David Sinclair Workout and Diet
Medical Doctor
David Sinclair is from Australia. In 1993, he attended a lecture by geneticist Leonard Guarente and was inspired to apply to work at his lab at MIT. Sinclair earned a PhD in molecular genetics in 1995. After 4 years at MIT, he was hired by Harvard Medical School. In 2004, he convinced philanthropist Paul F Glenn to donate $5 million to create the Biological Mechanisms of Aging Lab and Sinclair became the founding director. In 2008, he became a tenured professor at Harvard Medical School. He is the president of the non-profit Academy for Health and Lifespan Research. Sinclair has co-created several anti-aging products, including ones using resveratrol and sirtuins. His bestselling book Lifespan was published in 2019 and he hosts a popular podcast by the same name. He is divorced and has 3 children. Sinclair has hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
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David Sinclair’s Diet
Diet Summary
Sinclair considers diet to be an essential component of health and longevity. He works with a nutritionist who convinced him to try a vegan diet and he now believes in intermittent fasting and eating clean, meaning whole, plant-based foods. He avoids alcohol, meat, and dairy products. He usually only has 1 real meal a day. He drinks water and hot tea throughout the day, and might have a bite of dark chocolate if he’s feeling sluggish. He says limiting his intake to a single meal and some supplements have reversed the aging process and he is currently 10 years younger than his chronological age, and that his brain is even younger.
Estimated Macros
Medium Fat
Medium Carb
Medium Protein
Diet Details
IF Eating Plan
Sinclair fasts 16-18 hours a day. He’ll have a few spoons of homemade yogurt in the morning with his vitamins, and possibly a light salad for lunch once or twice a week, but mostly he drinks tea and water all day, and just has a big (plant-based) dinner.
Plant-Based Diet
Sinclair traded in his wine, cheese, and meat for vegan fare. He says he doesn’t miss the other stuff, and loves his new diet as much as he ever did meat.
No Alcohol
Sinclair is a big fan of the anti-oxidant resveratrol, but not if you’re getting it from wine. Although his lab at Harvard was the one who originally promoted the idea that red wine may be good for health, he now thinks differently. He says even a single glass of the stuff has a negative effect on health and speeds aging.
No Sugar
Sinclair says sugar is one of the things you want to avoid. If he does indulge, he’ll only have it at the end of a meal to avoid a spike in blood sugar.
What to Eat
- Fresh, organic veggies
- Fresh, organic fruit
- Plant-based foods
- Organic yogurt
- Olive oil
- Almonds
- Brazil nuts
- Nut milks
- Rice
- Couscous
- Crushed cassava
- Matcha green tea
- Water
- Hot tea
- Dark chocolate
What to Avoid
- Sugar
- Meat
- Dairy
- Alcohol
- Empty-calorie foods
- Processed foods
- Chemicals
- Artificial additives
Sinclair on having a nutritionist
‘I ate what I thought was healthy, but it wasn’t as healthy as what I do now.’
Sinclair on the effects of his nutritionist-designed diet
‘In just a matter of months, I was able to further reduce my biological age by eating better.’
Sinclair on his old diet
‘I was on a red wine and cheese-based diet, which was not conducive to health as much.’
Sinclair on alcohol
‘Even 1 glass a day of alcohol is going to affect your brain cells.’
Sinclair on the effect of cutting alcohol
‘I got back my 20-year-old brain. I just thought it was old age, but it wasn’t. It was my lifestyle.’
Sinclair on his plant-based diet
‘I love what I eat as much as when I used to eat meat.’
David Sinclair’s Workout Routine
Workout Routine
The Good Old Ways
Sinclair says that before the pandemic, he was more regular in his exercise, hitting the gym to do weights and run on the treadmill.
Home Gym
Sinclair has a gym set up in his bedroom, so he has no excuse not to exercise. His excuse is that he’s busy.
Reasonable Dose
Although Sinclair considers exercise to be important, he does not exercise every day. He tries to lift 3 times a week and also get in a run or walk. His goal is to move more often.
