Can You Buy a Longer Life? The Billionaire, the Pickleball Player, and the Price of Aging

Two Articles, One Orthopedic Brother-in-Law, and the Search for a Longer Life

My brother-in-law, a fellow orthopedic surgeon whose judgment I greatly respect, recently sent me two fascinating articles about longevity and the extraordinary lengths people are willing to go to slow down aging.

One, from The Wall Street Journal, describes a billionaire spending a fortune trying to outsmart Father Time. The other, from Forbes Health, examines how much Americans would be willing to pay for another year of healthy life.

Both got me thinking about the principles of Doctor Pickleball—and what the rest of us can do to improve our health without spending a fortune.

— Dr. Pickleball

The Billionaire Who Wants to Outrun Father Time

A recent Wall Street Journal article profiles Larry Connor, a 76-year-old real-estate billionaire who has assembled an impressive collection of physicians, trainers, performance specialists, and sophisticated health-monitoring programs.

His goal is to slow the aging process and remain physically and mentally capable for as long as possible.

I admire the commitment.

And frankly, if I had a personal trainer, a nutritionist, several physicians, and a performance coach following me around all day, I suspect my health habits would improve considerably.

Although I might have to draw the line at having someone monitor my second helping of ice cream.

But here's the important question:

Does spending enormous amounts of money actually buy more healthy years, or does it simply buy more sophisticated ways of measuring the years we have?

We should not dismiss the benefits of excellent medical care, personalized exercise programs, or investment in medical research. These can be genuinely valuable.

But expensive testing is not necessarily better testing, and an experimental treatment is not necessarily an effective one.

What Is Another Healthy Year Worth?

A Forbes Health survey of 2,000 Americans found that respondents said they would be willing to spend an average of approximately $5,285 for one additional year of healthy life.

Interestingly, baby boomers indicated they would spend an average of about $3,734, while younger respondents were willing to spend considerably more.

Perhaps younger people think they have more years to protect.

Or perhaps those of us who have been around a little longer have discovered that the warranty on the human body is not nearly as generous as advertised.

But there is an important distinction here.

These numbers represent what people said they would pay. They do not demonstrate that spending those amounts would actually extend anyone's life.

And that brings us to an important medical concept.

Lifespan Versus Healthspan

Lifespan is how long we live.

Healthspan is how long we remain reasonably healthy, active, independent, and capable of enjoying life.

The objective should not simply be to reach age 95 or 100.

It should be to reach those ages with enough strength, mobility, mental clarity, and independence to enjoy them.

I would much rather spend another decade playing pickleball, traveling, enjoying family, and participating in life than simply accumulating birthdays.

The Doctor Pickleball Approach: Longevity Without a Billionaire's Budget

Fortunately, many of the most effective strategies for improving our chances of healthy aging are neither exotic nor terribly expensive.

1. Keep moving.

Walking, swimming, cycling, pickleball, or other regular physical activity helps preserve cardiovascular fitness, mobility, and independence.

You don't need a private gym. You need a reason to get off the couch.

2. Preserve your muscle mass.

Muscle loss with aging, called sarcopenia, is one of the major threats to maintaining independence.

Resistance training two or three times a week, adjusted for individual ability, can help preserve strength.

And don't forget adequate nutrition and protein.

Muscle isn't just for looking good at the beach. It's what helps you get out of a chair, climb stairs, prevent falls, and pick up your grandchildren.

3. Know your numbers.

Blood pressure, cholesterol, blood glucose, and other appropriate health measurements can identify treatable risk factors.

You don't need a laboratory that resembles NASA mission control.

You need appropriate medical care, sensible screening, and a willingness to address problems before they become serious.

4. Eat reasonably well.

Vegetables, fruit, adequate protein, whole grains, healthy fats, and sensible portions remain excellent foundations.

You don't necessarily need expensive supplements, elaborate diets, or a personal chef.

And yes, the occasional dessert can still be part of an enjoyable life.

5. Protect your sleep and your brain.

Adequate sleep, treating sleep apnea when present, addressing hearing loss, remaining mentally engaged, and maintaining social relationships are important components of healthy aging.

No one has yet invented a pill that replaces a good night's sleep and meaningful human relationships.

6. Stay connected to other people.

This is one of the great advantages of pickleball.

We exercise, compete, laugh, occasionally argue about line calls, and develop friendships.

The social benefits may be every bit as valuable to our quality of life as the exercise itself.

And where else can someone 75 years old be called a youngster?

What About Medical AI and New Longevity Treatments?

I remain extremely enthusiastic about advances in medical AI, cancer detection, drug discovery, and research into the biological processes of aging.

These developments may eventually produce major improvements in how we prevent and treat disease.

But we need to distinguish promising research from demonstrated clinical benefit.

An intervention that changes a laboratory biomarker is not necessarily one that extends human life.

And a treatment that costs $50,000 is not automatically better than one that costs $50.

The science should determine the value—not the price tag.