We all age. That part is not up for debate. But according to Dr. Will Cole, some of the things we do every day could be making us age faster. And yes, there are things we can do about it.
Dr. Cole came onto The Bossticks to talk all things aging, from chronic stress and inflammation to hormones, exhaustion, and the everyday habits that could be working against us. He breaks down what could be speeding up the aging process, the signs your body may be giving you, and what he recommends doing differently.
Ready to find out what could be making you age faster? Watch the full conversation below, then keep reading for everything Dr. Cole had to say.
What Makes You Age Faster?
According to Dr. Cole, your genetics aren’t the only thing that can affect how you age. He points to inflammation, chronic stress, blood sugar, sleep, gut health, and our everyday habits as factors that can play a role.
And your organs may not even age at the same rate. A Stanford study published in 2023 found that about one in five reasonably healthy adults over the age of 50 had at least one organ aging more rapidly than average for that organ among people of the same age.
Dr. Cole also pointed to newer research looking at biological aging across generations. A study published in Nature Medicine found that those born more recently showed progressively greater biological age gaps. For example, people born between 1965 and 1974 had a 23% higher standardized PhenoAge-defined age gap compared with those born between 1950 and 1954.
So, what could be speeding things up? Dr. Cole points to what he describes as cellular dysregulation. Below, we’re breaking down some of the biggest factors he says could be contributing to it.
Who Is Dr. Will Cole?
If you’re new to him, Dr. Will Cole is a functional medicine expert and bestselling author known for his work on inflammation, gut health, and the mind-body connection. He hosts The Art of Being Well podcast and has worked in functional medicine for more than a decade.
On the episode, Dr. Cole talked about how his years of working with patients have shaped his approach. He said his work draws from research as well as his experience with tens of thousands of telehealth patients over the past 16 years. He also says he looks at labs all day long to see what changes make a difference for his patients.
His newest book, Heal Your Cells, was co-written with his friend and colleague Dr. Josh Axe, and it explores a lot of what we’ll discuss below.
The Biggest Things That Make You Age Faster
According to Dr. Cole, there usually isn’t one single thing making you age faster. Instead, he looks at several factors that can affect how your body ages.
Chronic Inflammation
First up: chronic inflammation. Dr. Cole talks about “inflammaging,” a term used to describe the chronic, low-grade inflammation associated with aging. He explains that he looks beyond individual organs to what may be happening within the cells that make them up. For Dr. Cole, getting chronic inflammation under control is a major part of supporting healthier aging.
Chronic Stress and Cortisol
Next is chronic stress. Dr. Cole says both physical and emotional stress can affect what’s happening at a cellular level. He describes the cell membrane as the interface between the cells and the rest of the body, with receptor sites that help cells communicate. He also talks about something called “cell danger response,” which is part of how he explains the body’s response to ongoing stress.
Cortisol and adrenaline also come into the conversation. These hormones are involved in the body’s stress response, and Dr. Cole explains what can happen when that response stays switched on too often. That can show up in some surprisingly ordinary ways, too. Dr. Cole points to digestive issues like constipation as one example of how chronic stress can affect the body.
Blood Sugar Imbalances
What you eat matters, but according to Dr. Cole, so does when you eat. He talks about the relationship between food, blood sugar, and the body’s natural rhythms, including what he calls eating too many foods that “don’t love us back.”
One strategy he discusses is giving your body a break from food overnight rather than eating around the clock. For Dr. Cole, supporting healthy blood sugar is another piece of the healthy-aging puzzle.
Poor Sleep
No surprise here: sleep matters. A lot. Dr. Cole points to sleep as an important time for cellular repair and recovery. He specifically talks about processes including autophagy, which helps cells clear out damaged components, and mitophagy, which does something similar with mitochondria.
And it’s not only about how many hours you’re getting. Dr. Cole also talks about light exposure and your circadian rhythm, including getting natural light in the morning and limiting artificial light at night. As he puts it, our internal clocks can “lose track of time.”
Gut Health
Of course, Dr. Cole’s also gets into gut health. He talks about the connection between stress, the nervous system, gut bacteria, and inflammation. In the episode, he talks about decreased vagal tone, bacterial overgrowth in the small intention (SIBO), intestinal permeability, and how he believes these can contribute to inflammation throughout the body.
The gut and immune system are also closely linked, which is another reason Dr. Cole puts so much emphasis on gut health.
The Surprising Role of Stress and Shame
Dr. Cole also got personal about the role stress has played in his own health. He explained that for years he was doing all the basic wellness things, but there were “dark corners” he was avoiding.
In 2023, his dad died suddenly in a car accident after losing consciousness at the wheel. Around that same time, Dr. Cole was also dealing with public criticism online while grieving and promoting a book.
He said all the wellness stuff worked until it didn’t. For him, that meant finally addressing the burnout, stress, and trauma he says he had spent years helping his patients navigate but hadn’t fully addressed in himself.
So, he started looking beyond diet and other physical wellness habits. He turned to therapy, EMDR, somatic practices, and vagal nerve stimulation to address what he describes as his own hypervigilant nervous system. And for Dr. Cole, there’s another piece of the conversation we don’t talk about enough: resilience.
As he told Lauryn and Michael, he believes it’s something the world is seriously lacking.
How to Slow Down Aging, According to Dr. Cole
So, what can you actually do about it? According to Dr. Cole, start with two things: simplicity and sustainability. He said what keeps him in alignment is finding something you actually enjoy so you can stay consistent with it.
Here are a few of his recommendations:
- Take an anti-inflammatory approach to food. Dr. Cole recommends getting plenty of colorful plant foods and polyphenol. He points to things like pungent extra-virgin olive oil, deep-colored pomegranate, berries, teas, and herbs and spices as some of his favorites.
- Start with your gut. He recommends soups and stews, especially bone broth-based ones, as a simple place to start.
- Balance blood sugar and mind your timing. Dr. Cole also talks about leaving an overnight fasting window rather than eating around the clock.
- Prioritize sleep and light. Get natural sunlight in the morning, dim things down at night, and support your circadian rhythm.
- Manage chronic stress and support your nervous system. Journaling, therapy, time in nature, and practices aimed at supporting the vagus nerve all came up.
One of his favorites? Getting outside. Dr. Colle calls nature “God art” and talks about practices like forest bathing as another way he manages stress. And no, he doesn’t expect anyone to do everything perfectly. He says if you’re a generally healthy person, it’s about finding the wiggle room and resilience your body has, because everyone’s different.
If longevity is your rabbit hole, we have plenty more for you. Read up on the science of longevity in our Outlive review. Then hear Ben Greenfield on aging and Gary Brecka on longevity for even more on the topic.
Lauryn and Michael are not doctors or dermatologists. They share what works for them based on their own experience, and Dr. Cole shared his functional medicine perspective. None of this is medical advice, so please talk to your own provider before making changes, especially anything involving medications or a diagnosis.
Listen to the Full Episode With Dr. Will Cole
There’s so much more in this one, from EMF and home swaps to the nervous system tools Dr. Cole actually uses himself. Do yourself a favor and hear the whole thing on The Bossticks YouTube channel, then hit subscribe so you never miss a Monday or Thursday drop. If you want to keep leveling up your wellness, this is the place for you.