Today I noticed a fairly long interview with David Gobel of the Methuselah Foundation - a lot of interesting detail in there as to the Foundation's goals and arrangements. For example:

Q: What collaborations, partnerships, or other types of relationships does Methuselah Foundation have with other longevity funding organizations, if any. One example would be the Ellison Foundation.

A: Ellison has been a donor to the Methuselah Foundation. We've had many organizations that have been supporters such as the Thiel Foundation, the Ellison Foundation, The Paul Glenn Foundation.

Q: Are there any other collaborations with any funding or research-focused organizations?

A: We are, I suppose closest to SENS foundation, we do many things together. We also co-founded the Super Centenarian Foundation which did the world's first autopsies on super centenarians to figure out not how they lived so long, but what exactly they died from, which is a question I posed during the discussion about founding that organizations so they did the autopsies and there's a paper talking about what came up and what can be done about it.

Q: What is your relation with SENS in particular?

A: We are their fiscal sponsor. They recently received their 501c3 tax-deductible exemption from the IRS but from the 2 or 3 years where they did not have that, we were their fiscal sponsor. We also continue to provide them donations from donors and they recently donated funds to help fund the NewOrgan Prize that we're producing.

Q: How far into the future do you think you and your team plan the strategy and goals of the organization?

A: We are looking at what we can accomplish and deliver to end users within 18 months and 5 years and SENS is focused on 10-15 years.

That last point is an important one, and keeping it in mind will illuminate a great deal of the thinking behind the activities of the two organizations. The Methuselah Foundation invests in technologies likely to emerge within the next few years, for example, like organ printing development by startup Organovo. The SENS Foundation, on the other hand, spends a fair amount of effort on building the foundation for the next generation of the research community - outreach amongst people who are in college now, studying life science, but who may have their own laboratories and companies in the biotech space ten years from now.

The interesting question regarding the removal of the human heartbeat is the impact it will have on other bodily systems. Will it extend life by reducing stress on, for example, vulnerable blood vessels in the brain, or will it shorten life by also eliminating the beneficial response to that stress? Researchers are making progress in artificial hearts, so this question will likely be answered at some point over the next few decades: "The search for the perfect artificial heart seems never-ending. After decades of trial and error, surgeons remain stymied in their quest for a machine that does not wear out, break down or cause clots and infections. But Dr. Billy Cohn and Dr. Bud Frazier at the Texas Heart Institute say they have developed a machine that could avoid all that with simple whirling rotors - which means people may soon get a heart that has no beat. Inside the institute's animal research laboratory is an 8-month-old calf with a soft brown coat named Abigail. Cohn and Frazier removed Abigail's heart and replaced it with two centrifugal pumps. ... If you listened to her chest with a stethoscope, you wouldn't hear a heartbeat. If you examined her arteries, there's no pulse. If you hooked her up to an EKG, she'd be flat-lined. ... The pumps spin Abigail's blood and move it through her body. ... The doctors say the continuous-flow pump should last longer than other artificial hearts and cause fewer problems. That's because each side has just one moving part: the constantly whirling rotor. But Cohn says they will still have to convince the world that you don't need a pulse to live. ... We look at all the animals, insects, fish, reptiles and certainly all mammals, and see a pulsatile circulation. And so all the early research and all the early efforts were directed at making pulsatile pumps. ... However, the only reason blood must be pumped rhythmically instead of continuously is the heart tissue itself. ... The pulsatility of the flow is essential for the heart, because it can only get nourishment in between heartbeats. If you remove that from the system, none of the other organs seem to care much."

Link: http://www.npr.org/2011/06/13/137029208/heart-with-no-beat-offers-hope-of-new-lease-on-life

Confusion is an important barrier to overcome when advocating engineered human longevity. For those folk who are not paying much attention to the topic - which is, sadly, 99.9% of the present roster of the human race - there's little apparent difference between advocacy for real, plausible scientific development and the nonsense of the "anti-aging" marketplace. It's pretty much all the same to them, and that's a big problem.

One of the long term projects for the advocacy community is to raise the general level of education and awareness, such that a far greater number of people do know that they should support SENS research and not the ramblings of the pill and potion vendors if they do have an interest in living longer. Not a small project, but we can all help.

Things become somewhat worse when we pull in religions and spirituality, however. To go along with the confusion created by the prodigious and often duplicitous output of "anti-aging" salespeople, there are entire armies of people who place immortality in the spiritual sense into the same bucket as life extension through science. They are even more confused - and you can find a good example in a recent article that shifts seamlessly between radical life extension through technology, the longevity of being famous, and Buddhist spirituality. All in the same category for that author.

Religious believes are, unfortunately, delusions. It's just the same as any dream of lazy immortality - such as the possibility that you are software in a simulation, a brain in a jar, or one of infinitely many copies in a universe of many parallel worlds. You shouldn't live your life banking on being a brain in a jar, and you shouldn't live your life banking on a supernatural continuation of your existence post-mortem. All that these comfortable beliefs give you is the chance to feel good while failing to achieve the material, real-world goals that will give you a greater chance at a far longer life. It's grand failure, while pretending to succeed.

While it's tempting to let the religious have their cozy refuge, that's no way to run a campaign of advocacy for scientific development, as noted at length by other authors:

As far as every experiment ever done is concerned, [the Dirac] equation is the correct description of how electrons behave at everyday energies. ... If you believe in an immaterial soul that interacts with our bodies, you need to believe that this equation is not right, even at everyday energies. There needs to be a new term (at minimum) on the right, representing how the soul interacts with electrons. (If that term doesn't exist, electrons will just go on their way as if there weren't any soul at all, and then what's the point?) So any respectable scientist who took this idea seriously would be asking - what form does that interaction take?

