Forever Young: Inside the Aging Revolution

Is aging inevitable — or is it the next thing science will hack? Documentary filmmaker David Donnelly joins Dr. Jason Littleton on The Concierge Doc Podcast to pull back the curtain on Forever Young, a three-year investigation into the cutting edge of longevity science — and what it actually means for your body, your mind, and your future.

David spent years embedded with the world's top longevity scientists — from the Buck Institute for Research on Agingto the Einstein School of Medicine — to separate the real science from the billionaire hype. The result? A documentary that doesn't just talk about living longer. It forces you to ask why you want to.

In this episode:

• What the Horvath Clock revealed about biological aging — and why "normal" lab results might actually mean you're sick
• Health span vs. lifespan: why living to 120 means nothing without quality of life
• The aging cliff in your mid-40s — and how to stop ignoring it
• Why 93% of your health span is determined by lifestyle, NOT genetics
• Peptides, biomarkers, thyroid, LDL — the numbers that changed David's life
• The hidden danger of retirement and the "fourth act" of life nobody planned for
• Death meditation, purpose, and why even your longevity doctor can't save you from meaninglessness
• How Dr. Steve Horvath's methylation clock launched the biomarker revolution

This episode is your entry point into the longevity revolution — whether you're just curious or already deep in the biohacking rabbit hole.

🎬 Watch Forever Young now at foreveryoung.film

Visit Dr Jason Littleton's website:  https://www.jasonmd.com/

Follow Dr Jason Littleton on Instagram and Facebook:  https://www.instagram.com/therealdoctorjason/

Watch Dr Jason Littleton on YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/@therealdoctorjason3340


Disclaimer:
Access to the Information and materials contained in this podcast is at your own risk. The information contained is presented for the purpose of educating the consumer on a variety of wellness and health care topics (the “Information”). Nothing contained is intended to be instructional for medical diagnosis or treatment. The Information contained is compiled from a variety of sources. The Information should not be considered complete and not exhaustive and should not be in place of a visit or consultation with your own primary care doctor.

Transcript

The Fourth Act Of Life;

David Donnelly 0:00

In many ways, we're getting kind of a bonus act of life. For so long, we've had kind of a three-act structure in the way that we live as humans. And now there's kind of creeping up on us is this fourth act of extra years. And in many ways, we're very unprepared for that.

Dr. Jason Littleton 0:15

Welcome to the Concierge Doc Podcast, David Donnelly.

David Donnelly 0:19

There's real longevity science that's happening. You know, this this thing is real. And it's it is going to continue to kind of bleed down into mainstream culture and eventually get, I think, to to the point to where everyone is kind of aware of these things on a different on a different level.

Dr. Jason Littleton 0:34

But I think people should ask themselves why they want to live longer. Now, that sounds kind of like a dumb question, but it's not really a dumb question.

David Donnelly 0:43

What's the point of living longer if you know you're depressed and miserable and anxious, um, you know, or or streaming, you know, eight hours of Netflix a day or constantly staring at your phone, and and that's a huge t takeaway that there's this fifth vital sign of the status of your relationships that's often being ignored. Dr. Thomas Lewis says in the film the only way to really find true purpose is to be a part of something that's larger than yourself.

Dr. Jason Littleton 1:08

Yeah, yeah. Now, you know, why now? Why did this story need to be told now?

Intro 1:16

The views, opinions, and statements expressed by our guests are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Dr. Jason Littleton or the Concierge Doc Podcast. We do not endorse or take responsibility for any statements, claims, or perspectives shared in this content. Viewers are encouraged to conduct their own research and form their own conclusions.

Guest Intro And Film Overview;

Dr. Jason Littleton 1:40

Access to the information and materials contained in this podcast is at your own risk. The information contained is presented for the purpose of educating the consumer on a variety of wellness and health care topics, the information. Nothing contained is intended to be instructional for medical diagnosis or treatment. The information contained is compiled from a variety of sources. The information should not be considered complete and exhaustive and should not be in place of a visit or consultation with your own primary care doctor. Welcome to the Concierge Stock Podcast. I'm your host, CEO, and founder of Littleton Concierge Medicine, Dr. Jason Littleton. Welcome to the podcast. Today's guest, David Donnelly, is a documentary filmmaker whose debut film, Mastro, captured the world of classical music through the eyes of Grammy-winning conductor Pavo Harvey. His films have been screened at esteemed institutions and on networks and streaming services across the globe. His latest film, the award-winning documentary, Forever Young, takes viewers inside the scientific revolution that is redefining what it means to age and the deeply human questions that revolution forces us to face. Welcome to the podcast.

David Donnelly 3:18

So I think, like a lot of people, um I just started seeing in my feed several years ago all of this stuff about longevity. And I think it gets to the point to where it's it's overwhelming. You're just constantly getting all of this stuff, this the latest drug, or you know, what the what the billionaires are doing with the new companies. And I really just wanted to figure out like, you know, how much of this is BS and how much of this is real. So, you know, I spent three years finding the answer to that question. And the result is a documentary called Forever Young. We filmed all over the world, and it features some of the top longevity scientists and institutions from around the world. Um, and and that's what it is. And so now it's uh available to share with the world. And uh it's it's an exciting time for us to start, you know, getting people's feedback and and uh you know sharing, sharing our baby with the world.

Dr. Jason Littleton 4:12

Yeah, yeah. Now, you know, why now? Why did this story need to be told now?

