Living a Longer, Better Life

by Mike Straus | July 1, 2026

Diet and lifestyle factors can help your patients maintain vitality and functionality in old age—or even extend their lifespan.

Healthy aging and longevity are becoming a growing priority for the expanding population of older adults in the United States, and even younger adults are looking at ways to set themselves up for better health in old age. In fact, the United Nations declared 2021 to 2030 the Decade of Healthy Aging in an effort to improve the lives of older adults. According to a McKinsey Future of Wellness survey that encompassed more than 9,000 consumers from four different countries, healthy aging and longevity is one of six major growth areas in the wellness space.1 In fact, according to McKinsey data, up to 60 percent of consumers report that healthy aging is a top or very important priority. Even younger demographics are starting to take advantage of longevity products, with these consumers aiming to take a proactive approach to health rather than a reactive one. As the healthy aging and longevity space heats up, there are several approaches that natural health practitioners can take to help their patients age better.

Dietary and Lifestyle Factors Matter

It should come as no surprise to any practitioner that diet and lifestyle are key factors in determining how well patients age and how much they can extend their lifespans. Catherine Clinton, ND, is a licensed naturopathic physician and the founder of the Quantum Biology Health Institute in Portland, OR. Dr. Clinton noted that having a diet rich in protein, fiber and colorful fruits and vegetables is key to ensuring patients receive the macronutrients and phytochemicals necessary for longevity. Adding fermented foods, she explained, can support the gut microbiome, which is also key to healthy aging.

“One of the most important things we can do to maintain our health in old age is to create foundations that allow everything we do to support longevity to have more impact,” Dr. Clinton explained. “You can eat right and supplement properly, but if the foundations aren’t there, those interventions won’t work well.”

Foundational longevity work, according to Dr. Clinton, includes getting natural light in the morning and lowering the lights at night to support the circadian rhythm. It also means getting movement every day to support the mitochondria and muscles. Furthermore, she explained, time in nature and meaningful social connections can improve mental health, another key piece of longevity.

Account executive, business development Jake Happel at ingredient supplier Applied Food Sciences in Kerrville, TX said that the Mediterranean diet remains the gold standard for healthy aging, primarily because it is rich in antioxidants and healthy fats. Happel explained that incorporating clean-label, plant-based foods that naturally combat oxidative stress is essential to healthy aging.

Jason Sailesh Dave, NMD, MS, is a medical advisor with Restorative Formulations in Montpelier, VT. Dr. Dave explained that a nutrient-dense dietary pattern is foundational to longevity; this includes high phytonutrient density, a stable glycemic load, adequate protein intake, a balanced intake of healthy fats, and time-restricted eating. Furthermore, he said, lifestyle remains the most powerful modifiable determinant of aging trajectory.

“The most evidence-supported interventions include physical activity, especially strength training; stress-regulation practices, sleep optimization and cognitive engagement,” Dr. Dave explained. “Strength training in particular preserves muscle mass, improves insulin sensitivity, supports bone density, and has been shown to reduce all-cause mortality.”

Nitesh Khakhar, national sales manager at HealthAid America in Sunnyvale, CA, said that quality sleep, stress management and social connection are all key lifestyle factors that can support healthy aging and long-term wellness.

Michael A. Smith, MD, director of education and spokesperson for Life Extension in Fort Lauderdale, FL, noted that calorie restriction, which involves consuming fewer calories than normal while maintaining adequate nutrient intake, has been shown to extend lifespan in animal models. He added that intermittent fasting may provide similar benefits.

Emerging Supplements Can Support Aging Consumers

For supplement brand Mega Resveratrol’s founder and chief executive officer Doron Efrat in Danbury, CT, healthy aging starts with preventive care and targeted use of supplements. Efrat explained that supplements like resveratrol, NMN and NAD+ are primarily taken to boost the levels of NAD+ in the body, which drives cellular energy, DNA repair and metabolism. Other dietary supplements that can support healthy aging, Efrat said, include vitamin D, omega-3
fatty acids, vitamin B12, curcumin and probiotics.

Brianne Bovenizer, CHN, is a client success strategist with AlgaeCal in Calgary, Canada. Bovenizer said that the research on healthy aging has shifted significantly in the past decade, with musculoskeletal function coming to the forefront as one of the major predictors of longevity.

“Resistance training, adequate protein intake, omega-3 fatty acids, magnesium, vitamin K2 and comprehensive mineral support have received growing scientific attention,” Bovenizer said. “A large 2026 study in JAMA found that older women with greater muscular strength had significantly lower mortality risk, even when researchers controlled for physical activity, sedentary time and other major age-related factors.”

