Almost Forever

Biology is now an engineering problem with Dr. Darshan Shah

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Board-certified surgeon, longevity specialist, and Next Health founder Dr. Darshan Shah — named Longevity Doctor of the Year — sits down with Almost Forever hosts Renee and Melanie to make the case that the sickcare system is built to save your life, not keep you healthy, and what to do about it. Dr. Shah walks through the 10 to 15 biomarkers everyone should be tracking and why 50% of people don't know they have heart disease until their first heart attack. He also opens up about his own turning point and purpose that changed everything. Plus AI in healthcare: digital twins, the Yamanaka factors, and why the smartest minds in tech believe biology is about to become "an engineering problem" we can finally solve.

In our Mailbag: which peptides are worth using, whether cold plunging is bad for you, why Dr. Shah does a quarterly Prolon 5-Day Fasting Mimicking Diet, and whether those mushroom coffees are really doing anything.

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Transcript

Chapters:
0:00 "Our whole mission is to reverse chronic disease — and keep you so healthy you never get one in the first place."
1:04 Myth or Method: Is the fluoride in your water helping or harming you?
14:00 Meet Dr. Darshan Shah — Longevity Doctor of the Year, Next Health founder, MD at 21
16:04 Inside Next Health: the "Apple Store of health" built to reverse chronic disease
17:28 Making prevention accessible — the $99/month membership and using your HSA
19:24 The 10–15 biomarkers everyone should track (and why your doctor doesn't)
23:45 Why 35% of executive physicals uncover a hidden, life-threatening condition
24:33 Heart disease: why 50% don't know until their first heart attack — and the $150 scan that catches it
28:07 No Next Health nearby? How to understand your own biology
33:53 The longevity hill he'll die on: a daily routine — and how it took him from 5 chronic diseases to Longevity Doctor of the Year
41:11 How AI will personalize medicine and end one-size-fits-all care
44:45 Digital twins: predicting what a therapy will do to you before you try it
47:11 The data gap for women — and why he donates his own health data
51:20 Biology as an "engineering problem": Yamanaka factors, AI, and the future of therapies
1:03:06 The future of human doctors in an AI world
1:06:14 The one thing Dr. Shah says AI should not do — yet
1:08:57 What's next: Your New Health OS and Next Health's global expansion
1:10:33 Mailbag: Which peptides should you actually use — and how to source them safely
1:14:32 Mailbag: Cold plunge vs. cryotherapy — and why it's different for women
1:18:46 Mailbag: How to explain autophagy (and the Prolon 5-Day FMD) to your partner
1:22:47 Mailbag: Are mushroom coffees and functional-mushroom drinks worth it?

Guest Bio: Dr. Darshan Shah is a board-certified surgeon, longevity specialist, and the founder and CEO of Next Health, a health optimization and longevity center with locations across the US, Canada, and Dubai. A health-tech entrepreneur who earned his medical degree at 21, Dr. Shah was named Longevity Doctor of the Year for his work making preventative, root-cause medicine accessible. He is the host of the Extend podcast and the author of the forthcoming book Your New Health OS, a guide to using AI and your own biomarkers to take control of your health. His mission is simple: reverse chronic disease, and keep people so healthy they never develop one in the first place.

Listen to the Extend podcast with Dr. Darshan Shah wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more and grab his free biomarker guide at drshah.com, and find Next Health at next-health.com.

Have a longevity question? DM us @prolon on Instagram and you might make it into our mailbag!

Learn more about Prolon's 5-Day Fasting Mimicking Diet and longevity lifestyle products at prolonlife.com.

Almost Forever is brought to you by Prolon, powered by L-Nutra, the longevity technology company. This podcast is for entertainment purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or a substitute for professional healthcare services. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before making changes to your diet, exercise, supplement, or health routine. Guest views are their own and may not reflect those of Prolon or its parent company L-Nutra.

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