The One “Drug” That Outperforms Them All: Exercise and Aging Explained (w/ Ben Miller, Ph.D., OMRF)

We all know movement is good for us. But can the right kind of exercise actually slow the aging process itself? In this episode, Dr. Kevin White talks with Benjamin Miller, Ph.D., professor of aging research at OMRF and past president of the American Aging Association, about what really happens to our muscles and mitochondria as we age, and how his new NIH-funded clinical trial is working to answer one of the most important questions in longevity science: why do some people respond to exercise better than others? "Every drug we study is just trying to be as good as exercise — and exercise still wins." Dr. Miller explains the biology of aging in plain language, from protein damage to energy production, and shares why exercise still outperforms any “miracle drug” on the market. He also unpacks the design of his new trial, where people 60 and older will receive supervised training, advanced health testing, and wearables to measure everything from VO₂ max to sleep — all with the goal of predicting who benefits most from which type of exercise. In this episode: Why exercise is still the closest thing we have to a longevity drug How mitochondria and protein health drive resilience as we age What VO₂ max actually measures — and why it predicts lifespan The role of genetics vs. lifestyle in how our bodies respond to training How to get involved in Dr. Miller’s NIH-backed exercise study at OMRF This conversation is a reminder that slowing aging isn’t about hacks or shortcuts — it’s about moving, staying engaged, and using science to make every decade stronger than the last.