Understanding Life: Tap Into An Ancient Cellular Survival Program to Optimize Health and Longevity

I've read a ton on this subject, including David Sinclair - and ALL of the other books are typical, in that they talk about the benefits/future/etc but they don't dig into the science and the biological processes behind these discoveries.I like how the book starts from the beginning and builds up from there. He explains the biological concepts in a way that anyone with a bit of interest in the science can understand. Other books on the subject are like high fructose corn syrup - lots of promises and excitement, but nearly empty on the science. This book is like a fresh home cooked meal - it'll take you longer to get through it, but you'll actually walk away with something valuable.If you're like me, and you need to understand the science behind these incredible discoveries, then this is the only book that will take you there.

Understanding Life is truly a book that is like no other that I have read before. The subject understanding life is both simple and extremely complex. However, Dr. Brown takes the reader on a journey through time and the rise of science to explain various concepts and scientific discoveries that can provide a simple life journey that can make your life longer and healthier at the same time. As we age, these two goals become more desired and valuable to each of us and our families. Understanding Life has already made a difference in my life and those around me. I can’t think of a more powerful result to reading a book. Kudos to Dr. Brown for taking on such a complex subject and making it both easier to understand and at the same time provide valuable life lessons that we all can use to live longer and healthier lives. This book is truly a gift to anyone interested in learning about how to live a longer healthier and happier life.

The scope of this book seems impossibly broad, but Don Brown pulls it off. I became a biologist because of reading books by Stephen J Gould as a kid. This book succeeds similarly in making the complex understandable and entertaining.The book starts off with the origins of the universe and walks the reader through the major events in the evolution of life on Earth. You learn just enough physics (the author has a physics degree) and just enough chemistry (he also has a degree in biotechnology) to equip you to grasp the fundamentals of how our bodies work. The book covers principles of the energy flows that are going on all the time as our bodies take it in, store it and use it. What's great about this book is that it moves from these scientific foundations to the implications for our health and longevity. We get lots of practical and often surprising advice with scientific backing.Although it's best to read this book straight through from the beginning, it's also totally fine to jump to the parts you're most interested in, then come back and fill in the gaps. The story builds carefully, but it's also broken down into logical chapters. The plentiful illustrations, analogies and metaphors also help the reader all along the journey.

If you want to live your best life, buy this book. It's a goldmine of excellent information. Dr. Brown really did his research and created an easy to read and understand book, which is hard to do with a topics as complex as human evolution, cellular function, and body chemistry. I recommend it to anyone interested in understanding the science behind modern health and longevity recommendations.

Don's enthusiasm for health and sharing his knowledge with others is obvious throughout the entire book. It's clear he wants to make the current scientific understanding of how to live a healthy life available to everybody, even people without a scientific background.He does a good job bringing some seriously complicated ideas back to the level of a "regular" person. If you are looking for the reasons behind some modern health advice, like fasting or reducing sugar, this is the book for you. If you want to learn more about the inner workings of your body this book is all your need.

Dr Brown's explanation of our bodies is simple, clear, and effective. I was vaguely aware of many of the concepts surrounding life and aging, but didn't have a well connected framework that I could use to make decisions. His concise explanations of the concepts allowed me to make connections that I otherwise would have had to spend a considerable amount of time to discover.The book is also an enjoyable read with an easy going writing style that also isn't overly simplified. I was able to understand a fundamental chemistry concept that I hadn't fully internalized after a single read through; that alone was worth the price.

This book is a must-read for anyone wanting to understand what it takes to have a longer and healthier life. It's a literary Fountain of Youth, offering info on what causes us to age faster and be at risk for various diseases. This book goes beyond the typical "lose weight and get good sleep", and encourages people to get out of their "comfortable temperature zones" and sweat in the heat or shiver in the cold to reap various health benefits like decreasing inflammation or increasing our metabolism! So much valuable knowledge in this book.

Understanding Life does a great job of diving into the facets of longevity, health and wellbeing that we can control, while also providing a great insight into the why at a biological level. The things that were really powerful to me were the illustrations - it made it a lot easier to understand some of the more nitty-gritty concepts that I haven't heard since H.S. chemistry. A great read for anyone at just about any level.

Dr Brown has written an extraordinary account of explaining life from both a micro and macro point of view. He is extremely erudite and uses metaphors in an exquisite way to simplify very complex scientific ideas and processes. I applaud him for this wonderful book!