Dr. Lipman is confident that science “will catch up” to the anti-aging practices he’s been preaching for decades. In the meantime, he calls for an approach to longevity medicine that blends art with science
Dr. Frank Lipman, a functional medicine pioneer, New York Times Bestselling author and founder of the popular Eleven Eleven Wellness Center, is all-in on the longevity movement.
However, he cautions that the science of longevity still has a long way to go.
“The science is developing quickly … and it’s exciting times, but at the moment, a lot of the science is not yet there,” Dr. Lipman said during a fireside chat with Athletech News founder and CEO Edward Hertzman at the ATN Innovation Summit 2025.
“That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t use it,” he added.
Dr. Lipman is confident that “science will catch up” to the anti-aging practices he and other functional medicine practitioners have been preaching for decades. In the meantime, though, he calls for an approach to longevity medicine that blends art with science.
ATN breaks down some of Dr. Lipman’s views on the fast-growing field of longevity medicine, including the areas he’s most excited about, why the current state of women’s health is encouraging and why many men probably shouldn’t be taking testosterone despite the hormone’s clear benefits.
Microbiome Science Is Important but Incomplete
Dr. Lipman’s beliefs about the science of gut health reflect his views on the wider state of longevity science.
“Microbiome science is not particularly accurate. There are all these microbiome tests. I think it’s bulls***,” Dr. Lipman said candidly.
“But the microbiome is probably really, really important for most of us to be (and) stay healthy,” he added. “It’s one of the hallmarks of aging.”
So what are people to do? Find a trusted doctor who’s willing to work with them to heal their gut. That might include trying out different products — or combinations of products — until things get better.
“We’ll know more and more … probably in the next five to 10 years,” Dr. Lipman predicted of microbiome science.
The Rise of GLP-1s
One area that does have a lot of solid science behind it is GLP-1s like Ozempic. Dr. Lipman is a big fan of GLP-1s not just for weight loss, but also for their potential anti-aging benefits.
“Used intelligently, they’re incredible,” he said of GLP-1s. “But like everything else in America, it gets abused.”
For the millions of Americans currently taking GLP-1s to lose weight, Dr. Lipman said it’s important that they take measures to safeguard muscle mass, such as by strength training.
“One of the problems is when you lose body fat, you also lose muscle,” he noted. “So it’s really important to monitor people and (make) sure that they’re not losing muscle because one of the biggest things that you’ve got to watch for when people get older is losing muscle mass.”
Women’s Health Is Making Progress
Dr. Lipman is encouraged that women’s health is becoming a bigger focus in mainstream medicine, but he says a lot of work still needs to be done to overcome institutional biases.
“As physicians, we don’t take women as seriously as men,” he said. “If men can’t get erections, there’s a drug, but if women have pain during sex, they’re just getting older.”
This situation is improving, with more and more women being prescribed progesterone supplementation to help treat and manage symptoms associated with perimenopause, Dr. Lipman noted as an example.
“The exciting thing is more and more women are realizing that hormones aren’t dangerous, like (they) were brainwashed to think, and (they’re) taking them,” he said. “And they feel much better.”
Why Some Men Should Think Twice About Taking Testosterone
The growing trend of middle-aged men getting testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) might be a cause for concern.
Dr. Lipman admitted he’s a big fan of supplemental testosterone (he takes it himself), but he called attention to what he sees as an alarming trend: men getting prescribed TRT who still want to have children.
“If you’re giving testosterone to younger men … two of the fairly common side effects are it shrinks your testicles, and it can cause infertility,” he noted. “So I think it’s irresponsible to give testosterone to young guys who still want to have kids.”
What’s Coming Next in Longevity Science?
Asked what longevity modalities and treatments he’s most excited about in the future, Dr. Lipman pointed to a few.
“I think brain health is the next frontier,” he said, noting again that the “science is not there 100%, but it’s getting there.”
In the next several years, Dr. Lipman expects brain health to hit the mainstream. He also expects to see exogenous ketones become highly popular for their energy and brain-boosting benefits.
“Ketones are like premium fuel, as opposed to regular fuel, which would be the glucose,” he said, referring to ketosis, the metabolic state where the body burns fat for fuel instead of carbohydrates.
“They’re wonderful, not only for your cognitive ability at the time, but they’re actually also preventive,” he added, pointing to early research showing that ketones may offer neuroprotective benefits.
A Call to Action
Responsible medicine was a key theme throughout Dr. Lipman’s appearance at the Innovation Summit. He noted that while there’s a lot of promising longevity therapies out there (and more to come), there’s also a lot of exaggerated marketing claims and some downright shady practices.
“The stuff being bombarded at you is crazy,” he said, referring to social media-driven advertising about everything from the myriad benefits of cold plunging to the latest and greatest anti-aging pills.
Dr. Lipman said that as he moves into the later stages of his career, he wants to help the longevity movement step into a new, more responsible era.
“That’s what the next 10, 20 years of my life are going to be (about),” he said. “How do we get this message out in a responsible way and educate people?”
This article is based on a live discussion held during the ATN Innovation Summit 2025, a two-day event dedicated to the future of fitness and wellness. See here for more Innovation Summit coverage.
