Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Hmmm I was expecting something quite different, to be honest. From the title and everything I thought this would be way more focused on aging in the animal kingdom. However, only a tiny portion of the book does so, and mostly only in the beginning.

The rest of the book is very short chapters on random topics in aging and mortality research in humans. If you’re into this topic, especially regarding nutrition or genetics, then you would like this book. If you’re expecting animal content, maybe not.

The short chapters also made it a very quick and easy read, and it should be accessible to any background. However, I just did notttt love the author‘s voice and found it condescending. I think there is a way to write for a general, non-expert audience that doesn’t have to make the reader feel like a child, and this author missed that mark.

Overall pretty interesting though, especially if you’re into medical research!

I have a lot of mixed feelings about this book. The title hooked me. The content bored me at times.

I applaud the author, who is a young scientist and wanted to connect with a wide audience during his PhD studies. As another reviewer mentioned, we really need more people like him. I admire the passion with which this was written and the vast amount of research that was conducted for this. However, as this same reviewer pointed out, scientific books need to be better organized and presented in a manner that connects with the general audience. The information has to be basic enough to get through to the audience but complex enough to keep them interested. I think that a lot of this book went over my head, so I struggled to connect with it in a lot of ways. It was all over the place in parts and not organized into clear concepts or ideas. I think with a bit more direction, summarization, and break downs of practical implementation, this could have been a fantastic book about aging. A more organization and concise ideas would have helped this book reach and connect with a broader audience. I didn't take a lot of practical advice away from this, but I did further expand my view of aging and scientific studies. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What an engaging and enjoyable book about aging. Mr. Brendborg summarizes what science currently knows about how different animals age, or turn their chronological clocks backwards, and then writes about how this might, or might not, work in humans. The topic sounds heady, but the author's breezy writing style is engaging and the chapters flow swiftly and easily. Another book I heartily recommend to nonfiction and science lovers.

As someone who gets stung by jellyfish basically every time I step into the ocean, I have grown to have a rather irrational fear of them. They are the enemy.

However, this book is seemingly less about the tentacled monsters as it is about aging, anti-aging and the human obsession with not dying. There is some rather engrossing information in here.

I had forgotten about this book until I got an email from the National Nordic Museum about an event that has since happened. If you're ever in Seattle, I highly recommend this museum. The surrounding neighborhood of Ballard is an old Scandinavian neighborhood.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.

Jellyfish Age Backwards mixes science with nature, and maybe a few Mythbuster-esque theories in there too. Despite all those things, some parts of it fell flat for me personally.

I loved the first part - it was everything I expected from it. A deep dive into specific animals whose genes and strange ways may be the key to increasing longevity. Analyzing the "hows" of what is possible and why they work this way.

Part 2 is when it got a bit murky for me. I liked some of the science-y aspects of it, but part 2 also focused heavily on research and the history of the research that's been done on a specific chemical or hormone, etc. that may affect longevity, but also why it may have a counterproductive effect, too. While interesting sometimes, it was also dense and less accessible in other ways.

Overall, Jellyfish Age Backwards is interesting and informative, and great if you love nature documentaries and biology - specifically the latter. Everything I'm indifferent about is purely a matter of personal taste.

Author and molecular biologist Nicklas Brendborg writes what could be otherwise heavy reading with oodles of wit and thoughtfulness using loads of fascinating facts and ponderations about longevity. He often waxes philosophical and invites readers to contemplate moral and ethical dilemmas (such as Henrietta Lacks)...and they are always present where there are people.

Though not exactly what I had expected (my hopes were on more of the animal kingdom), the information I learned will stick with me such as the five-minute fly, strengthening of lobsters over time, heritability, potential to increase immune function in humans, progeria, healing through social interaction and the power of pineapple, The Easter Island story is remarkable Science in history and present is eye opening such as rejuvenation through blood and bloodletting which are making a resurgence in our quest for living longer. One of the stories which stand out most to me is the Barry Marshall project...don't know that many would be that desperate. But I understand why he was. Many "a-ha!" moments generously scattered throughout these pages. Humans have much to learn from it.

Scientifically minded, slightly or wholeheartedly? Intrigued by the miracles which make our bodies tick? Not written in a textbookish way but rather an easy-to-read format which at times reads like Fiction.

My sincere thank you to Little, Brown and Company and NetGalley for providing me with an early digital copy of this thought-provoking book.

Thank you NetGaley for providing an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 stars, generously rounded up because the author is a young scientist who decided to reach out to a lay audience during his PhD studies, and we need more people like him. However, we also need better organized scientific books for the general audience. Because while the title was an excellent hook, and the opening of the book was very intriguing, the following chapters were not clearly organized and they failed to expand much on general advice that's already easily available on most youtube channels and blogs created by experienced medical providers.