David Donnelly 4:18

I think the the main thing is that with this information overload that we have, uh a lot of the good science that could be really transformational for people if they were to apply it is getting lost from the stuff that gets clicks. And so there's this knowledge gap that is starting to form. Um, the people that can, you know, have uh concierge doctors or have access to certain levels of information, they're getting a different level of care. But at the same time, there's fundamentals and knowledge that anybody can use and anybody can apply in their day-to-day lives. And this knowledge is just not getting out to the public. And so it's it's costing lives in some ways. And so what we want to do is bridge that gap. And so for us, the urgency is really to uh connect people with information that can improve the quality of their lives.

Dr. Jason Littleton 5:11

Yeah, yeah. When did when did longevity science stop feeling speculative to you?

When The Science Felt Real;

David Donnelly 5:18

That's that's a good question. Um, you know, my my creative process is exploratory. So I go into it not knowing where we're gonna end up. You know, a lot of documentary filmmakers, they kind of get they they have an idea of where it's gonna go. Um, we started, and uh our producers who are amazing, um, Dr. uh Jim Johnson and Dr. Thomas Lewis, you know, every step of the way, they were there to ensure that the film maintained its scientific integrity. And, you know, we got as we got questions answered, then there was more questions. And so we kind of just kept pulling that thread and and following it around. I think it got real for me. One of the things that I learned um is is about the aging cliff. You know, there's two points that we know of in a person's life where they have a disproportionate period of aging, one of those being in their mid-40s. Um, me being in my mid-40s, you know, as I learned about that, it kind of hit me. It's like, you know, if I really don't start taking this seriously, then it can have a serious impact for the rest of my life. Right. And I'm lucky enough to where I made that started making that decision throughout this process. And so I got my blood work done. And as I get my blood work done and I start to see the results, I think that the longevity science itself became super real when I got my blood work back and I started to evaluate it with longevity doctors, not like a normal GP, and realized that normal is not necessarily good, especially in America. Normal might be sick. Yeah. And that kind of blew me away because, you know, and and doctors are amazing. You know, they go through so much work, but it it's it's just a different paradigm to how to approach, you know, when it comes to longevity, prevention, you know, a preventative approach versus diagnosing something as it as it you know arises. And so as I'm looking at this, then I'm looking at it with a different mindset. And I think had I not made this documentary, had I gotten the same blood work, I would have been like, oh man, I'm good, you know, like everything looks good. But once you start to apply it to through a different lens, then you can see that, you know, I've I've really got to start making some big changes in my life.

Dr. Jason Littleton 7:29

Yeah, I love what you said. And let's go back to that. When you were talking about, you know, normal could be sick, you know, and first of all, in this worldwide, but also in this country, um, there's a focus on sick care, not preventive care. And you had some biomarkers that were done, and that changed your perspective. Was there any, and I know you're not a doctor, but was there any biomarker that stuck out to you as really important or that was a game changer that changed your perspective about your health and longevity?

Biomarkers, Thyroid, And LDL;

David Donnelly 8:06

Uh, I think um I think the big one for me was probably uh thyroid. Um that was important to me because it's not something I'd given a lot of attention to, and my numbers were considered normal. So, you know, nobody had told me maybe this needs some attention. And then when I'm speaking to, you know, doctors who's you know specializing in longevity, then it was like, well, you know, sure, it might be normal, but you know, you're going to the gym, you know what I mean, you're working out, it should be much different from what it is given your lifestyle. And so let's try to find some ways to get that stronger. Um, and so I I did start to attend to it. And um, you can apply things once you can kind of identify these problems and get them under control over, you know, for for long-term, long-term health. Um, I think another one that I became aware of, but wasn't particularly a problem for me, but something now that I'm very cognizant of um, you know, is LDL and cholesterol.

Dr. Jason Littleton 9:04

Yeah.

David Donnelly 9:05

Um, we've done a lot of research on this in our Substack.

Dr. Jason Littleton 9:09

Okay.

David Donnelly 9:09

Um, and that is something now that I keep a much greater eye on than I than I had previously. But, you know, there's just so much that's connected to inflammation. And once we start learning about how inflammation is impacting longevity and all the different things that can um influence it, then you can start to you know integrate some of these changes into your life to get it under control. And uh, you know, over a long term, um this this could potentially add on years and also quality of life. But um I just think in general, getting your blood work done regularly is now I think becoming kind of um cool. You know, you see a lot of ads for it. Um, but that's only a recent thing because I I do think that there's this idea that it's quite scary. Um, you know, you're because you you might be scared, oh God, what if it's not great? Or you know, it kind of forces you to deal with it. And and so it's just the process of of getting blood work done and understanding how to evaluate, self-educating, um, and kind of looking beyond just what's considered normal and and standard, and then comparing that to what is normal, uh, you know, especially in the United States, and being like, well, do we do you want to be like that?

Dr. Jason Littleton 10:23

You know, right.

David Donnelly 10:24

Um but yeah, I think and it's that's uh just just taking the responsibility to self-educate and having the accountability uh was a big step for me, um, versus just saying I'm gonna go to the gym and you know, and and try to watch what I eat and thinking that that was enough because because it's not, because there's a lot going on that you can't see.

Dr. Jason Littleton 10:45

Yeah, I think um, yeah, you're exactly right. And what in your estimation did longevity science get right?

