Geneticist Bennett lends a scientist’s scrutiny to this accessible and comprehensive “guidebook to the aging of the body.” Rather than advise on ways to slow down aging, Bennett focuses on the mechanics of getting older, with chapters exploring how individual bodily systems—the skin, muscles, skeleton, cardiovascular system, and brain—are affected by aging, such as the how skin loses tautness or why blood vessels eventually stiffen. In the final two chapters, Bennett lays out behavioral and chemical interventions with promising antiaging potential (among them restricting calories, fasting diets, and heat and cold exposure therapies), concluding that “although dying is inevitable, poor health, by and large, is not.” Bennett also expounds on particularly complex topics in “deep dive” sections, and proposes that the reader “treat the book like a smorgasbord of aging information, picking and choosing topics that interest you.” (For instance, “A Deep Dive into the Protein Structure of the Skin” explains how cancer risk and skin care go hand in hand.) Bennett synthesizes mountains of research, carefully weighing the reliability of the available data and explaining dense content with clarity. This explainer packs in a wealth of contemporary insight into an ancient topic.

Publishers Weekly

Defy Aging is an interesting and provocative examination of the aging process, the work being done to slow it down, and what we ourselves can do to slow our own aging.

Robert A. Levine M.D., former chief of neurology at Norwalk Hospital, associate clinical professor of medicine (ret) at Yale University, and author of “Aging Wisely, Aging with Attitude, and Defying Dementia”

We are living longer. Yet, while people are eager to slow the aging process, few people understand what aging is and how it works. This book is a clear and concise explanation of aging that includes helpful and practical tips for increasing one’s health span, not just one’s life span.

Jodi L. Lyons, coauthor of “Brain Health As You Age: A Practical Guide To Maintenance And Prevention”

Aging is inevitable, but are the ills associated with aging preventable? In this book, Beth Bennet provides an understandable explanation of the scientific basis of aging, and of the remarkable scientific advances that may help us to stave off the negative physical and mental consequences of aging and promote health and activity throughout the lifespan.

Paula L. Hoffman, PhD, professor of pharmacology, University of Colorado School of Medicine