I was disapointed the author didn't take more time to define ageing at a molecular level and clarify the risks inherent to circumvenitng ageing mechanisms: most of the time we risk cancer. Sure, this was mentioned, but so quickly it's almost in passing. There was also unhealthy enthusiasm for presenting correlative studies with insuficient critical analysis. For e.g.: In the chapter "Mind over matter" the author discussess the placebo effect and mentions that people who drank a low sugar drink experienced a spike in their blood sugar levels if they were told they drank a high-sugar drink; my question is, did the study address the possibility that the spike in blood sugar levels was caused by stress? Most people know that high-sugar drinks are unhealthy, and if they experience any rise in stress hormone levels that easily explains the rising blood sugar levels. There was also a lot of talk about how viruses and bacteria cause cancer, but they are not the reason for the majority of cancers. Most cancer types are caused by bad luck (such as an accidental pro-cancerous mutation following a lot of cell divisions, or being born with a gene having a mutation or series of mutations predisposing one to cancers); second most common reason for cancers are environmental factors such as high exposure to UV and ionizing radiation, exposure to certain chemicals and infection with tumorigenic viruses and bacteria. When such examples were appropriate, the author forgot to mention (or was unaware of) the whole story. For example: yes, certain H pylori strains increase the risk of stomach cancer, but if you aggressively treat against the bacteria you increase the risk of esophageal cancer, There is increasing evidence that the stomach is normally colonized by bacteria, including H. pylori, and that removing anything except the strains that can cause cancer, or treating in the absence of symptoms, is likely to cause different problems.

The reality is that ageing is complicated, The book ended up being a collection of fun facts but stuck in the end to the old, trusted and known: to prolongue your life exercise, eat lots of fruits and veggies, keep your moralle up; and maybe you will live long enough until you can pop a pill to live longer. Despite the engaging title, there was almost no discussion about ageing in other animals. The jellyfish that ages backward? The molecular mechanisms allowing that are not discussed in the book, As a former cancer researcher now involved in cancer treatment management via my medical writer job, I learned very little new things from this book. And I was also stressing out a lot in the second half of the book about how much the author jumped around, without a clear backbone to the structure. Perhaps a lay audience interested in fun facts about ageing will find it more engaging that I did.

An interesting addition to the currently many books being published about aging. I liked it. It was fun to read. Just remember: It's about growing older and not about Jellyfish per se.

Among all the corrupt self-help books invoking exotic diets, lifestyle changes, nutritional supplements and mind over matter, there is the occasional worthwhile examination of the state of ageing. That is currently Jellyfish Age Backwards, by Niklas Brendborg. It is a pleasure to read such balanced evaluations of all the possibilities, without any of the hype. Readers might actually benefit from reading it.

Brendborg, a Danish molecular biologist by trade, collects facts, figures and anecdotes, and balances them against each other and against science. His book first examines everything but humans. He shows how various creatures extend their lives, and have the equipment to do so. He then spends the rest of the time among mice and men, looking at diet, lifestyle, supplements, medicines and attitudes. Everything has something to contribute, and lots to be wary of.

At all times, he is friendly, with a terrific bedside manner, the occasional attempt at a joke, and an independence that allows him to say this or that will not work or might even kill you instead. He is not pushing a new diet book or a new pill or a new online course. He is not looking for patients or political influence in the healthcare industry. He is just reporting the state of the art. A breath of fresh air.

He examines bees (workers vs queens), flatworms and the female octopus, all of which have been studied to determine the secrets of their differing lifespans. Bees, for example determine their lifespans by their roles. There is even much to learn about health and longevity from the naked mole-rat. Birds are relatively long-lived because they can fly away from threats. Smaller beings typically live longer, even when they are smaller versions of larger species (eg women vs men). Brendborg fills in readers on the why, and whether we could leverage this knowledge for longer lives for all mankind.

There have been communities of extremely long-lived people. Hucksters have leveraged their traditional diets into books and food delivery services, but the results never match the original. Worse, they are disappearing. People in Okinawa, for example, who used to be among the longest-lived, now bulk up on KFC, have huge BMIs and are among the shortest-lived in Japan. They are no longer a model for anyone. There are other clues: cars in the driveways, satellite dishes, processed foods – pretty much anything Western reduces the chances of extended life for a society that had figured it out centuries ago.

In the supposed sciences, he shows that the fanatic focus on antioxidants is all wrong. That the studies show people who take antioxidants to improve strength and prevent age-related diseases actually die younger. The body knows how to handle free radicals. Antioxidant supplements get in the way.

On the other hand, hormesis, the recovery from physical strain, does have age-related disease effects that would benefit everyone. The way to access them is physical stress, aka strenuous exercise. That is what helps mitochondria decide to stay alive and help sweep away dead cells (autophagy). And the free radicals produced by the stress, prove to be valuable, and not something to take antioxidants to eliminate. There is a reason for everything in living things.

