Dear Borders Customers:

Our books YOU: The Owner's Manual and YOU: On a Diet have become #1 Borders and New York Times bestsellers, and we thank you. Since then, many people have asked us questions about aging. We want you to know that the science in the last few years has challenged the very perceptions of aging. The truth about aging is that you—right now—have the ability to live 35% longer than expected with a greater quality of life and without frailty. Despite the fact that cancer, heart disease and stroke account for 50% of all deaths, eradicating these diseases only increases the average life expectancy by about 9.5 years (not too shabby, but it's also only the tip of the iceberg). To add serious (and seriously fun) years to your life, and life to your years, you have to lower your risk of all diseases. And the only way to do that is to slow your rate of aging on the cellular level. The real secret to longevity isn't whether or not your body 'breaks;' it's how well you recover and repair when you do. Aging is essentially a process in which your cells lose their resilience. In YOU: Staying Young, you will learn how to boost that resilience to live longer and stronger.

Perhaps the best way to explain the dynamics of aging is to take a look at another complex system that is subjected to the same forces as your body: a city. Some cities remain beautiful and elegant in their old age, while others, though young in years, may look worn down and beat-up. Now, every city has its own genetic code, just as you do. For a city, genes are geography; whether it's built on a river or whether it's located in a hot or cold climate, or whether it lies directly in a prevalent hurricane path. A city's geography can't change. But the city can adapt to the environment with earthquake-proof construction, with underground tunnels for walking in wintertime, or with strong levies. The adaptation the city makes to survive and to thrive is what is crucial to its vitality.

The same goes for you.

Just because you have been dealt a genetic hand that predisposes you to heart disease or diabetes or the wearing of pants as large as a parachute doesn't mean you can't mitigate the effects of those genes. One of the major things we will teach you is that while you can't change your genes, you can change whether they are turned on or off or how you express them. Just like a city, you can compensate elegantly if you understand your options.

For the first time in history, the medical world has uncovered many of the miraculous biologic processes that control how and why we age. Truth is, much of aging is actually in your control; with the power to nudge our biologic systems so that your unwanted genes can work in your favor—as long as you know what to do and how you are doing it. In YOU: Staying Young, we translate the latest science (much of which wasn't available even three years ago) to help slow your rate of aging. You will learn 14 Major Agers, and dozens of action steps, so that you can take control of those agers and your aging processes.

We hope you enjoy the cartoons, analogies, and jokes. But ultimately we hope you soak in the message: Your health is largely in your control. We dedicate the book to all who desire longer life so they can serve more.

Thanks very much,
Mehmet and Mike

Copyright © 2007 by Michael F. Roizen and Mehmet C. Oz. All rights reserved.