In the News

Medscape discusses new concerns around polypharmacy in midlife and the risks posed by taking five or more medications. USC Leonard Davis School faculty member Michelle Keller is quoted as recommending that physicians regularly review patients’ full medication lists—including over-the-counter supplements—to identify prescriptions that may no longer be necessary.

Country & Townhouse discusses “The Longevity Diet,” the nutrition plan developed by Valter Longo of the USC Leonard Davis School, explaining its foundations in plant-based eating, periodic fasting, and lifestyle practices shown to support healthspan and reduce disease risk.

MedCentral quoted Mireille Jacobson regarding a study that found that men with dementia experience higher mortality rates and increased healthcare utilization compared to women. “While the results are very intriguing, I think more analysis is needed to assess whether these results are attributable to differences in unobserved factors, such as disease severity, or inadequately controlled factors, such as comorbid conditions, between men and women, or whether there is truly a sex difference in mortality after a dementia diagnosis,” she said.

Upworthy highlights research involving USC Leonard Davis School faculty member Andrei Irimia, who coauthored a study showing that the Tsimané and Mosetén peoples—with extremely low dementia rates—may benefit from subsistence-lifestyle patterns including high physical activity, minimal processed food, and a balanced diet. “This ideal set of conditions for disease prevention prompts us to consider whether our industrialized lifestyles increase our risk of disease,” Irimia said.

Washington Post quoted Pinchas Cohen of the USC Leonard Davis School responding to public remarks about living to 150 and noting that, despite gains in average life expectancy, maximum lifespan hasn’t climbed. “The maximum life expectancy has not risen,” Cohen said. “There is no evidence anyone is going to exceed 120.”

Washington Post examines a hot-mic moment between Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin about the possibility of living to 150, and revisits the symbolic aging bet between scientists Steven Austad and S. Jay Olshansky.

USC Leonard Davis School Dean Pinchas Cohen is quoted, noting that while average life expectancy has climbed thanks to advances in public health and medicine, “the maximum life expectancy has not risen” and that there’s “no evidence anyone is going to exceed 120.”

The Brown Daily Herald mentioned USC Leonard Davis School faculty member Constanza Cortes, who hosted a Brown student in her lab for summer research in Los Angeles, highlighting her mentorship and lab’s role in cross-institution training.

Nautilus discusses how extreme heat can alter our bodies at the molecular level. The article highlights a USC Leonard Davis School study co-authored by Eunyoung Choi and Jennifer Ailshire, which found that older adults in areas with frequent heatwaves experience accelerated biological aging. The study indicates that living in regions with more than 140 days of temperatures exceeding 90°F per year can lead to over a year of additional biological aging compared to those in cooler areas.

New York Post highlights a USC Leonard Davis School study showing that older adults in regions with frequent heat waves experience accelerated biological aging. Researchers found that just two years of cumulative heat wave exposure can age a person’s cells, tissues, and organs by an additional eight to 12 days. This effect is comparable to the biological toll of smoking or alcohol use.

WFTV includes insights from Valter Longo on how AI could personalize prevention and care by analyzing vast biomarker data. “Soon enough, AI could look at 20,000 biomarkers and, based on millions of cases, recommend personalized interventions… It could recommend healthy actions based on biological age, hormones, and other factors.”