Devi Sridhar: living a long life isn't a solo endeavour

How long you live may be shaped less by your gym routine or diet plan than by the systems that surround you, from clean air and water to safe streets and accessible healthcare. In this episode, Devi Sridhar, a professor of global public health at the University of Edinburgh, argues that governments—not individuals—hold the greatest power to extend lives. She explains what people can learn from long-lived communities in Japan and Europe, how to curb the harms of ultra-processed food, the role of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, and how tackling inequality could help everyone live healthier into old age.

Alok Jha, The Economist’s science and technology editor, speaks with Devi Sridhar, the author of “How Not to Die (Too Soon)”.

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