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What Is a Longevity Clinic? What It Measures and What to Ask
In short: A longevity clinic is a medical practice that focuses on healthspan, the years you live in good health. It assesses health, function and risk factors, sometimes using tests that estimate biological age, then builds a long-term plan from those results and tracks them over time. There is no single agreed standard for these clinics, so what they offer varies. Checking the doctors, the tests and the follow-up matters more than the name.
What is a longevity clinic?
A longevity clinic is a healthcare practice that aims to extend healthspan, rather than only treating illness after it arrives. Its work rests on assessing health, function and risk factors, sometimes using tests that estimate biological age, and acting on what the results show.
A review of longevity-clinic models says there is no universally accepted standard model for these clinics. One clinic may be led by physicians and centred on diagnosis. Another may be closer to a wellness centre. The word "longevity" on the door tells you little about which kind you are visiting.
What does a longevity clinic do?
A longevity clinic usually assesses you in depth, explains the results, builds a personal plan and repeats the measurements over the years. The usual steps are:
A detailed history. Your symptoms, medicines, family history, sleep, food, stress and activity.
Baseline testing. A first set of measurements, so that later changes can be compared.
A personal plan. Often food, sleep, exercise and stress care, along with medical care where the results and your doctor support it.
Regular review. Tests are repeated, and the plan changes according to the results.
Many longevity clinics offer ongoing follow-up; arrangements vary.
Who goes to a longevity clinic?
People go to a longevity clinic for one of two reasons: they have noticed changes in their health, or they have no symptoms and want a measured starting point. Some notice lower energy, slower recovery or poorer sleep, or the hormonal shifts of midlife. Others are in their 30s and 40s and want to track their health while they feel well.
What does a longevity clinic measure?
A longevity clinic commonly measures blood markers, hormones, signs of inflammation and estimates of biological age. The exact list varies by clinic. Common groups are:
Metabolic markers. Fasting glucose, insulin and lipids (blood fats) show how your body handles energy.
Hormones. Thyroid, cortisol and sex hormones can change with age.
Inflammation markers. High-sensitivity CRP (hs-CRP) is a blood test for low-grade inflammation.
Nutrients and organ function. Vitamins, minerals, and liver and kidney markers.
Biological age estimates. Tests that estimate how your body is ageing compared with your calendar age.
Some clinics also use genetic tests, advanced imaging, immune and gut-microbe tests, or wearable devices.
More data is not always more useful. A group of leading ageing researchers wrote in 2023 that a lack of standards and agreement still holds back the clinical use of ageing biomarkers (measurable signs of ageing). A 2025 commentary warned that biological age tests are sometimes presented as definitive, although their precision and clinical usefulness are still debated. Treat such a number as one piece of information, and read it with your doctor.
How is a longevity clinic different from a health check-up?
A health check-up assesses current health and risk factors. Longevity clinics emphasise tracking health over time, but personalised testing and follow-up are also available through regular medical care. Services vary.
Testing alone does not change health. A Cochrane review of 17 randomised trials looked at general health checks in adults who were not chosen for any particular risk. It found little or no effect on overall deaths. This does not mean tests are useless, or that you should skip the screening your doctor advises for you. The review did not study longevity clinics themselves.
What can a longevity plan include?
A longevity plan can include food, sleep, exercise and stress care, along with medical therapies a doctor selects from your results. Which of these you are offered depends on your tests, your history and the clinic. No plan can promise a longer life. Ask your doctor what each element is expected to do in your body, how it will be monitored, and when it will be reviewed.
What should I ask a longevity clinic before joining?
Ask these questions before you start:
Who leads my care? What is the doctor's medical degree, registration number and State Medical Council?
Which tests do I need, and how will each result change my plan?
Who reads the results with me, and do I get copies of my reports?
Which laboratory runs the tests, and is the same one used for repeat tests?
What is each therapy expected to do in my body, and what screening comes first?
Who is it not suitable for, and what are the side effects?
How will we measure progress, and how often will you review my plan?
