• Investor Christian Angermayer is pouring millions of dollars into developing drugs for longevity.
• But he says if you want to live longer, there are 5 simple things you should try, no pills required.
• His ideas are kind of “hard” to implement, but they’re also science-backed ways to live longer. 

Billionaire investor Christian Angermayer has been involved in next-generation, high-tech drug development for more than two decades. In 2000, he started the successful RNA biotech firm Ribopharma with two of his college professors in Germany.

Twenty three years and a billion dollars later, he’s pouring tens of millions into longevity biotech in both Europe (Rejuveron) and the US (Cambrian Bio). Scientists working at the two companies are developing novel drugs that — they hope — may help lengthen people’s lifespans and improve how we age, some day in the not too distant future.

But in the meantime, if it’s longevity you’re after, Angermayer says there’s no reason to invest in any pricey supplements, longevity treatments, or new-age weight loss drugs.

“People always want the wonder drug,” Angermayer told Insider one recent afternoon at his Manhattan penthouse, while munching on some dried fruit. There is no such drug, and even he doubts there will ever be one simple, single fix for aging.

Instead, he suggested five things everyone can do for longevity — that are both accessible and backed up by scientific evidence.

“If you’re not doing these five things — which are simple and hard at the same time — then don’t look for the wonder drug,” Angermayer said.

Here are the 5 key longevity strategies Angermayer recommends to everyone:

Get enough sleep. (Sorry, but it’s true.)

“I’m sleep obsessed,” Angermayer said.

He’s not the only one. Biohacker Bryan Johnson just celebrated six months of “perfect” sleep with his Whoop wearable, and he swears it’s one of the most impactful things he does in his long, long list of anti-aging practices. Popular podcaster and longevity doctor Peter Attia calls sleep a “performance enhancing drug.”

Good sleep is connected to a whole host of health benefits, including improving metabolism and diet patterns.

Sleep “is the one thing we know solves many problems,” Angermayer said.

It improves mental health, is important to help the aging brain stay disease-free, and even improves testosterone production in men, something Angermayer highlighted in our interview.

“Sleep is the one thing nature — or God — gave us to age slower, and we are throwing it out the window,” he said.

Prioritize time with friends and loved ones

Angermayer admits this is the most “cheesy” sounding piece of advice on his list.

“You need to have a social life,” he said. “It’s really scientifically detrimental if you don’t do that.”

Numerous longevity studies from around the world back him up here, suggesting that people with a regular, diverse mix of social interactions with close friends and family, as well as decent links to weaker connections like co-workers and neighbors, have some of the happiest, longest lives.

“We need others to interact with and to help us, and we flourish when we provide that same connection and support to others,” Harvard Study of Adult Development directors Dr. Robert Waldinger and Marc Schultz wrote in their latest book, “The Good Life: Lessons from the world’s longest scientific study of happiness.”

Try the Mediterranean diet

“Nutrition” is Angermayer’s third longevity pillar. He says he “more or less” adheres to a version of the Mediterranean diet, which is rich in olive oil and vegetables, while low on red meat and added sugar.

There are plenty of other eating plans from other areas of the globe that are also tied to long lives, so if you aren’t an expert in Ikarian bean stew-making, no need to stress. The common traits of longevity-boosting diets worldwide tend to be rooted in local food that is minimally processed, composing a daily plate rich in nuts, legumes, veggies, beans, and vegetables, without a lot of space for processed treats or sweet drinks.

Exercise regularly — it really does keep your body young

Exercise is the No. 1 longevity intervention of choice for scientists worldwide.

Angermayer sticks to a regimen that is “regular” and “moderate,” he said. “You don’t have to be a marathon runner, but do some cardio, do some muscle stuff.”

That’s the same longevity exercise recipe that other aging experts recommend.

“If you had to pick one thing that’s probably the best, at least for functional aging, it’s exercise,” longevity expert Matt Kaeberlein previously told Insider.

Regular exercise won’t make you live forever, but it’ll improve aging by intervening in all kinds of everyday biological processes. Exercise improves the way almost everything in our body works, from our lungs and hearts, to other muscles and organs including the mind, reducing frailty in the brain as well as the body. On a cellular level, exercise can even improve the way our DNA functions and how proteins fold.

Avoid ‘bad’ drugs

Angermayer is not shy about admitting he’s done psychedelic drugs at least a few times, and he’s a major investor in the sector worldwide.

But when it comes to imbibing and other vices, he suggests cutting those out completely if you want to live a really, really long time.

“Never drink, no cannabis, no cocaine, nothing,” he suggests.

It’s probably his strictest rule of the five, but (like all the others) it’s science-backed. Alcohol is a neurotoxin, and smoking or vaping anything, whether it’s tobacco, marijuana, or some other plant or substance is consistently shown to be one of the most straightforward ways to shorten your lifespan. Cigarette smoking, in particular, is the leading cause of preventable death in the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

If you’re doing most of these five things most of the time, Angermayer says you’ve “already achieved a lot” for your health and longevity.

“But yeah, they’re hard,” he said.