David Donnelly 10:55

I think they get right. Well, this is the thing, is that it's just like any revolution, because what's happening right now is is a real revolution. So, you know, as a documentary filmmaker, that's one of the reasons that I made the film, because you know, if you could have captured the Renaissance or some of these amazing periods throughout human history, I do feel like that's what we're living through. It's it's this this whole paradigm that's shifting. Um but I I I think I think in general, um what they got right is the fundamentals. Uh there's a lot of hype and a lot of clicks around the latest drug or the latest treatments, um, what might be you know in vogue at the moment. But a lot of this wisdom that we're told as kids or that gets passed down, um, the basic fundamentals of sleep, diet, exercise, um, social connectivity, the science now really shows how that can influence your, you know, your biological age in who in a huge way. You know, before Steve Horvath, you know, came up with the Horvath clock, and we could start to have uh methylation as a biomarker, it was very hard to quantify um how these different things were affecting your health.

Dr. Jason Littleton 12:17

Yeah.

David Donnelly 12:17

But now we can actually measure it. And so I think a lot of people don't realize a lot of longevity science is very pragmatic. Uh, you know, they're not they're not all trying to cure death, they're just trying to study how these different things impact your life.

Healthspan Versus Lifespan;

Dr. Jason Littleton 12:30

Yeah. Well, you know, it's interesting. And and and let's let's talk about this for a second, because when we hear the word longevity, we think about expanding our life, living longer. But that doesn't necessarily mean that people are now living to 110 or 120, 130. What I'm seeing as a physician is that people's quality of life are is improving. And if your quality of life is improving, you know, technically you you could live longer because you're feeling better, you're doing better, your outlook's better, and you're catching things sooner, of course. Um what's what's your take on that in terms of length of time getting longer or people's quality of life getting better when we talk about longevity science?

David Donnelly 13:22

Well, one of the the way that a lot of the way the the top scientists they frame it in health span versus lifespan. You know, and this is all stuff that we talk about in the film. So, you know, health span is the quality of uh the quality of your life, you know, having good years. How many good years do you have left? Uh lifespan is just the biological reality of of how long a you know our species can can live. And right now we think it's at 122. Um, they are trying to push that, but that's I think that that's a kind of a different ball game than what a lot of the main uh longevity scientists and institutions, which is just to try to increase the health span. Um, right now, for example, people's biggest fear is no longer cancer like it was many years ago. It's now dementia. That's true. So, you know, if you're alive and um you you know you have dementia, which is now impacting millions of people and it's expected just to keep getting worse, right? You know, then that can't be considered longevity. So we have to differentiate between health span and lifespan.

Dr. Jason Littleton 14:26

Great point. Great point. That's that's very true. I'm seeing that as well. Um what do people get wrong? What does popular culture misinterpreter get wrong about longevity medicine?

David Donnelly 14:41

Well, I think in in general, it's it's like they're they're focused on what gets clicks if you're a journalist, right? And I get it, that's the business. You know, you you gotta have the the most, and so they're always interested in um, you know, what's the latest thing that the elites are doing, whether it's, you know, plasma blood transfers or um, you know, the Brian Johnson's, et cetera. And so the focus is all on kind of the uh extremes. And I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing because I think there does there do need to be people that push the limits. Um, at least I think so. Uh I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing. But I think what popular culture gets wrong is that that's all longevity scientists. Um, you know, uh a lot of the people that we interviewed are very pragmatic and they're doing science that is not every single day coming up with a new breakthrough. It takes years to come up with a general understanding that just continues to build on this foundation of science. You know, places like the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, you know, Einstein School of Medicine, um, they they spend years um studying stuff that might not always be as sexy as, you know, here's like the the latest thing that you can do, and here's a magic pill. Um, they're they're really focused on what you can do to improve the quality of your life. I think that's kind of the big misunderstanding, is that just like you know, you're watching a play, there's all these different characters. That's exactly what's happening right now. There's lots of different characters in the space. Yeah. And the they all have, they don't necessarily all have the same goal. But the actual uh a lot of the scientists that I've come to admire, they're not always in the press. They're not household names, you know, they don't have documentaries being made about them all the time, but they're dedicating their lives to stuff that is slowly helping us understand um what we can do to spend more time with our loved ones and you know, not get sick as early on in life. And I think that's really it it's it's really amazing to me and very inspiring to be around those people. But um, you know, as as a doctor, you know, science doesn't always science takes time. And so we we we need constant new stuff to come in the new cycle to say that there's this new breakthrough. But the reality is it does take a long time, you know, for for things to happen, especially to get a new drug approved.

Dr. Jason Littleton 17:06

Yeah. Yeah.

Peptides, Caution, And Coaching;

David Donnelly 17:07

Um, but you know, and and at the same time, two things can be true at once. There are all kinds of transformational studies that are happening in 2026. Um, there's anti-aging drugs that are going through human trials. There, there are lots of different things that we're coming to understand about applying drugs that have been around for a long time, but using them towards longevity versus what they were originally used for. And so there is that excitement as well. But um, I think to really understand it, you got to stick to the the fundamentals as a starting point because otherwise you're just gonna keep getting lost on, you know, what's what's the latest and greatest versus the the real foundation of knowledge that these scientists have spent decades building.

Dr. Jason Littleton 17:49

Yeah, right now, right now, you know, peptides are on the stage and they're they're in the spotlight at this uh present time. What what's your take about that?

