The Longevity Book (ePub)

The science of aging, The biology of strength and The privilege of time

As soon as she hit the age of thirty-nine, the questions began. In seemingly every conversation, journalists asked Cameron Diaz if she was afraid of turning forty.

“As these questions about my age became a consistent part of every interview,” she says, “I realized just how frightened we all are of getting older.”

Her desire to learn more about the aging process led her to write The Longevity Book, an enlightening follow-up to the #1 New York Times bestseller The Body Book. In The Body Book, Cameron revealed her insights on health, wellness, and the importance of the mind-body connection in what became an essential guide for young women everywhere.

Now her mission to educate and empower continues as she tackles the next phase of life. Unlike so many books about aging for women, The Longevity Book does not take an anti-aging stance, and it is not focused on how to look younger. As Cameron writes, “I'm not going to tell you how to reverse the aging process in thirty days. This book examines how the aging process works, why we age in the first place, and how it will affect us physically and emotionally.”

The Longevity Book provides a comprehensive overview of the female body over time, from those first gray hairs that crop up in our thirties to the menopause transition that can begin in our forties or fifties to the increased health risks—for breast cancer, Alzheimer's, heart disease, depression, and more—we face in our sixties and beyond. Human life expectancy is longer than it has ever been; we are among the first generations to lay claim to our forties as an extension of our thirties instead of a preamble to our seventies. But in order to enjoy this gift of longevity, it is essential to understand and prepare for the road ahead.

In The Longevity Book, Cameron shares cutting-edge research on aging, synthesizing insights from top medical experts with her own thoughts, opinions, and experiences. From understanding how growing older impacts various bodily systems to the differences in the way aging affects men and women; from the latest science on slowing the rate of cognitive decline to why love, friendship, and laughter matter for health, The Longevity Book offers an all-encompassing, holistic look at how the female body ages—and what we can all do to age better.