Dr. Joy Kong, a longevity physician, outlines five anti-aging mistakes: consuming industrial seed oils instead of stable fats like olive oil, taking supplements without baseline lab testing, eating ultra-processed "healthy" foods with synthetic additives, skipping resistance training for muscle, and ignoring subclinical biomarkers until they become pathological.
5 things I would not do as a longevity doctor. Well, number 1, I wouldn't consume industrial seed oils. Most vegetable oils like the soybean, corn, canola, sunflower seed, safflower, grapeseed, or even rice bran oils are highly processed and prone to oxidation. This leads to inflammation and oxidative stress. Which are drivers of aging. I stick to stable and nutrient-rich fats like extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, and grass-fed butter or ghee. Second, I would not take supplements without lab testing first. Blindly following trending supplement stacks is inefficient and potentially harmful. Supplementing without baseline lab work is really guessing. You should check vitamin D, B12, or minerals, or other amino acids, or whatever antioxidants you're trying to supplement. I made the same mistakes before, realizing later on after testing that I was taking things that I didn't need, and I was not taking things that I needed. So longevity requires precision. Number 3, I would not eat the so-called healthy ultra-processed foods. These foods often have labels like keto-friendly or gluten-free. That doesn't mean that they're good for you. These products often contain synthetic emulsifiers, gums, and artificial sweeteners and can compromise your gut barrier and trigger chronic inflammation. And by the way, be careful with natural flavors. A single natural flavor can contain up to 100 different chemicals, including solvents and preservatives. And you could end up consuming exotoxins and hormone disruptors. Okay, number 4, I wouldn't rely solely on aerobic cardio exercises. While cardio has its place, muscle is the organ of longevity. To this day, twice as many people focus on cardio only compared to people who incorporate resistance training, and this can cause sarcopenia, which is age-related muscle loss. But maintaining lean muscle mass is essential for insulin sensitivity, hormonal health, and metabolic health as we age. Lastly, number 5, I wouldn't ignore subclinical biomarkers. So waiting for lab results to hit the red zone before taking any action, that's reactive medicine and it's not going to do you good in the long run. An anti-aging doctor we'll look for optimal ranges, not just standard ranges. Ignoring subtle elevations in fasting insulin or inflammatory markers like CRP allows cellular damage to accumulate long before a diagnosis appears.