David Donnelly 18:02

Uh without disclosing too much, um, I would say that I'm uh I'm experimenting. Uh so I have kind of a um a cautious approach. You know, I'm not a bio I don't consider myself a biohacker. Um, but I also do have, you know, the reality that, you know, your body changes over time. And, you know, um I think there's I think the main thing is to have someone that you're consulting with. Um, you know, I mean, I'm very fortunate in that I have access to a lot of amazing people that know a lot about this. Not everyone has that. Um, I mean, a lot of this stuff that you can get, you know, is if it's not from if it's not sourced properly, can not not have pure ingredients. Um, you know, if it's not measured, um, it can also have side effects. Um if if you're not getting your blood work done regularly to see how it's impacting you, you know, then it can also have negative things that you didn't think of. There's you know, polypharmaceutical effect, you know, if you if you're not clear as to how it's impacting the other stuff that you're taking. So that being said, I think there's a lot of hope for it. But just like I said, I mean, you know, right now that's what it is. Next year it's probably gonna be something else. So um I think, you know, I'm not a doctor, so you know, I can't give medical advice, but I I do think that it's very important to be working with medical professionals who know a lot about this stuff if you're going to be experimenting.

Fear, Control, And Lifestyle Power;

Dr. Jason Littleton 19:33

Yeah. Um you know, peptides are the rave, they're the craze right now. Um they're making a difference. You know, I prescribe them. Um, I'm seeing the benefits uh in people's lives. Um you know, I think they're gonna be here, here to stay here for a while. Science is always evolving, new technologies are always coming out. Um we're gonna learn something new in the next two to uh five years, especially in the age of AI, things are sped up. So um it's I think it's important to um stay flexible, current, knowledgeable, and um be able to make adjustments for the benefit of people's health and longevity. I I I I I I truly love what you've said. I want to move a little bit into talk about control, certainty, and fear. Um what are people actually afraid of when they say they fear aging?

Purpose, Ikigai, And Blue Zones;

David Donnelly 20:37

You know, the you know, you you watch the film, so you know, you know that it's not just a science documentary. We really get into the the existential problems that living longer is starting to cause. And so I think, you know, when you think of aging, you know, you're forced to face your own mortality. I mean, it's as simple as that. But um I think it's it's also uh about um when you're thinking of aging and you've got this fear associated with it, it's a lack of knowledge. It's it's something that you feel like is out of your control. And of course, there are things that are out of your control, and there's lots of healthy people of which you know things happen to them that don't make a lot of sense. And that's that is part of life. But at the same time, there is a lot that that we can control. And I think if people watch the film, they'll be very inspired to know as Eric, Dr. Eric Verden, CEO of the Buck Institute, says in the film 93% of your um your your your lifespan, your health span is determined by your lifestyle, um, not by your genetics. And that's a 180 from what a lot of people thought um even a decade ago. And if you are empowered by that knowledge, it kind of makes you realize that you can do a lot in your day to day life to you know make the odds. More in your favor. And I find that very inspiring. And I find that the more you learn about it, um, the less the fear uh kind of you know take takes you over. But um I also think there's the fear of um the existential, you know, fear of just, you know, have makes you rethink your priorities. The moment you start thinking about aging, you know, have I done in my life what I really wanted to accomplish? Um, how are my relationships? Uh, you know, am I gonna die alone? Which is something that we learned is really on the top list of people that are older, what they fear the most. Um, and so it it just forces you to, it's a wake-up call when you have a conversation about aging. And not everyone wants to have that conversation. There's a lot going on in the world. And so, you know, there's a lot of heavy stuff that's going on in the world. But I hope um when people watch the film that they'll agree that, you know, our take is very optimistic and hopeful. And ultimately, we wanted to create a tool and a resource that inspires people, yeah. Uh, you know, not scare them into thinking about this and also not making promises that, hey, there's gonna be a magic pill next year, but instead just saying this is happening. Um, there is we are living in the middle of a revolution. Uh artificial intelligence is, you know, is expediting that in a whole new way that we never thought possible. And it's it's an amazing time to be alive, to be able to watch this happening. And um, you know, I I think if you start to think of it that way, then it's something that's exciting and not something that's terrifying.

Dr. Jason Littleton 23:47

Yeah, let's let's talk about this purpose versus immortality. What what role does mortality play in giving life uh meaning?

Rethinking Retirement And Goals;

David Donnelly 23:58

Yeah, just the uh the light questions today, yeah. Um yeah, the it became much more of an emotional, I think, documentary than I had initially expected. Um, as we were going through this. But uh purpose is something, purpose and meaning is essential to having uh a healthy life. Um that's just really what it comes down to. And there's different cultures that have, you know, whether you learn about the blue zones and see how people are doing that in their day-to-day, whether it's your family, your community and Japan, you know, Ikigai, they've there's different, you know, different cultures have their different ways of expressing that. But when you are starting to think about aging, um you you it's it's hard to imagine a life without having a sense of purpose and meaning. Um, we now know that this system of retirement, for example, can a lot of times be very harmful to people um if they are living longer, because you know, our our entire system was not created for people to have four decades of retirement. It just it just wasn't. And so you have to find purpose and meaning in your life. And you know, we interviewed a lot of people, um, especially in in Japan, there was this very powerful interview um with um a woman who was born in Saipan during World War II. And of course, that island had terrible things that happened on it. And she saw you know a lot of people jump to their deaths from the cliffs, and um it just she went through a lot. And uh she's at this nursing home now in Tokyo where because they don't have a younger labor force to be able to take care of them, they're using robots and technology to come in and interact with these people. And it was just it really felt like I was on a different planet as we were filming that. But it really stuck with me what she said. She just said, you know, um all that matters right now is that we are at peace. And someone that's been through that, to her, that's that's the meaning, you know, it's it's peace. Um, somebody else, you know, still dances, you know, even though she's in her 90s. And it was interesting to kind of see what each of them, what their thoughts are, what their regrets are, and what their philosophy is. But the one thing they all had in common of people that are alive, you know, in their 90s that we interviewed, is that they did have a very strong philosophy and some understanding of why they are there and what their purpose is and what their meaning is. And I think that can be very hard to figure out in today's world. You know, there's just so much information coming at us 24-7. It doesn't give us a lot of time to reflect.