Which parts are testing and which are treatment, and what does each depend on? Cost depends on what the doctor advises, so ask for this in writing before you agree.
Will you work with my regular doctor and specialists?
A careful clinic will answer these clearly. Be cautious of any promise to "reverse" your age, or any guaranteed result. A 2025 commentary called for clear lines between medical and wellness services, and for clinics to be more open about their methods and results.
"Longevity doctor" is a description, not a separate legal title. In India, check any doctor's registration through the Indian Medical Register on the National Medical Commission website, or through the State Medical Council.
What should a doctor check first?
These are screening points for a doctor to consider, not a complete list:
all your current medicines and supplements, because some can interact
pregnancy or breastfeeding, or plans for pregnancy
any long-term illness and your treatment for it
a history of cancer, or any current cancer treatment, before hormone or other therapies are considered
allergies, and past reactions to any medicine or infusion
Keep taking prescribed medicines, and stay under your regular doctor. Sudden symptoms such as chest pain or severe breathlessness need a hospital emergency department straight away, not a longevity clinic.
Where does SOMA fit?
SOMA provides physician-led longevity medicine in Dadar West, Mumbai, and Greater Kailash II, New Delhi. Its approach is set out on the longevity and healthy ageing page and in how we do it.
SOMA centres in Mumbai and New Delhi
SOMA doctors see patients at two centres:
Mumbai: A-507, Kohinoor Square, N.C. Kelkar Marg, Shivaji Park, Dadar West, Mumbai 400028. Phone +91 98671 94033.
New Delhi: E-354, Greater Kailash II, New Delhi 110048, serving Delhi NCR and Gurugram. Phone +91 87969 92001. More about the New Delhi centre.
The New Delhi centre is independently operated under licence from SOMA Longevity Sciences, and its own doctors lead care there. Both centres follow the same SOMA assessment and diagnostic standards. Online consultations are also available. Contact either centre.
Questions people ask
What is a longevity clinic?
A longevity clinic is a healthcare practice that aims to extend healthspan, the years you live in good health. It assesses health, function and risk factors, sometimes using tests that estimate biological age, builds a plan from the results, and repeats the tests over time. No universal standard model exists, so services differ.
What does a longevity doctor do?
A longevity doctor takes a detailed history, selects tests, reads the results with you, and reviews your plan over the years. "Longevity doctor" is not a separate legal title. In India, the doctor still needs a recognised medical degree and medical council registration.
Is a longevity clinic the same as a health check-up?
A health check-up assesses current health and risk factors. Longevity clinics emphasise tracking health over time, but personalised testing and follow-up are also available through regular medical care. Services vary.
Do I need a longevity clinic if I feel well?
You do not need one to stay under good medical care. Some people choose one in their 30s and 40s to get a measured starting point. Keep the screening your regular doctor advises, and ask any clinic how each test would change your plan.
Where can I find a longevity clinic in Mumbai or Delhi?
Whichever clinic you consider, check the doctor's registration and ask the questions above. SOMA practises physician-led longevity medicine at its centres in Dadar West, Mumbai and Greater Kailash II, New Delhi. Consultations begin with testing.
Related guides
Sources
Mironov S, Borysova O, Morgunov I, Zhou Z, Moskalev A. A framework for an effective healthy longevity clinic. Aging Dis. 2025;16(4):1971–1986. doi:10.14336/AD.2024.0328-1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38607731/
Demaria M. Longevity clinics: between promise and peril. Aging 2025;17(10):2452–2454. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41085401/
Moqri M et al. Biomarkers of aging for the identification and evaluation of longevity interventions. Cell 2023;186(18):3758–3775. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37657418/
Krogsbøll LT, Jørgensen KJ, Gøtzsche PC. General health checks in adults for reducing morbidity and mortality from disease. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2019;1:CD009009. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30699470/
National Medical Commission. Indian Medical Registry Search. https://nmc.org.in/information-desk/indian-medical-register
This article is for education and general information. It is not a substitute for a medical consultation, diagnosis or treatment. Results vary by individual biology.
Wondering what your own results would show? Start with a conversation.