Exercise Style
A David Sinclair Routine
- Lift weights: minimum 3x/week
- Run or walk on treadmill or outdoors: daily
- Get moving
Sinclair on his exercise routine
‘I don’t exercise every day.’
Sinclair on his old routine
‘Before the pandemic, I was doing a lot of gym exercise: running on the treadmill and doing weights.’
Sinclair on his home gym routine
‘Ideally, I aim for 3 times a week to do some weights, and if I don’t go for a run, I go for a walk.’
Sinclair’s self-evaluation of his fitness routine
‘My biggest challenge right now is to get moving…I’m not ideal in that department.’
David Sinclair’s Supplements
Resveratrol
Sinclair is big on activating sirtuins, a type of protein in the body that is involved with aging. Resveratrol activates sirtuins, repairs DNA, reduces inflammation, and can help you lose weight. He takes resveratrol every morning with yogurt.
Vitamin K2
Sinclair takes vitamin K2, which supports mitochondria, the powerhouse of the body’s cells, as well as bone health.
Probiotics
Sinclair considers the gut biome to be essential to health, and so he has probiotics every morning in the form of yogurt. If you do not eat dairy (Sinclair makes his yogurt with almond milk), there are plenty of other options for probiotics, including a simple supplement.
Vitamin D3
Sinclair takes many vitamins and supplements. He considers vitamin D3 to be essential for many reasons, including immunity and strong bones.
NMN
Sinclair takes the anti-aging supplement nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) along with his resveratrol and yogurt in the morning, as well as a spoonful of olive oil to make it easier to absorb.
Alpha Lipoic Acid
Sinclair uses yet another antioxidant called alpha lipoic acid (not to be confused with alpha linolenic acid or ALA) and which also supports mitochondrial function.
Spermidine
Sinclair takes another anti-aging supplement called spermidine, for its protective effects against cancer, brain degeneration and cardiovascular disorders.
Omega-3s
Another one of Sinclair’s must-haves is omega-3s for a healthy heart, brain, and overall health. Essential fatty acids reduce inflammation in the body.xz
Quercetin & Fisetin
Sinclair takes 2 more antioxidants: quercetin and fisetin for their ability to clear out dying cells and reduce inflammation.
David Sinclair’s Lifestyle
Sleep: The Magic Number
Sinclair says that while he’d prefer to get 7-8 hours of sleep a night, it’s typical for him to get by with just 6.
Smart Bed
Sinclair uses a bed that adjusts his temperature so that he can get into deep sleep easier.
Cold Therapy
Sinclair endorses the use of cold therapy and cold plunges not only for those in pain, but for everyone who is looking to slow the aging process.
Meditation Is Great
Sinclair believes that meditation can help reduce stress, which also helps put the brakes on getting older. He says it is a way to ‘reset’ the body, and improve cognition.
Feed Your Genes
Sinclair says that the best way to activate anti-aging genes (aka sirtuins) is to eat lots of veggies, and avoid or cut way back on meat, sugar, and alcohol.
Show Your Real Age
Sinclair may be 54 years old on the calendar, but he says his biological age is at least a decade younger. His company Tally Health reports on biological age with a simple cheek swab.
Keeping a Tally on Health
Sinclair believes that regular blood tests and other types of tracking can help people improve their health. His hope for his company Tally Health is that it will one day act as a sort of personal wellness assistant.
Sinclair on his sleep schedule
‘That’s something I need to work on.’
Sinclair on his biological age
‘I’ve been getting younger every year for the past 10 years.’
Sinclair on the importance of a healthy lifestyle
‘The epigenetic clock starts ticking from birth and…what we do in our 20s does affect our ultimate longevity.’
Sinclair on his hopes for Tally Health
‘I expect Tally to evolve into a personal assistant for wellness and health.’
Sinclair on travel & health
‘Serena [his nutritionist] and I travel together often and we’ve both got half a small suitcase dedicated to [supplements.]’
Sinclair’s advice to improving health
‘You don’t have to be so strict and draconian about it, but you do have to be consistent…Try not to find excuses to do what…you feel like doing.’
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Bravo Starter Yogurt Culture
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