Chasing Life: New Discoveries in the Search for Immortality to Help You Age Less Today (Hardcover)

~ Sanjay Gupta (Author)
Key Phrases: chasing life, practical immortality, stem cell treatments, United States, American Cancer Society, President Bush (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Readers seeking the key to everlasting life will find some clues in neurosurgeon Gupta's survey of the latest research on longevity. Gupta, CNN's chief medical correspondent, touches on recent breakthroughs as he offers some basic guidelines for adding years to what he and other aging experts call "health span." The goal, Gupta says, is not merely to live longer. To help readers live longer and better, he boils down conflicting health advice and makes some surprising prescriptions. For example, it is not what you eat, but how much you eat that affects longevity; vitamin supplements may be a waste of time and money; and a little upper-body strengthening is far more effective than an hour on a StairMaster. To support this advice, Gupta relates the experiences of a 103-year-old woman from Okinawa; a former executive who began training at age 86 and is a record-breaking sprinter at age 92; and others who are aging well by staying active, eating wisely, being positive and maintaining strong social networks. While stem cell injections, nanotechnology, cryonics and other possible therapies are on the horizon, Gupta tells readers that extending life today is as easy as eating less, moving more and exercising the brain. While Gupta's mix of futuristic science and do-it-yourself advice is far from seamless, many readers will find the lessons in his tales of the long lived worthwhile. (Apr.)
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Review

Dr. Sanjay Gupta prescribes sensible, evidence-based advice for living a long and healthy life. He evaluates the latest scientific research on life extension, looks at anti-aging claims, and concludes that informed lifestyle choices are your best hope of maintaining good health as you age. Chasing Life is good medicine. -- Andrew Weil, author of Healthy Aging

Is it possible to have the exquisite combination, the wisdom of experience along with biology of youth? In his book, CHASING LIFE, Dr. Sanjay Gupta shows you how. -- Deepak Chopra, MD, FACP, author of Ageless Body, Timeless Mind

My friend Dr. Sanjay Gupta has written a book that makes sense when it comes to staying healthy, making important medical decisions and preserving quality of life. This book is probably the closest we'll get to a map to the fountain of youth. -- Lance Armstrong, Cancer survivor, Seven-time Tour de France Champion and founder of the Lance Armstrong Foundation

Sanjay Gupta is at his best in CHASING LIFE, covering everything from illegal stem cells to the scientific edges of memory. To achieve your own version of immortality, you can simply 'page' Dr. Gupta by turning the first page of this groundbreaking new book. -- Mehmet C. Oz, MD, coauthor of the New York Times bestsellers You: The Owner's Manual and You: On a Diet

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Wellness Central; 1 edition (April 9, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446526509
• ISBN-13: 978-0446526500
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #136,401 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb book!, April 18, 2007

By	Kathryn J. Alexander "Co-Author; Easy Labor, ... (North Carolina) - See all my reviews

What a joy to read this book! My own area of expertise lies in birth, but as much if not more on the minds of most of us is the other event that we will all experience: death.
A morbid topic indeed, and one that most of us would like to postpone for as long as possible. Dr. Gupta does not give us a magic potion on how to achieve longevity, but he does discuss the proverbial "fountain of youth" with wisdom, insight and wit.
This book is an easy read, and most enjoyable. It is filled with pearls of sage advice, including a great discussion of the importance of mind-body connections, great diet tips, the importance of emotional as well as physical health, and tips for achieving all of these goals, and much more.
One of the best parts of the book is that each chapter begins with a single page titled "Paging Dr. Gupta". These pages highlight the important points of each chapter.
My favorite theme of the book was the excellent advice on nutrition. Suffice to say that your mother was right - eat your fruits and vegetables! But you have to love a book that also lets us know that some "unlikely elixirs" may very well be good for us. So after we finish those fruits and vegetables, Dr. Gupta reminds us that "dark chocolate, wine and coffee" all have health benefits. My kind of doctor!

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Basic Primer for Longevity, August 22, 2007

By	bronx book nerd (Bronx, NY USA) - See all my reviews

I found this book a somewhat frustrating read. At times it seems as if it were written strictly for a tv audience, with the content skirting over issues in a glib and lackadaisical tone. It does mention early on that a companion tv series is in the works, and I got the impression that the book is a sort of script for the tv program. There is also some very poor writing, which at times made me feel that Dr. Gupta should have spent more time chasing editors instead of chasing life.

There is a lot of good basic longevity information but nothing that has not been revealed elsewhere. There are some gems in here, like the very clear explanation on what happens in cells to promote the aging process. At the same time, Gupta covers a lot areas that are still very speculative but doesn't tell you that until after you've read the few paragraphs or pages on that topic. This habit starts with the introduction, where he talks extensively about stem cell injections currently occuring in Russia, only to end the section by saying, essentially, "we're not there yet but there's a lot of other good stuff in my book you can follow".

The meat in this book is located at the end of each chapter where Gupta lists the top tips for that section to promote longevity. Again, most of these are not anything new, but each page could be a handy reference (for the rest of us) to help us establish new, longevity promoting habits.

In sum, the book is a good primer on longevity but takes too many detours in speculative areas and can sometimes jar you with its poor writing.

23 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A smooth and enjoyable ride in search of the elusive elixir of life, April 13, 2007

By	Yesh Prabhu, author of The Beech Tree (Plainsboro, New Jersey) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Man's quest for the elusive elixir of life, of course, has been going on since the ancient times indeed.

This charming book stands out among the innumerable books of the genre - books that purport to tell you the secret to a long and productive life and also help you to live even longer than that sturdy oak tree in your backyard. It stands out because it is most readable. Written in simple, understandable English, full of humorous anecdotes and devoid of any hyperbole, the book will startle and astonish the reader with its array of scientific facts, shrewd observations and social commentary.

Much of the facts assembled here are not new; some of them have been known for over two thousand years, and many have been well known and understood for over thirty or forty years. For example, the ancient Indians knew, as mentioned in Ayurveda that turmeric is good for your health - they called it a "blood purifier"; now scientists tell us that turmeric has anti-oxidants, and it is a bactericide also, and that it has the ability to heal some of the fungal and bacterial infections of skin and blood: presto- it's a blood purifier! "Eating foods like dark chocolate and dishes containing the spice turmeric and drinking red wine, green tea, and even coffee can all help you live longer and healthier, with a dramatically sharper mind, " the author states.

Also, it has been known now for over thirty years that it's better to be slightly under-nourished than over-nourished. With over-nourishment comes the danger of diabetes and hypertension. The author explains clearly why humans and animals live longer on a meager, low-calorie diet.

It's an undeniable fact that nothing can stop aging, of course. We can only delay perhaps the effects of the onset of aging. Dr. Gupta says, "Nothing can stop aging, but we can take steps to increase our chances of living longer, healthier lives."

The book is full of startling facts: that although genetics do appear to play a role in how long we live, studies suggest that our DNA accounts for only about 30 percent of how long we live; and some not so startling facts such as deep breathing is very important to live a long life.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book. It is free of medical jargons. It's written in such simple prose that even average readers with ordinary education can read and understand it without reaching for a dictionary repeatedly. And more important, readers can implement in their own life the ideas espoused and suggestions given by Dr. Gupta, and improve both the quality of their life and also their longevity.