Death Meditation And Meaning;

Dr. Jason Littleton 26:54

I want to I want to piggyback on something that you were saying when we were talking about retirement. I think it's how people look at retirement. I think some people look at, well, I'm gonna work 40, 50, 60 years and then I'm gonna lay on the beach. And the retirement now becomes this long-gated vacation. Whereas before they had a sense of purpose by their job, perhaps, or what they were doing, and now they're relaxing. And I think the earlier people do that, at some point in that retirement, they almost go through a crisis where they are trying to figure out why am I here? What am I doing? Um what is my sense of purpose? And one of the things that I do in my practice, because that's a concern of mine, is that I ask people to give me five things that you feel like you must do before you leave Earth. Five things that get you out of bed. And I wrote this in my book, and I I talked about how um I gave an example of someone who was so depressed they said they could not get out of bed. And I said, Well, you know, let me give you a shocking example. If one of your children fell in the pool, would you get out of bed then? And the person just scoffed at me. He's like, Of course I would get out of bed. I'd jump in the pool and try to save them. I say, okay. So there is something you would get out of bed for. Now you have to have a goal that is so immediate, so purposeful, that you'll get out of bed as if you were saving that child. You also have to have goals like that, but they need to be lifelong goals because I found in practice that when people don't have these goals, they become demotivated. Yeah. Um and you can even connect it with a feeling of energy. You you don't you feel tired more, and um I think that all affects your health. You almost have to have something that connects what you're interested in to connect with your health to push the needle. So I just wanted to piggyback on what you were saying because I I loved what you were saying. I think that's so true what you you examined in the documentary. And I I just wanted to uh throw that in there. I I I agree with you on that.

David Donnelly 29:26

Um Yeah, I mean, to be clear, I'm not saying that retirement is a bad thing in itself. It's just that, you know, we have a whole generation of baby boomers that are now, you know, retiring. And um, as the science is happening and people are able to live longer than we expected, um, you know, if if they're not planning to live longer, there's all of these consequences that we're just starting to understand.

Dr. Jason Littleton 29:55

Yeah.

David Donnelly 29:56

And so, you know, there's got to be a a plan that attacks that purpose purpose and meaning element.

Dr. Jason Littleton 30:02

Yeah, I I I agree with you. I I think you said it well. Yeah, that makes sense. That makes sense. Um from a personal perspective, how did making the film change your thinking about time and purpose for you?

Role Models Redefining Age;

David Donnelly 30:18

Oh, that's that's a good question. Um so there was this um in the film we have a um a death duel, actually, which is I think people probably didn't expect, you know, when we threw that in there. But there's an exercise that you can do, and it's called a death meditation. And it seems like it can be, you know, something that's very not something that the every person want to do, you know, on a regular basis. But the the idea is that it's a thought experiment, not unlike what you just said before. You know, if you had your kid in the in in the pool, would you get up and immediately try to save them if they were drowning? You know, you're using you're you're thinking um of these different scenarios. And the the process is to really imagine you're at the end of your life and to start thinking about what that's like and what you've accomplished, you know, what you still want to do, and try to really put yourself in that position and then come back from that and realize that, okay, you do have this time that's available with a new perspective. Um and as Dr. Thomas Lewis says in the film, uh the only way to really find true purpose is to be a part of something that's larger than yourself, uh whatever that whatever that is. And I think that's one of the greatest challenges and joys and being a human is the pursuit of of that path. And uh you wouldn't think that that's part of you know longevity and the science of longevity, but it it really is, because in many ways we're getting kind of a bonus act of life. For so long, we've had kind of a three-act structure and the way that we live as humans. And now there's kind of creeping up on us is this fourth act of extra years. And in many ways, we're very unprepared for that. And a lot of that is is is psychological and um in some ways spiritual. And so we have to attend to that just as much as we attend to everything else. Because to go back to what we said earlier, what's the point of living longer if you know you're depressed and miserable and anxious, um, you know, or or streaming, you know, eight hours of Netflix a day or constantly staring at your phone. And and so these are these are real problems that we have to start dealing with. And to me, they're just as important as everything else because the science is happening. You know, whether people want to uh you know, admit it or not, or whether people are um skeptic, there's real longevity science that's happening. You know, this this thing is real, and it's it is going to continue to kind of bleed down into mainstream culture and eventually get, I think, to to the point to where everyone is kind of aware of these things on a different on a different level. But um we have to be prepared for that, you know, as as a society, as an individual, as a species. And we're just we're really not.

Students, Horvath, And Momentum;

Dr. Jason Littleton 33:10

I think people should ask themselves why they want to live longer. Now, that sounds kind of like a question like you know, a dumb question, but it's not really a dumb question. You know, you might say, well, of course I want to live longer because I don't want to die. But that's not what I'm asking. I'm asking, why do you want to live longer? What and that's a question of purpose again, because it says, How are you gonna feel that time? I'm gonna parallel that with a question I hear all the time is I feel tired. I want more energy. So the question I ask the person is, why do you need more energy? Because is it a charge that you want to feel from like an energy drink? Or do you have something that you're going to do with that energy? And so I challenge as a physician, I challenge people with that question all the time when they say, Hey, I feel tired, I need more energy. I say, okay, what are you trying to do? Because when you know what that is, all of a sudden you're like, okay, okay, I got it. Now I I can somewhat quantify the amount of energy I need, I can qualify it, and I can see it taking effect, so to speak.

