The Age-Old Question

SIXTEENTH-CENTURY SPANISH EXPLORER Juan Ponce de León never did find the Fountain of Youth. Instead, a poisoned arrow struck his thigh and took his life. He was only 47.

Many have taken up his quest in hopes of putting an end to aging, and today a veritable industry has sprung up around the search for a way to live longer, whether through drugs, diet, lifestyle, exercise—or even cold showers. Gifford, an Outside magazine correspondent and DAM contributor, embarks on a grand tour of the state of that industry. With a mix of hope, cynicism and self deprecation as he plays guinea pig, Gifford meets up with dozens of anti- aging scientists and laymen, doctors and quacks, controversies and quick fixes. It’s never dull. “We’re bombarded with confusing health news, each study contradicting the next,” Gifford tells DAM, “and everybody seems to be promising to have the secret or the magic pill or diet to cure all our ailments. I see my job as helping my readers cut through the noise and the scams.”

There are many poisoned arrows. And a little bit of promise. Gifford’s cast of characters includes A-Rod, Suzanne Somers, Peruvian mummies, lab rats, a buff septuagenarian named Dr. Life (seriously), athletes in the Senior Games, a guy named Phil Bruno who undergoes a 200-pound weight loss, Dr. Alois Alzheimer and a 57-year-old who insists the key to staying young is taking cold showers. As Gifford submits his body to scientists and explores his family history, he learns not only that we all age differently, but also that every alleged fountain of youth—whether caloric, mental, cellular or medicinal—has a dark or unknown side.

Engaging and informative, Spring Chicken offers two points that can- not be questioned: There’s no panacea for getting older, and the La-Z-Boy is a killer. As Gifford says, the best way to unlock longevity pathways is through exercise, the only proven method of slowing or reversing the ag- ing process. “That’s why I spend most of my procrastination time on my bike,” he says.

Spring Chicken: Stay Young Forever (or Die Trying) GRAND CENTRAL PUBLISHING 384 PP. $27