“The sleep people are getting in the real world predicts how long they live better than almost anything else.” According to Dr. Michael Grandner, sleep isn't just rest. It's one of the strongest predictors of how long you'll live.

Yet most people fundamentally misunderstand what sleep is, why we need it, and what happens when we don't get enough of it. The consequences reach far beyond feeling tired, influencing everything from your brain function and metabolism to your immune system, long-term health, and lifespan.

In this episode, Chris Wharton sits down with Dr. Michael Grandner, Director of the Sleep and Health Research Program at the University of Arizona and the world's most cited sleep researcher Drawing from decades of research, Dr. Grandner unpacks what sleep is actually doing inside your body, why so many people struggle with it, and how improving it may be one of the most powerful things you can do for your health, performance, and longevity.
No wellness trends. No sleep hacks. Just the science behind one of the most important—and overlooked—drivers of human health.

In the episode, you'll learn:
→ Why sleep is one of the strongest levers for longevity, performance, and disease prevention
→ Why chronic sleep loss impairs decision-making, memory, metabolism, and emotional regulation before you notice it
→ The difference between feeling tired and being objectively sleep-deprived
→ Why trying harder to fall asleep can make insomnia worse
→ How sleep apnea is often missed — especially when symptoms look like fatigue, anxiety, or depression
→ What sleep trackers and wearables can tell you, and what they often get wrong
→ Why melatonin, supplements, and sleep hygiene aren't always enough to fix a real sleep disorder
→ How light, caffeine, alcohol, temperature, screens, and bedtime routines affect sleep quality
→ Why better sleep often comes from doing less — reducing effort and getting out of your own way

Dr. Grandner has published more than 250 academic papers, chaired the American Heart Association's Sleep Science Committee, and presented to the US Congress on sleep health. This episode is for anyone who wakes up tired, struggles with insomnia, relies on sleep trackers, or wants to understand how sleep really affects longevity, recovery, and daily performance.

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actually advancing the science of human longevity — and what isn't. Subscribe at https://www.thewndrlab.com/mailing-list.

The WNDR Lab: https://www.thewndrlab.com/

Michael Grandner, PhD | University of Arizona

Michael Grandner, PhD, researches the connections between sleep and circadian health, including innovative strategies for improving sleep. The Director of the Sleep and Health Research Program and a tenured Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry with joint appointments in Medicine, Psychology, Nutritional Sciences, and Clinical and Translational Science at the University of Arizona College of Medicine, he is the Inaugural Chair of the American Heart Association’s Sleep Science Committee and the Past President of the Society of Behavioral Sleep Medicine, as well as an elected Fellow of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Society of Behavioral Sleep Medicine. Dr. Grandner has over 250 academic journal publications, advises numerous companies, has presented to the US Congress multiple times on the topic of sleep health, and has co-authored position statements for the International Olympic Committee and the National Institutes of Health, among many others. He was recently awarded the Richard Bootzin Mid-Career Distinguished Scientific Achievement Award by the Society of Behavioral Sleep Medicine.

Dr. Michael Grandner's Instagram https://www.instagram.com/michaelgrandner/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grandner/
Website: https://www.michaelgrandner.com/about.html
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@UCTET02GzjnNxSg3V157lUIw

In this episode of The LIVING Room Podcast, host Chris Wharton sits down with Dr. Paul Mischel for a fascinating exploration of what causes cancer, and the future of preventive medicine.

A pioneer in precision oncology, Dr. Mischel's groundbreaking research revealed how extrachromosomal DNA (ecDNA)—small circles of DNA that exist outside our chromosomes—can fuel tumor growth, accelerate evolution, and help cancers evade treatment. His discoveries have transformed our understanding of some of the most aggressive cancers, including glioblastoma.

But this conversation goes far beyond the laboratory…

Dr. Mischel breaks down what the latest science actually tells us about cancer risk, prevention, and early detection. Together, they explore which lifestyle factors are backed by evidence, where common misconceptions persist, and why the future of cancer screening may be both more powerful—and more nuanced—than many people realize.

Please join us for a thought-provoking conversation about one of medicine's greatest challenges, and the science that may help change its future.

In this video, we explore:

• What cancer actually is — and why some cancers become far more aggressive than others
• How extrachromosomal DNA (ecDNA) helps tumors evolve and resist treatment — and why that changes everything about precision oncology
• What the science actually says about exercise, nutrition, alcohol, smoking, vaccines, and cancer prevention
• The real cancer risk factors you can control — and the ones you can't
• Why full-body MRIs and cancer blood tests are promising but not a replacement for traditional cancer screening yet
• The biggest cancer myths circulating in wellness spaces — and what the data actually supports
• How to think about your cancer risk with more agency and less fear

About Dr. Paul Mischel:

Paul Mischel, MD, is a physician-scientist at Stanford Medicine whose research revealed how extrachromosomal DNA drives the evolution and drug resistance of aggressive cancers. His work has reshaped the field of precision oncology.

