerating drug discovery, improving diagnostic capabilities, tailoring treatments and supporting medical decision-making.  

“This eye-opening book reveals that the secret to longevity lies not in the miracle of anti-aging pills, but in groundbreaking scientific advancements,” Nobel laureate Katalin Karikó writes in her description of Super Agers. “Drawing on a vast body of research, Dr. Topol shows us how modern science is paving the path toward longer, healthier lives.”

At Scripps Research, Topol leads the Scripps Research Translational Institute where scientists use genomic and digital data, and machine learning tools to improve human health. He has written three other books on the future of medicine and writes the Ground Truths newsletter on Substack where he also hosts a podcast.

Front Row lecture series – The science of longer, healthier lives

At a lecture hosted by Scripps Research on May 21, 2025, at 4:00 p.m. PT, Eric Topol will discuss the themes of his new book on longevity. Drawing on the latest breakthroughs, he’ll explore how innovations in artificial intelligence and drug discovery are combating chronic diseases like cancer, diabetes and neurodegeneration. Topol will reveal how these advances are not only extending lifespans but also improving health at every stage of life.

Register to attend in-person or virtually.

For more information, contact press@scripps.edu See More News