Bovenizer also noted that research is now demonstrating that aging is deeply interconnected. Muscle health influences metabolic health, she said, while bone health influences mobility and fall risk. Healthy aging isn’t about a single longevity nutrient; rather, Bovenizer concluded, it’s about supporting the body’s resilience as an integrated system.

Rudrani Banik, MD, is a neuro-ophthalmologist in New York, NY, an associate professor of ophthalmology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and a Natural Practitioner Advisory Board Member. Dr. Banik noted that some of the most evidence-based natural health products for maintaining healthy vision in old age include omega-3 fatty acids, macular carotenoids like lutein and zeaxanthin, B vitamins, vitamin D and phytonutrients like curcumin.

“These compounds may help reduce inflammation, oxidative stress, vascular dysfunction and mitochondrial decline, all of which contribute to age-related eye diseases like macular degeneration and glaucoma,” Dr. Banik said. “From a neuro-ophthalmology perspective, nutrients that support both brain and retinal health are especially important because the eye and brain are highly metabolically active tissues that are vulnerable to oxidative damage.”

Omega-3 fatty acids are another key nutrient in supporting healthy aging. William S. Harris, PhD, is the founder and president of the Fatty Acid Research Institute and the founder of OmegaQuant, a nutritional analytics company based in Sioux Falls, SD. OmegaQuant’s line of Omega-3 Index Tests measures the amount of EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) in the blood.

“Omega-3 fatty acids, particularly EPA and DHA, play a critical role in healthy aging by supporting cardiovascular, cognitive and inflammatory pathways that influence long-term health outcomes,” Dr. Harris said. “Higher tissue levels of omega-3s, often measured via the Omega-3 Index, have been associated with lower risk of all-cause mortality, improved cardiometabolic health, and better preservation of cognitive function with age.”

Dr. Harris explained that omega-3 fatty acids help modulate chronic low-grade inflammation, maintain cell membrane integrity, and support vascular and neuronal function, all of which are key factors in promoting longevity and extending healthspan.

In addition to these vitamins and omega-3s, emerging research has found that a basic multivitamin can help older patients maintain general health. Dr. Heather Shenkman is a board-certified interventional cardiologist and medical advisor to supplement brand 1MD Nutrition in Burbank, CA. Dr. Shenkman noted that the strongest evidence for supporting longevity is in correcting nutritional deficiencies. Most older adults, she said, commonly fall short on vitamin B12, folate, zinc and magnesium, which means a daily multivitamin is a recommended measure for patients who cannot meet their nutritional needs through food alone.

Practitioners Can Help Patients Prevent Health Problems

While no one can outrun the Grim Reaper, there are several steps that practitioners can take to help patients age better, extend their lifespans, and prevent age-related health problems. Dr. Clinton noted that prevention is key. Healthy eating, movement, sleep, circadian alignment, time in nature, and meaningful social connections are all important steps in maintaining health in aging patients. Furthermore, Dr. Clinton encourages her patients to create lifestyle routines that support healthy aging and longevity; she said that making this endeavor easy and approachable is the best way to help ease patients into a lifestyle that prevents age-related disease.

Happel said that practitioners can make an impact by helping patients build a resilient foundation. This includes recommending proactive daily protocols that support immune function, cellular detoxification and joint mobility.

For Dr. Dave, the most important shift practitioners can make is moving their focus from disease management to early detection and functional optimization. Age-related diseases like cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis, he said, have decades-long trajectories before clinical diagnosis, which means practitioners do have a window to intervene.

“Clinically, I focus on comprehensive functional testing that goes beyond standard labs,” Dr. Dave explained. “Advanced lipid panels, inflammatory markers, fasting insulin, hormone panels and nutrient status, for instance. These give a much more nuanced picture of where a patient is on the aging spectrum.”

Dr. Dave also noted that early cognitive monitoring is vital. Patients who mention subtle changes in word-finding, mental energy or focus are presenting signals worth taking seriously. He noted that the dopaminergic and cholinergic systems are among the first to show age-related wear, so supporting them early is far more effective than trying to restore function after a significant decline.

Dr. Smith, meanwhile, explained that screening for diseases that increase in risk with age should be done on a regular basis. Lifestyle assessment and guidance, he said, should be a part of an annual physical examination:

“If needed, practitioners should be willing to provide referrals to nutritionists, dieticians or other specialists, prescribe exercises, and assist patients in keeping up with and applying the current scientific knowledge around healthy aging.”

Dr. Alexander Zubkov, board-certified neurologist and medical advisor to 1MD Nutrition, said that patient education is critical. Patients need to understand why interventions matter and how their daily habits influence long-term neurological and metabolic health. Sustainable behavior changes, he said, produce far greater longevity benefits than temporary interventions.