Want more? Each month, we send a newsletter curated by our scientific council on what's

actually advancing the science of human longevity — and what isn't. Subscribe at https://www.thewndrlab.com/mailing-list.

The WNDR Lab: https://www.thewndrlab.com/

Why is losing weight—and keeping it off—so difficult? A leading neuroscientist explains the biology of hunger, the rise of GLP-1 medications, and what science is revealing about the brain's role in body weight regulation.

In this episode of The LIVING Room Podcast, Chris Wharton sits down with Dr. Zachary A. Knight, PhD — Professor of Physiology at UC San Francisco, Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator, and one of the world's leading researchers studying the neural circuits that regulate hunger, thirst, and body weight.

Drawing from decades of research, Dr. Knight explains why body weight is influenced by far more than motivation alone, how genetics and environment interact to shape appetite, what happens in the brain when we lose weight, and why GLP-1 medications have transformed obesity treatment.

Watch this episode to learn:

• Why maintaining weight loss is so challenging for many people
• How genetics and environment work together to influence body weight
• What happens in the brain when you're hungry—and when you're full
• How GLP-1 medications like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro affect appetite and food-related reward signals
• The science behind "food noise" and why many patients report it decreases on GLP-1s
• Whether weight-loss medications are likely to be lifelong treatments
• Practical, science-backed ways to increase satiety and better manage hunger
• What researchers are learning about hydration, thirst, and the body's internal regulation systems
• Where the next generation of obesity and metabolic health treatments may be headed

This isn't diet advice. This is the neuroscience of hunger — and it will completely change how you think about your body.

Connect with Dr. Zachary A. Knight:

https://knightlab.ucsf.edu/

http://www.linkedin.com/in/zachary-knight-29a37977

https://x.com/zaknight

Want more? Each month, we send a newsletter curated by our scientific council on what's actually advancing the science of human longevity — and what isn't. Subscribe at https://www.thewndrlab.com/mailing-list.

The WNDR Lab: TheWNDRLab.com

Most anti-aging skincare is focused on the surface — but the real story of skin aging starts much deeper. Mayo Clinic dermatologist Dr. Saranya Wyles breaks down what’s actually happening beneath your skin, why up to 75% of skin aging may be modifiable, and what science really says about retinol, SPF, red light therapy, collagen, peptides, GLP-1s, and more.

Saranya Wyles, MD, PhD, is the Director of the Regenerative Dermatology and the Skin Longevity Laboratory at Mayo Clinic whose work focuses on skin aging, wound healing, cellular senescence, and regenerative medicine. In this episode of The LIVING Room Podcast, she joins Chris Wharton to explain why your skin is often a reflection of what’s happening inside your body — from brain health to heart health and overall aging, what SPF, retinol, red light therapy, collagen, and peptides actually do, and why the future of skincare will include 3D-bioprinted skin tissue and regenerative therapies.

What we cover in this conversation:

• Why 75% of skin aging is modifiable — and what that actually means
• The skincare routine a Mayo Clinic dermatologist actually recommends
• Why oral collagen supplements may be a waste of money
• Whether retinol, red light therapy, and peptides live up to the hype
• What sunscreen actually protects you from (and how it impacts vitamin D)
• Why weight-loss drugs like GLP-1s may be aging your face
• The future of regenerative skin repair — from exosomes to 3D-bioprinted skin

For science-backed clarity on what really protects your skin, free from the noise of anti-aging marketing — this episode delivers true value around powerful anti-aging practices that you can apply to your life.

Learn more about Dr. Saranya Wyles https://www.instagram.com/drwyles.derm

What does it really look like to evolve into the best version of yourself? Robert Downey Jr. sits down with Chris Wharton for an honest conversation about discipline, self-awareness, taking control of one’s health, and what happiness truly means after living one of Hollywood’s most extraordinary lives.

In this episode, Robert Downey Jr. opens up about the daily rituals that keep him grounded, why he was the very first "patient zero" for Chris's wellness program, and what he learned from years of burning the candle at both ends. From preparing for Broadway to suiting up for Marvel, this is a masterclass in intentional living from a man who's seen it all.

Connect with Robert Downey Jr. at https://www.instagram.com/robertdowneyjr

Want more? Each month, we send a newsletter curated by our scientific council on what's actually advancing the science of human longevity — and what isn't. Subscribe at https://www.thewndrlab.com/mailing-list.

The WNDR Lab: https://www.thewndrlab.com/

Dr. Courtney Peterson runs one of the world's largest labs studying intermittent fasting in humans at Harvard, and her research shows most people are fasting at the wrong time of day. Here's what the clinical data actually says.

