The Barbell Prescription

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview: #1 The postmodern era has seen the rise of the Sick Aging Phenotype, which is a complex of interrelated and synergistic processes that destroy the health and quality of life of the aging adult. #2 The phenotype is the appearance, traits, behaviors, and overall structural and biochemical peculiarities of an organism. It is distinct from its genotype, which is the inherited instructions encoded in its DNA. Two organisms of the same species with identical or nearly identical genotypes will have similar phenotypes. #3 The twin brothers Will and Phil have the same genotype, but very different aging phenotypes. While Phil’s aging phenotype is an unsightly and miserable catastrophe, his brother’s is an exemplar of healthy aging. Will’s death phenotype is be envied: he’s healthy, vigorous, and active until the minute a tired, tiny vessel in his brainstem switches him off in the middle of a great final adventure. #4 The spectrum of aging and death phenotypes in modern industrialized societies is skewed toward Phil. The average human genotype has not changed substantially in many thousands of years, but in the postmodern era, the human phenotype of industrialized nations has undergone a staggering and destructive transformation.