Alan A. Cohen, PHD I Rethinking Health and Aging @cohenaginglab

Last week on Dynamic Entropy substack we posted: Health Is a Plateau, Not a Mountain. Part 1 questions the picture. Part 2 follows the consequences. Maybe the map matters more than we think. Read the full essays on my substack: scienceofhealth.substack.com/p/why-health-i… open.substack.com/pub/scienceofh…

The ultimate biohacker has: a magnificent spreadsheet, a fully charged wearable, a terrifying supplement shelf, and absolutely no time to enjoy being alive. At some point, the pursuit of health can become another stressor. Read the full essay on my substack: open.substack.com/pub/scienceofh…

Health may be a lot more simpler than we give it credit for. Read the rationale and science on my substack: scienceofhealth.substack.com/p/why-health-i…

Rather than turning your life into a complicated spreadsheet of protocols. Start with the biggest problems first. Read the full essay on my substack: open.substack.com/pub/scienceofh…

Part 2 of "Health Is a Plateau, Not a Mountain" is now available on Dynamic Entropy. This post tackles: what should we actually do with this idea. The essence although seemingly to simple is likely more beneficial. Read the full essay here: scienceofhealth.substack.com/publish/post/2…

@foundmyfitness Whats if health is not about optimizing every variable but rather just about not falling off a cliff. I write about this in my substack: scienceofhealth.substack.com/p/why-health-i…

I'm not surprised that the popularity of the carnivore diet is losing steam. It never was a durable solution for most people. Ultimately, part of what people were experiencing were the benefits of an elimination diet. But that doesn’t mean a zero-plant diet is optimal long term. We’re already seeing that play out. Many of the loudest carnivore advocates are starting to add back fruit, vegetables, and other whole foods.

Question for clinicians, scientists, and health obsessives of all varieties: What metaphor do you think most quietly shapes modern health culture? A machine? A dashboard? A mountain? A bank account? A garden? The metaphor matters because it decides what we notice, what we measure, and what we think counts as progress. This week’s essay on Dynamic Entropy is about one metaphor I think deserves serious reconsideration. open.substack.com/pub/scienceofh…

Health advice often assumes there is always a higher point to reach. But whats if that ever reaching climb is a falsehood. Part 1 of "Health Is a Plateau, Not a Mountain" is now live on Dynamic Entropy. Read the full essay here: open.substack.com/pub/scienceofh…

Registration is now open for Biology of Aging Symposium V 2026: The Possibilities of Aging and Health. Nov 1–3, 2026 | Montréal Aging biology is moving beyond single pathways and simple clocks. This symposium brings together leading researchers to explore aging through complexity, resilience, entropy, biological dynamics, AI, the exposome, centenarians, and the science of health. The goal: rethink what aging is — and what health can be. Save your seat and Register Now: event.fourwaves.com/bas2026/regist…

Part 1 of "Health Is a Plateau, Not a Mountain" is now live on Dynamic Entropy. It is about health, optimization, ranges, and why the image in our heads may matter more than we think. Read the full essay here: open.substack.com/pub/scienceofh…

Cautious about claims that aging can be solved by manipulating one mechanism. The body rarely works in isolation. Read the full essay on Dynamic Entropy, and subscribe if you want the next one. scienceofhealth.substack.com/p/aging-as-ent…

Development may look like a program but aging sure does not. Aging is messier. Cells, tissues, systems, and individuals become more different from one another over time. A better way to think about aging may be as the gradual accumulation of disorder in a complex system trying to maintain stability. Read the full essay on Dynamic Entropy, and subscribe if you want the next one. scienceofhealth.substack.com/p/aging-as-ent…

The body is the product of billions of years of evolutionary trade-offs. We may be able to help the accumulation of aging. But we should be humble about trying to outsmart it. Read the full essay on Dynamic Entropy, and subscribe if you want the next one. scienceofhealth.substack.com/p/aging-as-ent…

Moderation may not be trendy But it is a systems principle. Living organisms survive by regulating within constraints. Link to substack: scienceofhealth.substack.com/p/the-science-…

More or less is not always better. Perfect is not always healthier. Maybe a more relevant question to ask is: What range allows this system to remain adaptive I write about this in my substack: scienceofhealth.substack.com/p/the-science-…

@foundmyfitness Health is most about everything in moderation unlike what the fitness and biohacking industry will have you believe. Read more about this in my substack: open.substack.com/pub/scienceofh…

Moderation is not always better. Cyanide is not better in moderation. Walks in the woods may deserve more than moderation. But for many things in biology, the principle is real. For more essays on health, aging, and the strange wisdom of complex biological systems, subscribe to Dynamic Entropy. scienceofhealth.substack.com

Everything in moderation” sounds like advice your grandmother might give you. And, like many things grandmothers say, it may turn out to be biologically wise. Biology is rarely about "more is better." Link to full article on my substack: scienceofhealth.substack.com/p/the-science-…

I’m exploring this in Dynamic Entropy — a publication on health, aging, resilience, and the strange fact that living systems keep not falling apart. Subscribe if that sounds like your kind of problem. scienceofhealth.substack.com

This theme sits behind much of Dynamic Entropy.

The strangest thing about being alive is how little of it requires our permission.