According to Ray Kurzweil, a noted inventor whose pattern-recognition technologies have earned plaudits in the computing world, virtual immortality is within reach for many of us who manage to live just a few more decades. Sound fanciful? His thesis is simple: do what you can today to live long enough for technology to take over. That means strict diet and lifestyle changes, aggressive supplementation....and keeping your fingers crossed.

I was frankly ready to read the rantings of a nutcase--anyone who argues that 1000 year lifespans are in anyway possible needs to be vetted carefully (the 1000 year figure is actually quoted from Aubrey de Grey, but Kurzweil seems to support it). However, Kurzweil and Grossman explain in just enough detail the various processes of aging, degeneration of tissues and bodily breakdown to understand the basic modes by which we grow old, and what we know enough of from science and nutrition to combat them. I learned a lot:

• how sugar produces AGEs (advanced glycation end products, which accelerate aging)
• why testing for hypochlorhydria, heavy metals, apolipoprotein polymorphisms, and methylation ability are important (trust me-it all makes sense once you read the book)

All are critical to understanding what works and what doesn't in our individual bodies, and what to do about it.

Do you really have to buy the 1000-year lifespan promise to think the book is credible? Not really. I, like most people, would like a decently-long life (120 years would be great) but with a full retention of my physical and mental faculties until the very end, i.e. a high quality of life and a long one to boot.

I might scale back the nutritional program a bit, and forgo the alkalinized water that Ray and Terry drink (sorry, I still don't buy that), but nevertheless the book is a trove of useful information. How to avoid diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, Alzheimer's disease, and other age-related degenerative diseases, including The Metabolic Syndrome ("Syndrome X"), is discussed in full, with practical advice about testing and supplements rounding out the discussion.

What I'm not crazy about: some of the preaching about Chinese herbs, low carb diets and what's acceptable in a good relationship ("healthy flirting is okay"???) might be a bit unnecessary, especially since these sections don't seem to have the science to back them up like the rest of the book. Thankfully, weaker advice like these items are pretty rare in the book.

Overall, I found the book enlightening, easy to read, and a valuable personal resource.