David Donnelly 34:24

And so anyway, I I just I think I didn't, I think I had to go back to your original question that I'm sorry, I went on a tangent, but how did it change my idea of time? Yeah, um, you know, mortality. Um, you know, a big part of the film um was me spending time with a lot of people who are really living uh living this stuff, you know, not just talking about it. And uh Dr. Johnson, who's the the film's producer and also is a you know star in the film, you know, he's he's almost 80. And he's got a gym in his garage and a personal trainer, you know. And when I go and you know, I go there for business and hang out with him. I mean, this guy, you know, is doing planks and is working out hard and is constantly monitoring, you know, it's blood pressure. And to me, you know, it's completely changed my perspective of what can be possible when you're at when you're at that age. Yeah, that's how it's changed my view of time.

Dr. Jason Littleton 35:23

Yeah.

David Donnelly 35:24

Because I think the big thing was God, I don't want to be like that old person, you know what I mean, that can barely move. And who does want to be like that? Right. I mean, that's just the reality. But there, once you have a good example of of what you of what is possible, um then it can completely change the way that you think about things. Yeah. And that's definitely what happened to me. Yeah, you're I'm like, this is this is crazy, you know. I was like, this is this is nuts. I mean, it's just, you know, I've I had never kind of seen that before, right? Or certainly not spent time with somebody and and uh, you know, at that age, who's in, you know, and that you know, I'm working out with, yeah, or traveling with, you know?

Move, Stretch, And Daily Rhythm;

Dr. Jason Littleton 36:01

Yeah, I do. Yeah, I loved what you said there. I mean, look, you make documentaries, and let's just say, if you were a patient of mine and I asked you why do you want to live longer, you know, I wouldn't be surprised if you said, you know, Dr. Jason, I want to live to be 110 because I want to make more documentaries. I want to impact people and affect the way that they look at their world. I'm like, hmm, that's interesting. But that, if you were to say that, okay, you have a sense of purpose in that because you're expanding people's view through what you're putting out there in film. And not that that is your answer. I don't know. I'm just saying it's just a hypothetical, but you know, um, I perk up when I hear that because now I hear that patient on the other side um saying, like, hey, you know what? I'm motivated because of this. Now, let's just say you had a day job, but you were doing that. You stopped the day job, you retired, but your purpose in terms of impacting the world through documentaries still continues in that you have that sense of purpose. And now you're like, look, I need to live longer. I need my health span and lifespan to be the best possible. I need to feel great. Okay, that makes sense. That's interesting. I love hearing things like that, whatever it is.

David Donnelly 37:18

You see that too with you know, all these great directors that are doing great work in their 80s. You know, they made them great.

Dr. Jason Littleton 37:23

Yeah, exactly.

David Donnelly 37:23

I mean, they're doing huge movies that are completely, you know, uh, you know, huge budgets and it's so much stress. But I mean, they love doing it. And I think in many ways, um, having that sense of purpose or kind of a project that needs to get to completion, it it certainly is, you know, keeping a lot of people um, you know, healthy and and having that energy in the morning, like you said earlier, to get up and to do something. Um, yeah, it's it's it's it's really important to have the philosophical conversations as much as the scientific ones, in my opinion.

Dr. Jason Littleton 37:54

What do you hope people take from the February 25th screening?

Sleep, Travel, And Creativity;

David Donnelly 37:59

Yeah, so we have a screening at Cambridge coming up in the UK. Um it's uh featuring Dr. Steve Horvath, who is in the film, who is the you know, the creator of the Horvath clock, which uh really kind of launched the biomarker revolution um by being able to quantify uh biological aging through methylation. Um and he's just he's a he's a huge uh name in in longevity science. And so I'm interviewing him after the screening. It's sold out in three days, which was crazy.

Dr. Jason Littleton 38:33

Impressive.

David Donnelly 38:34

So um, and it's all students, it's most of the students. And so what I'm expecting is to get a younger person's perspective, because that is not um what comes to mind when you think of a documentary about longevity science, you immediately think that it's gonna be an older audience. But I think this is evidence that a lot of younger people really want to live healthier lives. Right. And these younger generations, they're taking it seriously.

Dr. Jason Littleton 38:57

Right. Yeah, yeah.

David Donnelly 38:58

And whether they want to go into it as a biotech field or whether they're just interested in it personally.

Dr. Jason Littleton 39:03

Yeah.

David Donnelly 39:04

I mean, these younger generations are there's, you know, the the backlash from all of the social media and the screen time, they're starting to understand how it's impacting their health. I what I hope comes from it is a really inspiring conversation with younger people and seeing how this thing is gonna continue and grow with them being at the forefront. That's what I hope comes out of it.

Dr. Jason Littleton 39:26

Yeah, wow, I love it. Now, I as I told you um off camera, I always ask everyone how they move e-drank sleep. And I want to ask you the same thing. And I'm gonna throw a little curveball at you because as I ask you how you move e-drank sleep, how has your investigation, your documentary might have influenced that? If it, you know, has it changed how you move eat, drink, sleep?

