The Longevity Delusion

Seamus O’Mahony cuts through pseudo-scientific nonsense in this takedown of the longevity industry, a haven for deluded celebrities and billionaires

The search for a world in which old age is a curable disease, and death is optional, unites billionaires, politicians and celebrities. The longevity industry is a vast, pseudo-medical enterprise that has spawned countless bestselling books, social media frenzies and a huge network of conferences and pharmacological research.

Seamus O'Mahony casts his sceptical and acerbic eye over this landscape in his brilliant quest to uncover the truth behind an industry – largely funded by Silicon Valley billionaires – which feeds off the gullibility of rich investors and death-phobic consumers. The antidotes: expensive drugs, stem cell therapy, gene therapy and intermittent fasting. He draws upon real scientific evidence to cut through the nonsense and to make a serious case for why longevity is a delusion, and why this industry is unlikely to find a real solution to the inevitability of ageing.

This narrative takes O’Mahony’s investigation deep into the world of longevity ‘experts’ as he attends their conferences and meets these infamous figures in their natural habitats. He has a gift for witty caricatures, stunning anecdotes and countering misinformation with clarity, reason and research. This is investigative writing at its best.



Praise for Can Medicine Be Cured?

‘An exceptionally strong polemic – one that might even persuade Miley Cyrus to start eating wheat again’ Sunday Business Post

‘A book on health that everyone should read this year... A fascinating read for patients, medics and anyone who cares’ Sunday Independent (Dublin)

'A deeply fascinating and rousing book' Mail on Sunday

'What makes this book a delightful, if unsettling read, is not just O'Mahony's scholarly and witty prose, but also his brutal honesty' The Times