Getting molecular, Brendborg discusses several natural chemicals that definitely increase lifespan. Spermidine promotes autophagy, the cleaning up of dead molecules and remnants. It thereby improves heart health, and lessens cardiovascular disease. This is pretty central to lowering the death rate, as cardiovascular diseases remain solidly in first place. In mice, spermidine demonstrably prolongs life, even when initiated later in life. Humans make it naturally, but it decreases with age, as therefore obviously, does autophagy. Spermidine cannot be made into a convenient oral supplement (so beware) but plenty of foods contain it, from soybeans to cauliflower to corn to adzuki and sunflower seeds.

Another molecule readers might not know of is urolithin A. This one not only cleans up dead and dying mitochondria, but promotes the health of mitochondria, the engine of muscles. It even encourages mitochondria to divide, increasing muscle mass. Elliagitannins promote urolithin A, and they can be had from pomegranates, walnuts and raspberries. Certain gut bacteria then convert them into urolithin A. This is an example of both how little we know and understand about how the body works, and how complex every process is. Pills don’t do it.

That is, there are no silver bullets. Taking 40 supplements daily will not work. Most will do no harm, at least. But even something as common as iron supplements can increase the severity of diseases, and promote the risk of bacterial infections and malaria in children, Brendborg says. The bottom line with supplements is that most people should steer clear. Not only have they been proven not to work, but numerous studies continually find them a ripoff, containing little or none of the vitamins and minerals promised on the label. They can be counted on reliably as placebos, but that’s about it.

Brendborg has a great deal to say about telomeres, the end caps of DNA strands. Long ones imply long life ahead, while short ones mean approaching death. Extending them is therefore a hot business. However, (and this comes up again and again throughout the book) extending the telomeres by turning on the telomerase enzyme can cause cancer and death. So many wonderful life-enhancing discoveries end in cancer and death when Man applies them instead of our own bodies doing it.

A Japanese scientist has a found a way to turn old cells back into pluripotent stem cells, giving them an effective age of zero. Cellular reprogramming attempts to control this process so that the whole body doesn’t just disintegrate and start over. A jellyfish from the book’s title has figured this out, and could potentially live forever. But being a jellyfish, it usually gets eaten instead. Meanwhile, and once again, cellular reprogramming by doctors can result in a fearsome cancer called teratoma. This cancer is so ugly, Brendborg says, it grows hair on itself and has been found to grow teeth inside, grinding away — something to be avoided at all cost.

Nonetheless, cellular reprogramming holds great promise. It is probably what Man will ultimately employ to stay young. But it will require precision application and constant monitoring, and we are nowhere near that stage. It reminds me of the nuclear fusion story. It’s the obvious answer to our energy problems, and it can be shown to work, but it is always a decade or two away and never gets closer.

For a long while, there was a theory floating around that young blood was the answer to ageing and Alzheimer’s disease. So a study was done to see what improvements could be measured with young blood in older people with dementia, and the result was, as so often, nothing.

But then, it has also been discovered that blood donors, as opposed to transfusion recipients, live measurably longer. Forcing the body to produce more blood is a stressor, hormesis again, and the result is the body marshaling its forces to overcome the sudden deficit of blood. This keeps the body vibrant. It is frightening to think that barber shops, where men could be bled into a pan for their health, were actually doing the right thing 350 years ago.

Another great point Brendborg makes concerns microbes. While many think they can extend their lives and their health based purely on taking supplements, it is microbes that do the real damage: “Microbes influence the development of every single age-related disease that plagues us.” They are everywhere, in and on humans as well as everything else on the planet. Extending life by eliminating age-related diseases like Alzheimer’s are doomed to fail unless they account for the influence of microbes, and not just the symptoms seen in patients.

There is a valuable assessment of the very fashionable calorie restriction fad, through which numerous animals have extended their lives by being starved. It’s hormesis again, as their bodies fight to thrive in adverse conditions. It is feasible in humans too, but they will have to weigh a lifetime of deprivation and hunger against an extra couple of years in their late 90s. Brendborg says not for him.

Context is big factor. Studies have looked at the longevity of vegans vs vegetarians and found no difference in life expectancy. Because both have committed to a new and different lifestyle. They both tend to be better educated, wealthier and exercise a lot more. Their food intake is not what differentiates them. Brendborg has found this again and again. The better educated live longer because they apply their constant search for knowledge. The actual details of what they do differently matters less than the bigger picture of consciously working and adapting for a longer life. That, and most of their success can be directly attributed to exercise regimens, he says.

There are several lessons from this book. It is best not to tamper with proven systems, and while some new things actually do work in a small way, they are generally not worth the torturous change in lifestyle (and expense) they require. By far the biggest bang for the buck is strenuous exercise. It tells the organism directly that it and all its component parts are still needed and need to be kept up. This provably works, and better than just about everything else put together. It requires variety: steady state, interval and weightlifting. He also suggests mild exercise after eating – even just taking a walk — to counteract the sugar shock the body deals with every time we eat. That would be taking good advantage of the systems already in place. And underutilized.

This is the first US edition of a number one international best seller. It quickly proves its worth for readers, and maintains a fast and entertaining pace as it straightens out the facts. Jellyfish Age Backwards is a book that can settle arguments.

David Wineberg