Modified on August 20, 2026 ,
Published on August 16, 2026
Cover illustration created using A.I./Sha Mexico
I grew up in California, where wellness was a kind of civic religion—and, among my friends, a regular source for jokes. Evian and fat-free frozen yogurt were frequent punch lines; crystals were inherently funny (still are). Yet beneath all that eye-rolling, I absorbed one idea almost without noticing: The choices we make each day—what we eat, how we move—shape how well we live. That belief seems almost quaint now. Today, the line between wellness and medicine is increasingly blurred, and nowhere more so than in the booming longevity industry, where one question drives all others: How much control can we exert over the way we age? That question is at the heart of the magazine you’re holding, Robb Report’s first wellness issue.
In his feature, editor at large Mark Ellwood offers one possible answer. It starts with a simple blood test—and an unexpected piece of good news. Instead of uncovering a hidden disease risk, he learns that he carries KL-VS, a genetic variant that helps the body produce higher levels of Klotho, a protein associated with healthier aging. While researchers study its potential to protect the brain and other organs as we grow older, the longevity sector has pounced. Experimental Klotho treatments are already available abroad, with prices reaching well into six figures. Armed with a genetic jackpot, Ellwood sets out to discover whether the protein might truly change the way we age—or whether the sector has simply found a new way to sell an old fantasy. You can decide for yourself here.
