Top longevity competitors lowered their estimated biological age scores by a combined 62 years. Here's how they stay healthy.

Most longevity enthusiasts are trying to slow aging, but Adam Ficsor wants to outrun it.

The software engineer and Bitcoin developer says humanity could eventually reach "longevity escape velocity," where advances in medicine extend healthy life faster than people age.

"I am talking about literally not dying," he told Business Insider for an episode of its video series "The Limit."

To that end, he founded the Longevity World Cup, a competition that ranks who can wind back their biological clock the most.

The inaugural event announced its first winners in January, awarding about $4,000 in Bitcoin-funded prize money.

The scores were based on PhenoAge, a tool that estimates your biological age using your actual age (aka chronological age) and common blood markers like cholesterol, blood sugar, inflammation, and kidney function. Basically, it's a "blood test-based estimate of your risk of dying," Daniel Belsky, an associate professor of epidemiology at Columbia University's Robert N. Butler Columbia Aging Center, told Business Insider.

Participants have about one year to achieve and submit their best results.

First-place finisher Michael Lustgarten, PhD, lowered his estimated PhenoAge by 22.1 years. Subtracting that from his chronological age of 53 by the end of the competition yielded an estimated biological age of 30.9.

Researchers continue to debate how best to measure biological aging, and experts caution that scores like PhenoAge are statistical estimates rather than direct measurements of how fast someone is aging. Moreover, it's worth noting that large swings in biological age scores over short periods, such as weeks or months, can be difficult to interpret, said Belsky, who was not involved in the competition.

"To adjudicate these biohacking competitions is an invitation for people to hack the algorithm and generate what are ultimately non-informative results from them," he said.

That said, Belsky added that PhenoAge can be useful for tracking broad improvements from healthier behaviors.

"If you're seeing changes in PhenoAge in response to improvements in healthy behaviors, better management of existing health conditions, or other lifestyle changes that improve the overall quality of your environment, then I would be more likely to trust what the algorithm is saying. That's what it's designed to do," Belsky said.

With that in mind, Business Insider asked the top three winners of the Longevity World Cup to walk us through the habits and routines behind their results.

3rd-place finisher Wen Zhuang focuses on fundamentals

For the competition, Wen Zhuang lowered his estimated Phenoage by 20.1 years. He was 20.6 years old chronologically by the end of the competition, which means his biological age was only 0.5 years.

This doesn't mean that Zhuang and others with extremely low bioages are "biologically infants," Belsky said. "They're just people who have unusual levels of some of the blood analytes that are being tested for in the algorithm."

Rather than following someone else's protocol, Zhuang said that many advanced longevity interventions often vary from person to person.

At first, Zhuang's daily routine doesn't seem especially extraordinary: He wakes up at 6:30 a.m. each day, completes a short grooming and red-light session, eats breakfast, and then strength trains or runs depending on the day. He competes in track and field as a short-sprint athlete.

He also sticks to a diet of 45% calories from fat, 27.5% from protein, and 27.5% from carbohydrates, prioritizing seafood, vegetables, and legumes with no added sugar. He favors diverse, spice-rich meals packed with polyphenols and cooked at lower temperatures to minimize potentially harmful compounds.

Toward the end of the day, he eats an early dinner and reduces light and stimulation before bed. While regular exercise and diets rich in vegetables and legumes are linked to better health, there is little evidence that some other parts of Zhuang's routine, such as red-light therapy, extend human lifespan.

Unlike some longevity enthusiasts, Zhuang said he's not highly strict with his routine.

"When there's a social occasion, the schedule bends, and I think that's fine." He also allows for about 10% of his meals to be social, cooking his own meals the rest of the time. "I'd argue that's not a compromise — social connection is one of the better-supported longevity variables there is."

Where his routine gets interesting is when you look at the list of supplements he takes weekly. It's over 75 different supplements, including Vitamins D, E, B2, B6, B12, zinc, iodine, manganese, folate, biotin, creatine, melatonin, as well as extracts including curcumin, broccoli seed, aged garlic, and ginger — to name a few.

"If someone reads this and takes one thing away, I'd want it to be the sleep, training, seafood, and metabolic markers — not the pill list," he emphasized.

2nd-place finisher Zdenek Sipek relies on consistency

Runner-up Zdenek Sipek lowered his estimated PhenoAge by 20.6 years. He was 46.4 chronologically with a bioage of 25.8.

Sipek said maintaining his routine doesn't require constant motivation because discipline has become part of his personality.

"I am very regimented and strict with myself, and I like it in fact that way," he said.

When asked where he occasionally slips, Sipek said it might be "a piece of chocolate," but he said little else interrupts his routine.

He also believes longevity doesn't have to be expensive. Sipek estimated that someone starting out could spend less than $100 a month on longevity interventions, depending on where they live.

Outside of nutrition, Sipek studies Buddhism, Daoism, and Hindu texts. He said practices that promote peace of mind are an overlooked part of longevity because they can help reduce stress.

"I think the peace of mind is absolutely critical for wellbeing," he said.

He also makes his longevity protocol available free on Substack because, he said, "this information should be shared freely and improve people in general all around the world."

1st-place finisher Michael Lustgarten tracks everything he can

Lustgarten, an active research scientist, said his biggest advantage in the competition is years of collecting data on himself.

He's been measuring his blood biomarkers alongside his daily diet and routine since 2015, with more than 70 blood tests over the past decade, he told Business Insider.

He said he has up to 3,000 measurements of certain biomarkers, which gives him far more opportunities to see what changes affect his biological age, for better or worse. He provides his tracking methods on YouTube.

His diet, for example, is one of the first places he starts when targeting biomarkers across the board to try to lower his biological age.

He consumes about 40% fat and 30% carbs. He used to eat more carbs and less fat, but after tracking biomarkers for cardiovascular disease risk, he said that diet wasn't optimal.

Beyond diet, he aims to optimize the basics, mainly exercise and sleep. Similar to Zhuang, Lustgarten said supplements aren't the end-all be-all for maximizing health. In fact, he said he prioritizes making dietary changes over supplemental ones.

For beginners looking to monetize their health optimization, Lustgarten recommends starting with regular blood work instead of an expensive supplement routine.

A standard clinical chemistry and metabolic panel can only cost about $35 through some direct-to-consumer labs, though panels at hospitals can be more expensive. These panels are helpful in that they provide information about kidney, liver, immune, red blood cell-related measures, and metabolic health.

"What I recommend people do and what I do is before every blood test, tracking diet, exercise, duration, sleep, HRV, all the things you can think about tracking for at least a week for every test," he said. Then, after a couple of tests, start looking within your own data to see what may be moving the needle, he added.

This article is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your qualified physician or healthcare provider.