Billionaire entrepreneur Deepinder Goyal has taken a surprising leap from heading a food-delivering giant to questioning the fundamentals of human ageing. Through his new science initiative Continue Research, the Zomato founder is exploring a hypothesis – What if gravity itself is accelerating the ageing process?
A week after announcing a $25 million fund to support scientists and deep-tech startups, Goyal unveiled Continue Research’s first big idea which is a theory that positions gravity as a central force influencing how fast humans age.
“Newton gave us a word for it. Einstein said it bends spacetime. I am saying gravity shortens lifespan,” Goyal wrote on LinkedIn and shared the research.
Brain-first, not body-first ageing
Continue Research claimed that ageing may be more brain-driven than previously understood. Their hypothesis suggests that the constant downward pull of gravity reduces blood flow to key regions of the brain, accelerating decline in the hypothalamus and brainstem. These are the areas that are responsible for regulating inflammation, hormones, metabolism and repair.
These regions depend on fragile, tiny blood vessels. Even slight reductions in blood flow can impair functioning, which may explain why bats live unusually long lives despite high metabolic rates; why yoga poses often invert the body; why shorter people statistically outlive taller people, the research stated.
Past studies, cited by Continue, showed that cerebral blood flow declines by about 0.7% every year, starting as early as age seven.
Upside down solution
Since eliminating gravity isn’t an option, Continue Research argues that the way to reverse gravity-induced ageing is inversion — hanging upside down.
According to their pilot findings, using inversion tables for 10 minutes a day over six weeks led to a 7% increase in average daily brain blood flow which roughly compensates for a decade of age-related loss.
The study further noted that regular exercise, proper sleep, correct posture and good nutrition can also improve cerebral circulation, complementing inversion benefits.