Hydration, Caffeine, And Flying;

David Donnelly 39:55

Oh, yeah. Please share. My health is done on 180 in the last last year, year and a half. So um 180. Uh so let's start with move. Um, you know, my job is writing and looking at footage most of the time. Um, you know, this is a big part of what I do. And so I'm sitting constantly. And so, you know, it is a challenge to kind of reminding myself to constantly be moving. So going to the gym for me is easy, you know. I get at my aggression, it's kind of in a rhythm that I've been doing it for a long time. You know, I played um, you know, sports in college and through high school. So that part for me is easy. But if you're not moving throughout the day, going to the gym once, you know, just isn't enough. So, you know, I'm I'm using my Apple Watch quite a bit to remind me to stand up. And I constantly now break up my sessions with walking around. I, you know, I'm I spend a lot of my time in London being able to walk around the neighborhood um and just going to get a coffee or going for a walk. Um, if the sun happens to pop out, which is not a lot, but making sure that I'm outside, you know, maybe going to the park and and during that time, keeping my phone off and disconnecting. Um, but it is a challenge for me. But I will say before making the film, I didn't realize that it was a challenge.

Dr. Jason Littleton 41:15

Yeah.

David Donnelly 41:16

So now I'm aware of how important movement is on a regular basis. Um, stretching, stretch every day. That's really important to me. I notice a huge difference when when I stretch and when I don't. Um I when it comes to sleep, um, that is challenging for me and that I'm traveling a lot. You know, I've filmed in 40 countries over the last 10 years.

Dr. Jason Littleton 41:40

Yeah.

David Donnelly 41:40

Um, you know, I'm I'm traveling quite a bit. And so um jet lag is jet lag, no matter, you know, it is just a reality of what happens when you're flying, you know, really high up in the air and then coming back down and landing. Right.

Dr. Jason Littleton 41:52

Right.

David Donnelly 41:53

And so there are the kind of little hacks that you can do. But I mean, you know, it's really tough on the body. That's just how it is. But um I'm an early riser and I get most of my creative work done before 9 or 10 a.m. You know, I'm usually up between five and five thirty, which means I'm going to bed quite early. Yeah. I don't monitor my sleep like a lot of people do, but for me, the thing that I've started doing the last year is I'm fortunate enough to where I try not to book anything that's kind of a hard commitment too early in the morning, right? So that I can carve out that time, unless it's connected to me as a you know, as a dad. But if I can not have any big commitments in the morning as far as calls or meetings or something that's urgent, if I can have that as my creative time and not have to wake up with an alarm, right? Um, that to me is the big thing.

Dr. Jason Littleton 42:43

That's big. I love I love that.

David Donnelly 42:46

That's something I've just started using in the last, I'd say in the last six, six months to a year, and I notice a big difference with that.

Dr. Jason Littleton 42:53

Yeah.

David Donnelly 42:53

You know, um, and that I understand that's a luxury too. Not everyone can do that, you know what I mean? But but I do uh deliberately try to schedule and create my life to where I don't have to wake up to an alarm so that some nights I might need to sleep a little bit more than other nights, and then I just let my body do the work.

Dr. Jason Littleton 43:10

Right.

David Donnelly 43:11

But um, yeah, sleep, it's it's just so important. Um you know, it we could do uh a a whole nother documentary just on how important sleep is, but without question.

Dr. Jason Littleton 43:22

Um I said without question, you're absolutely right.

David Donnelly 43:27

Yeah, I mean, I I'd love to, I'm excited to kind of you know listen to your upcoming podcast and learn more about you know the the sleeping part of it because um I I wouldn't say it's it's uh when I'm not traveling, I've got a really good rhythm. Uh that's that's for sure. But it's just the travel just just really just really takes its toll.

Why Watch Forever Young;

Dr. Jason Littleton 43:45

I and and I want to say uh, you know, you're exactly right about getting in a plane and the effect that flying has on you, especially when you travel a lot, and how it can impact your health. Sleep's a part of that, especially with time changes, jet lag, things like that. But one of the things when I thought about and when I designed move, eat, drink, sleep, one of the things I thought about is that when a person focuses on these basics, it can add, it's it's like a buffer. And so people who are really taking care of their body, it buffers you in a way. It can buffer you in a way to like some of the jet lag and to, you know, just some of the things that you have to change on the fly, whether it's like waking up early, an unexpected call, these shifts. I think that the healthier a person is, they can make adjustments even when it comes to feeling under the weather a little bit better. I mean, when it came to COVID, people who uh were younger and healthier to some degree, you know, did a little bit better, right? Versus people who had a lot of we we knew that people who had comorbid illnesses, whether it's COPD, asthma, diabetes, heart disease, obesity, you know, that was a challenge. And the best that you can like optimize your body can make a difference. But likewise, I think um when people get back to the basics, no matter what new technology is on out there, yeah. I think the new technology is good. Don't get me wrong. I think it's all good. Yeah, yeah. But when you take care and do self-care, I think it makes a difference.

