The key to longevity is boring

长寿的秘诀其实平淡无奇

The other day, someone at my gym approached me and lamented that he could spend nearly every waking hour of his life executing the countless viral health and longevity recommendations popularized by internet influencers and podcast hosts, and he’d still feel that he is falling behind. ***

前几天，健身房里有个人找到我抱怨说，他几乎把自己醒着的每一刻都用来践行那些由网红和播客主播们推广的、数不胜数且广为流传的健康与长寿建议，但即便如此，他仍觉得自己做得远远不够。

He was alluding to a complicated and often contradictory menu of “biohacks” (shortcuts for improving our biology, all of which lack scientific rigor) and “protocols” (highly specific regimens for exercise, sleep and nutrition).

他指的是一系列复杂且常常相互矛盾的“生物黑客技巧”（即改善身体机能的捷径，但这些方法都缺乏科学严谨性）和“方案”（针对运动、睡眠及营养的养生法，通常极为具体）。

In this era’s search for eternal youth, there are supplements, green powders, cold plunges, the supposed benefits of low-angle morning sunlight, continuous glucose monitors for non-diabetics, box breathing, the proposed benefits of rapamycin (a drug originally used in organ transplants being adapted for longevity), and countless restrictive diets that range from avoiding seed oils to becoming aware of the “hidden dangers” in fruits and vegetables to shunning nearly everything but meat.

在这个追求青春永驻的时代，人们追捧各种保健品、绿色粉剂、冷水浴、所谓的清晨低角度阳光照射的益处、为非糖尿病患者准备的持续血糖监测仪、箱式呼吸法、雷帕霉素（原本用于器官移植的一种药物，现正被改用于延长寿命），还有数不清的限制性饮食法，包括避免食用植物油、警惕水果和蔬菜中的“隐藏危害”，甚至除了肉类几乎不吃其他任何东西。

While obsessions with health and longevity have long dogged humanity, this latest version is intensified by an ecosystem in which influencers and podcasters profit from our attention and quest for health by getting sponsorships from supplement companies, sleep trackers and other pseudoscientific wellness products. ***

尽管对健康和长寿的痴迷长久以来一直困扰着人类，但在当下这样一个生态环境中，这种痴迷愈发强烈：网红和播客主播们通过从保健品公司、睡眠追踪设备厂商以及其他伪科学的健康产品商家那里获得的赞助，从我们对健康的关注和追求中获利。

In 2016 the global supplement market amounted to $135 billion. Today it’s ballooned to $250 billion. That figure is projected to hit nearly $310 billion within the next four years.

2016年，全球保健品市场规模达到1350亿美元。如今，这一数字已激增至2500亿美元，预计四年后将突破3100亿美元。

Some of these interventions have limited uses, while others range from the absurd to the truly harmful.

这些干预措施有些效果有限，有些则从荒诞走向有害。

It’s a shame that people are spending their money and energy on such things — even more so because the key to a longer, healthier life is no mystery.