Over the past century, there have been major advances in medicine, diet and living conditions that have substantially extended the health span of people in the developed world. Over the past decade or so, the science of ageing has made great strides in providing an understanding of the underlying causes of ageing and how diet and genes play into the ageing process. In this essay, we will review some of the recent advances made in the science of sirtuins and beta-cell biology, and discuss how we will apply this knowledge to further the progress of humankind in healthy ageing.