Where To Watch And Subscribe

David Donnelly 45:32

Oh, huge. And I think anybody that watches the documentary, they'll be very inspired because I think that's empowering. It's empowering to know that there's things that you can do within your control, you know, that can actually influence this. But you know, people sleep differently. They have different, you know, there's bodies are also different. But for me, too, I will say that integrating in peptides has improved the quality of my sleep quite dramatically in in the last six months. Um, you know, I it's I think it changes between people, but um, for me, that has also really improved the the quality of my sleep. Uh I've noticed a lot of big changes um from cautiously starting to, you know, um uh integrate some of these different things into my into my life. But um, and then we've got drink. Uh hydration uh is something that I would say is one of my biggest challenges in my day-to-day life. I understand how important it is, but uh, you know, I'm just not the guy that carries around a giant water bottle and drinks it all day long. I know that's probably what I should do, but um I do notice a difference when I'm well hydrated. I do notice a difference that, you know, when I'm in a sunny place and I'm drinking more water, you know, I feel better not just because of the sun, but also because it's making me drink more water. Um I do have to force myself, I think, to make sure that I'm drinking enough water on a daily basis. I think that comes back to travel as well, too. So um I'd love to hear any advice that you have for that, because that is certainly something that um I I need to I need to get in a better system in place for that.

Dr. Jason Littleton 47:07

What I usually tell people on this, you know, uh when it comes to hydration is, you know, drinking water is paramount. We it's basic, we know that, but electrolyte water can make a difference, certainly. Watching out for things that dehydrate people. You know, I always ask people during a physical exam, how much caffeine do you drink? You know, everyone likes their cup of coffee.

David Donnelly 47:30

No, no, no comment, Doctor.

Dr. Jason Littleton 47:31

Yeah, right. People don't, and I wrote this in my book. People do not want you touching their coffee. I get that. And I'm not saying don't have your coffee. Coffee actually has a lot of um benefits as far as antioxidants and things like that. But I, you know, but there you can get into a trend of drinking five cups of coffee a day and it can dehydrate you. Alcohol can dehydrate you. So these things pull water out of you and it can affect how you feel, can affect how energized you feel. You can feel more tired, you can have headaches. And so I try to tell people, you know, make sure that you're drinking enough fluid based on your health status. Some people have to drink a different amount. If you have uh congestive heart failure or kid, you know, renal failure, you're gonna have to drink less. But staying hydrated and not taking things to an excess where they're dehydrating you, like caffeine, is important. So that's what I that's what I like to tell people. When you're flying, you are in an environment where the humidity is one to two percent.

David Donnelly 48:38

Yeah.

Dr. Jason Littleton 48:39

And you're in a pressurized environment and water is just coming out of you. So that's why when you're in an airport, you'll see a lot of water, electrolyte drinks, uh, niche type of electrolyte drinks um or powders to keep because they know that people are starting to figure out that when you fly, you get dehydrated, you feel tired, you feel more jet lag. So you got to stay hydrated. So things like that, I like to tell people. Um but listen, I think that I'm I'm excited about I'm excited about your documentary. Um you know, you know, before we end here, I you know, people need to see this. I want to give you a final word on, you know, to just kind of tell people why they need to come see your documentary.

David Donnelly 49:33

Sure. So we're in the midst of a revolution that's happening. And the only question is, are you gonna be a part of it or not? And the film is a great uh point of entry for wherever you are in your longevity journey. Uh whether you're just curious about making life changes, whether you are really into it and want to see some familiar faces in that space. Um, but there is something for everybody. It's not just a science documentary, it's really a documentary about what it means to be human, our greatest hopes, dreams, wildest dreams, uh, and and also our deepest fears. And I think above all, it's it's really a love story, you know, which surprises a lot of people. I mean, there's a science fiction storyline that is integrated throughout, and that's just part of what it means to be human. That it's really hard to have the conversation about longevity if we're not putting that in context with other people. What's the point of living a hundred years if you're on Mars by yourself? It's it's gotta be about your relationships to other people. And that's a huge takeaway that there's this fifth vital sign of the status of your relationships that's often being ignored. And overall, I think it's inspiring. And we've had a lot of people tell us that it's inspired them to change their lives and make big changes in their lives and to um rethink what it means uh to age in general. And we just want to continue sharing, you know, this message because it's just not getting out there enough. These scientists are great at science. What they're not so great at is getting the word out to people because they're just really good at doing science. So, you know, we're the Calvary out there trying to get this stuff out. That if you really start to self-educate, um, it's so surprising what can happen when you just do a little bit of due diligence. It can go a long way.

Dr. Jason Littleton 51:32

Love it. Where can listeners learn more about you and the film?

David Donnelly 51:37

Uh, ForeverYoung.film is the film's website um right now. You can go directly on the film's website to watch it before it gets streamers. So don't wait for it to go on streamers. You can actually watch it right now with a three-day rental. Um, we also have a Substack of Forever Young Substack, which is also linked up to our site. And we are having, you know, content drops probably two or three times a week. And that is just a continuing journey of really digging into this stuff. And um, that's also something that I think is a great way to really dig in deep and get your questions answered from the top people in the fields because we're constantly bringing people in and asking the questions that people want to have answers to.

Dr. Jason Littleton 52:22

Love it, love it. Well, I want to just thank you for coming on the Concierge Doc Podcast. And I want to make sure you listeners out there to check out his film. Make sure you download this podcast and share it. Also, make sure you hit the subscribe button on YouTube, follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook. And I'm looking forward to the next time we get a chance to sit down and talk with you, David. And thank you. I wish you the best.

David Donnelly 52:58

I think I'm going to have to uh fill out a new patient form there.

Dr. Jason Littleton 53:01

So I need to come on through. We'd love to have you.

David Donnelly 53:04

I need a longevity doctor in Florida. So let's let's have that separate conversation.

Dr. Jason Littleton 53:08

Absolutely. Absolutely. Well, audience, thank you for watching this podcast. I can't wait to talk to you next time. Talk to you every time.

David Donnelly 53:16

Thank you so much.

Dr. Jason Littleton 53:17

Absolutely.