For Bovenizer, one of the most important shifts practitioners can make is to encourage patients to move from a reactive health care model to a preventive one. Many age-related conditions, such as osteoporosis, sarcopenia, metabolic dysfunction and cardiovascular disease develop gradually over decades before symptoms appear.

“Practitioners should also recognize how interconnected age-related conditions are,” Bovenizer said. “Loss of muscle mass increases fall risk. Reduced mobility contributes to insulin resistance and inflammation. Poor sleep impairs recovery and cognitive function. Addressing these systems together often produces better outcomes than treating them in isolation.”

Most importantly, Bovenizer said, practitioners should help patients understand that healthy aging is modifiable. While aging itself is inevitable, the rate of functional decline is highly influenced by nutrition, physical activity, sleep quality, stress and social engagement.

Jonathan N. Group, RD, DC, of Houston, TX-based Global Healing noted that practitioners should teach their patients about Root Cause philosophy. By teaching patients why they have acute or chronic issues, he said, patients can become empowered to clean up their diet and lifestyle. “Early teaching about detoxification of the intestinal tract first, followed by the liver and gallbladder, will start patients on the proper track of healing,” Dr. Group explained.

Healthy Aging and Longevity to Focus on Personalization

Bovenizer believes the future of healthy aging will increasingly be personalized and focused on function. Practitioners and supplement brands are moving beyond the idea that aging is simply about lifespan or cosmetic appearance, and are instead shifting focus toward preserving mobility, cognition, metabolic resilience and quality of life.

“We’re also seeing growing recognition that many aspects of aging are deeply interconnected,” she said. “And the future will likely involve more personalized nutrition, better biomarker tracking, earlier intervention and more comprehensive approaches that address the body as an integrated system.”

Dr. Banik, meanwhile, said that aging doesn’t have to mean inevitable decline. Many chronic diseases associated with aging, such as vision loss and cognitive decline, are strongly influenced by daily life choices. The goal, Dr. Banik said, shouldn’t be just to live longer, but to preserve healthspan.

Happel noted that sourcing and transparency matter now more than ever in the longevity space. Today’s consumers, he said, are highly educated and more discerning about product quality and efficacy than ever before.

Dr. Zubkov explained that the longevity space is rapidly moving toward personalized medicine and precision health.

“We’re seeing a growing interest in mitochondrial medicine, biologic age testing, peptide therapies, regenerative medicine, continuous metabolic monitoring, microbiome optimization, and AI-assisted preventive health care,” Dr. Zubkov explained. “Future longevity medicine will likely focus less on isolated diseases and more on maintaining systemic resilience across the lifespan. Earlier intervention, individualized care plans, and integration of lifestyle medicine with advanced diagnostics will continue shaping the field.”

Patients to Continue Seeking Longevity Solutions

The healthy aging and longevity space continues to heat up as aging consumers look for ways to delay or avoid age-related health conditions. Patients are increasingly interested in dietary and lifestyle interventions that can help them to stay healthier as they age, from maintaining eye health, to managing age-related muscle loss, to metabolic concerns and more. Brands are responding to this growing interest in preventing age-related disease and living longer by providing practitioners with science-driven formulations that cover nearly every aspect of aging. Emerging supplementation solutions include promoting mitochondrial health, preserving musculoskeletal function, maintaining cognitive function, and reducing all-cause mortality.

All of these factors mean that natural and holistic health practitioners are better positioned than ever before to help patients set themselves up for healthy aging, while simultaneously extending patient lifespans and healthspans. Natural and alternative medicine professionals should prioritize discussing longevity with their patients in a way that is non-judgmental and optimistic. These discussions can happen with patients of any age; while older patients may be more immediately concerned with longevity and healthy aging, younger patients are likely taking a more proactive approach toward aging and would appreciate their practitioners’ support. As more consumers become interested in healthy aging and longevity, practitioners will want to research the most effective dietary, supplemental and lifestyle interventions that can promote healthspan and extend lifespan.

Reference:

1 Pione A et al. “The $2 trillion global wellness market gets a Millennial and Gen Z glow-up.” McKinsey. Published online May 29, 2025.

Healthy Take Aways

• A diet rich in protein, fiber and colorful fruits and vegetables is key to longevity.
• Getting natural light in the morning and lowering the lights at night to support the circadian rhythm can help to promote healthy aging.
• Omega-3 fatty acids help modulate chronic low-grade inflammation, maintain cell membrane integrity, and support vascular and neuronal function, all of which are key factors in promoting longevity and extending healthspan.