Venki Ramakrishnan reveals: If you want to stay young longer, you should do three things

Venki Ramakrishnan, Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry, has counted every glass of alcohol he has drunk in his life: 137 in total. Not per year, but in his lifetime. And he's 72 years old. This detail alone makes you realize that his idea of longevity is not what they sell you at the gym or pharmacy. Ramakrishnan doesn't believe in the miraculous promises of the anti-aging industry. For him, aging is not a disease to be cured, but the inevitable prelude to death. What you can really do, he says, is keep fit by changing real, honest habits. It seems trivial, but the reversal is right here: there is no pharmacological or technological shortcut that really works better than simple things. Many people think that living longer means finding the right pill or the cutting-edge treatment. Ramakrishnan says: it's a false promise. The real difference is made by three things — and none of them can be bought on the internet. First, physical activity, adapted to your age and the actual condition of your body. Second, moderation with alcohol. Third, don't believe the sellers of eternal youth. When asked how his life changed after the Nobel Prize, he jokes about his hair loss and joint pain: the real turning point is accepting change, not fighting it at all costs. He stopped running and canoeing because osteoarthritis limits him, but he invented new routines — exercise bikes, different exercises — to feel good. He says he feels better after each workout, even though they are no longer what they used to be. This is not a superhero; he is a scientist who doesn't tell himself stories. And he doesn't tell them to others. The most human scene? His modest, light-filled office and his decision to retire next year. After a stratospheric career, he also leaves room for rest. The most counterintuitive aspect: his obsessive alcohol count is not an obsession, it is awareness. Knowing, not denying. And the phrase that remains: "Aging is the prelude to death." In other words: you can't stop it, but you can choose how to experience it. Now, try to look at the anti-aging rhetoric with fresh eyes: the real revolution is not to stop time, but to live it better. There is one detail that is almost always missing in this type of discourse: the serenity in accepting that everything changes, even the aging body. True longevity is not a battle, but a continuous negotiation with one's own limits. What really matters is not the promise of returning to youth, but the ability to adapt, change sports, change routines, and stay alive within the real boundaries of your body. If you think longevity is a war to be won with miracle products, Ramakrishnan is telling you that you're missing the point. Aging well is accepting, not denying. Youth is not a formula, but a daily practice of adaptation. If this perspective has changed the way you see longevity, you can mark it on Lara Notes with I'm In — choose whether it's an interest, an experience, or a belief. And if in a few days you find yourself saying to someone, "I heard something crazy about a Nobel Prize winner who counted every glass of alcohol in his life," you can go back to Lara Notes and tag whoever was with you. It's called Shared Offline. This Note comes from DER SPIEGEL and saves you the time of reading the entire original article.