An Anonymous Longevity Guru Doxxed Himself – What’s Next?

Popular longevity personality “Agingdoc” has revealed himself as one Dr. David Barzilai after years of using a pseudonym. But as Berzilai explained, the move wasn't as simple as changing his profile picture.

Barzilai is the founder of Missouri-based Healthspan Coaching LLC, with degrees in cell and developmental biology, health and society, and an MD-PhD in health services research. He is a board-licensed dermatologist and a diplomate of the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine.

In his work as an Agindoc, Berzilai educated the public on healthy longevity, mind-body wellness and nutrition.

Go public

“When it comes to a decision, such as whether or not to go public, the first question is, is it an option?” That's what it says. Barzilai told him to decipher. “I cannot be nameless and nameless. Do the pros outweigh the cons or do the cons outweigh the pros?

Berzilai emphasized his appreciation for privacy and as he has various interests, he placed great emphasis on health and longevity. He was still hesitant to reveal himself – but he concluded that if he started coaching and consulting, people would eventually realize it was him.

“I have unique ideas—a stoic part of me, a small part of me, a part of me that transcends humanity,” Barzilay said. “I have all these sizes and such a sense of inferiority.”

He said he wondered if coming forward would allow him to help more people with his work.

“Many people think longevity medicine is snake oil, and half think it is longevity medicine [the fountain of youth],” he said. Part of the reason for this, Berzilai says, is that some people in the longevity industry are overly optimistic.

“I think part of it is that overpromising pays off,” he said. “People who set more realistic expectations receive less media attention.”

“People who are motivated to get attention are more interested and have more financial resources to sell some extra food or something that might not be useful,” Barzilai said.

Living better, not just longer

Berzili says that while many people desire longevity, they do not desire aging, especially if they experience reduced quality of life, such as dependence on medical devices or, for example, severe physical limitations. When some hear about life extension research, they often don't understand that the goal is to extend healthy, active years.

“We want to have a good life,” Berzili continued. “If we can live as much as we want or as much as we can and spend more time with family, that's great. But we want to be healthy and feel good about ourselves.

He pointed out that dementia has increased in people over a hundred years old. According to a 2020 Journal of the American Medical Association report, the incidence of dementia increases dramatically with age, an estimated 40% per year in people over 100.

Democratizing longevity

On the surface, the right to live a long life may seem like the domain of the alt-rich and tech billionaires, but as Barzilai points out, the elites want to live long, healthy lives just like everyone else. Berzili, however, explained that only the rich are not satisfied with having the equipment needed to live a long and healthy life.

“I love how organizations and people come together to share what people can do on an individual and community level,” he said. “I also like the concept of DAOs—I really like the idea. I'm not saying they're not without challenges, but every new technology has challenges.

A Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO) is an organizational structure in which control is deployed rather than order. DAOs are organized using smart contracts and governance tokens for members to vote on projects and the direction of the DAO.

“With these DAOs we are combining smart people, smart technology, new ideas and concepts,” Barzilai said.

Artificial intelligence

Another technology that Barzilai says could revolutionize the quest for longer life is AI.

“AI will revolutionize longevity medicine just as it will revolutionize everything else,” he said. “On a very practical level, it's helping us make sense of the enormous amount of data we can track.”

Rapid advances in generative AI have improved data analysis in science, aiding complex scientific research, accelerating drug and therapeutic discoveries in medicine, and enhancing complex understanding for the common man.

Like the Internet before it, Berzilim says AI—if used correctly—can empower people to overcome injustice and unite.

“That's what we do,” he said. “AI: It's either going to kill us or save us.