Chris Wharton sits down with Dr. Peterson — Harvard researcher and member of the international scientific committee that formally defined intermittent fasting — to break down what rigorous clinical trial data actually says about fasting, meal timing, blood sugar, and weight loss. Not what the headlines say, but what the science says.

In this episode, you'll discover:

→ Why fasting doesn't work by burning more calories — and what it's actually doing inside your body instead

→ The single most important variable in your fasting protocol — and why most people are getting it completely wrong

→ Why the timing of your eating window matters more than the window itself — and how shifting it can dramatically improve blood sugar and blood pressure

→ What 27 out of 28 clinical diabetes studies showed about intermittent fasting — and why this finding changes everything

→ The weight loss results you can realistically expect — what the data shows for both short-term and long-term outcomes

→ How fasting affects hunger hormones — and why people who do it right stop feeling deprived → The specific populations who benefit most from time-restricted eating — and the ones who should not fast at all

→ How to make fasting sustainable long-term — practical strategies backed by clinical research, not wellness trends

→ Why intermittent fasting may support women’s metabolic health and healthy aging — and why extreme fasting is not one-size-fits-all.

Dr. Peterson has spent years running controlled clinical trials on intermittent fasting. This episode isn't wellness hype, it’s the science.

Courtney Peterson, PhD | Harvard University

Dr. Courtney Peterson is Associate Professor of Nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, with appointments in the Department of Nutrition and the Department of Molecular Metabolism. Her research examines how meal timing, intermittent fasting, and circadian rhythms shape metabolic health, with the goal of developing dietary strategies to prevent and reverse type 2 diabetes and obesity. She led the first human clinical trial of early time-restricted eating, an approach that aligns the daily eating window with the body's internal clock, and her work has helped establish meal timing as a distinct variable in metabolic health, alongside diet composition and total caloric intake. Dr. Peterson holds a PhD in physics from Harvard, where she studied the early universe before turning to nutrition science, along with master's degrees from Tulane in clinical research, Imperial College London in science communication, and the University of Cambridge in applied mathematics and theoretical physics. She previously served on the faculty at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Can your environment cause more disease than your genes? Columbia University exposome researcher Gary Miller, PhD, has spent his career answering exactly that — and his findings will change how you live your daily life…

As founder of the first exposome center in the United States, Dr. Miller studies how toxins, air quality, plastics, food, and stress silently accumulate in the body over a lifetime — and how they're driving diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's in ways that genetics alone can't explain.

In this episode, he breaks down what the science actually says about the exposome, and cuts through the fear and wellness noise to tell you where you should genuinely be concerned — and what you can do about it.

You'll learn:

• Why your environment may matter more than your DNA
• Which hidden daily exposures could be affecting your health right now
• The real science on microplastics, pesticides, tap water, and indoor air quality
• Why most supplements are doing less than you think
• Simple, low-effort changes that can meaningfully reduce your risk at home
• How to make smarter health decisions without falling for hype or headlines

If you've ever felt paralyzed by conflicting health advice, this conversation gives you a clearer, evidence-based framework — from one of the most credible voices in environmental health research.

Gary Miller, PhD | Columbia University

Gary Miller, PhD, founded the first exposome center in the US and studies the role of environmental factors in neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. At Columbia University, he serves as Vice Dean for Research Strategy and Innovation and Professor of Environmental Health Sciences in the Mailman School of Public Health, and Professor of Molecular Pharmacology and Therapeutics in the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. Dr. Miller is a member of the National Institutes of Health All of Us Research Program Advisory Panel and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Advisory Council. He is also the founding editor of the journal Exposome, published by Oxford University Press.

Website: https://www.publichealth.columbia.edu/profile/gary-w-miller-phd
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-w-miller-2609309/

Most people focus on living longer. Stanford geriatrician Deborah Kado says that’s the wrong goal — the real goal is living well for longer by protecting strength, mobility, and independence, and the research helps explain why.

Deborah Kado is a professor at Stanford University School of Medicine, co-director of the Stanford Longevity Center, and board-certified geriatrician, specializing in bone health, osteoporosis, and aging-related syndromes. In this episode of The LIVING Room Podcast, she shares what decades of research in geriatrics and epidemiology reveal about what actually shapes quality of life as we age — bone health, hip fracture risk, muscle, posture, strength vs power, and why the difference between lifespan and healthspan is everything.

What we cover in this conversation:

• Why hip fractures are deadlier than most people realize
• Whether bone density loss is actually reversible
• The difference between living longer and living well
• Why power matters more than strength as you age
• What Deborah wishes people in their 30s and 40s understood about aging now
• Why NAD supplements may be overrated
• What geriatricians actually do (and why there aren't enough of them)

For evidence-based insight on building lasting strength, mobility, and independence — free from the noise of longevity hype — this episode delivers.