...

Nobody ever asks these questions out loud, possibly because of how silly they sound. Once you start asking them, the choice you are faced with becomes clear: either overthrow everything we think we have learned about modern physics, or distrust the stew of religious accounts/unreliable testimony/wishful thinking that makes people believe in the possibility of life after death. It's not a difficult decision, as scientific theory-choice goes.

We don't choose theories in a vacuum. We are allowed - indeed, required - to ask how claims about how the world works fit in with other things we know about how the world works. ... There's no reason to be agnostic about ideas that are dramatically incompatible with everything we know about modern science. Once we get over any reluctance to face reality on this issue, we can get down to the much more interesting questions of how human beings and consciousness really work.

The same goes for engineering longer lives for ourselves and our descendants. That worthy goal is fundamentally undermined by the widespread acceptance of supernatural immortality. The religious nature of your average human and human society is yet another hurdle to overcome - it won't be going away any time soon, given its origin in evolved human nature, but we have to find good ways to work around its effects.

"Should we treat aging?" is a rhetorical question here, but sadly it remains a straightforward open question for much of the world - when it is asked, they are quite serious in asking it. People expect there to be good reasons as to why aging should be left as it is, the cause of death for more than 100,000 people each and every day, and scientists restrained from working on therapies of rejuvenation. This is one of the uphill struggles taking place in the patient advocacy community for aging research, that most people don't consider themselves patients exhibiting the symptoms of degenerative aging, have little inclination to do anything about it, and are in fact initially hostile to the whole idea.

Here's an American Scientist article from researcher David Gems that asks the rhetorical question in the title of this post, and answers it for those who don't see things the way we do:

I am a scientist working in the growing field of biogerontology - the biology of aging. The cause of aging remains one of the great unsolved scientific mysteries. Still, the past decade has brought real progress in our understanding, raising the prospect that treatments might one day be feasible. Yet aging is not just another disease. And the prospect of treating aging is extraordinary in terms of the potential impact on the human condition. So, would it be ethical to try to treat it?

...

I argue for the recognition of an imperative to seek treatments that decelerate aging in order to alleviate late-life diseases. But at what point would such an imperative be fulfilled? Although decelerating aging would postpone the illnesses of aging, it would not make them any less awful. This means that achieving decelerated aging would not lessen the imperative. We would only be compelled to decelerate aging further, and then further still. Here the ethical calculus seems to set us inexorably on a road to ever-greater life extension. Could any sane authority ever opt to force others to forego treatment and suffer from avoidable age-related disease? Surely not.

So it is that decelerated aging would force a dilemma upon us. Should we alleviate suffering on a large scale and accept life extension? Or should we allow an immensity of avoidable suffering in order to avoid extending life? To my mind, the only reasonable course is the first. In fact, we should pursue it energetically, and begin to prevent illness as soon as is feasible. If not, we risk the fury of future generations for dithering. As for life extension, we will just have to take that on the chin. If we can prepare for it socially, politically and institutionally, and if we keep birth rates low, we should be able to ensure long, healthier, happier lives for our children and for our children's children.

In reading this, one must understand there there are a great many people in the world whose first, instinctive reaction to extending healthy human life is to reject it. For them, life extension is indeed a bad thing. Various strains of environmentalism are one of the main culprits here: so many minds are poisoned by the false ideas that spread from environmentalist and related Malthusian ideologies: that there are too many people, that people are intrinsically bad, that wealth and longevity are intrinsically bad, that economics is a zero-sum game, and so forth.

There's nothing wrong with liking trees and wild places enough to spend your hard-earned resources on helping to maintain them. But environmentalism has a way of veering off into the worship of death and destruction, a sort of modern penitent movement focused on the mortification of society as a whole. It's so widespread and embedded in our cultures now that even mild-mannered, everyday folk declare their support for shorter and fewer human lives, for abandonment of technologies that improve the quality of human life, and for relinquishment of technological development that will greatly improve life in the future.

In the long run, these are the ideas we must defeat and bury if we are to build the level of understanding and support required to speed the advent of rejuvenation biotechnology.

If the level of interest the public has in their gray hair could only be transferred to an interest in practical work to repair aging, how much better off we'd be. Here is more research into the biological causes of loss of hair pigmentation with aging: "Wnt signaling, already known to control many biological processes, between hair follicles and melanocyte stem cells can dictate hair pigmentation. ... We have known for decades that hair follicle stem cells and pigment-producing melanocycte cells collaborate to produce colored hair, but the underlying reasons were unknown. We discovered Wnt signaling is essential for coordinated actions of these two stem cell lineages and critical for hair pigmentation. ... The study suggests the manipulation of Wnt signaling may be a novel strategy for targeting pigmentation such as graying hair. The research study also illustrates a model for tissue regeneration. ... Using genetic mouse models, researchers were able to examine how Wnt signaling pathways enabled both hair follicle stem cells and melanocyte stem cells to work together to generate hair growth and produce hair color. Research also showed the depletion (or inhibition or abnormal) Wnt signaling in hair follicle stem cells not only inhibits hair re-growth but also prevents melanocytes stem cell activation required for producing hair color. The lack of Wnt activation in melanocyte stem cells leads to depigmented or gray hair."

Link: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110614115046.htm

A new study reveals the possibility of reducing muscle damage from oxidative stress by consuming dark chocolate before exercise.

Chocolate

Cocoa is known to be a key ingredient in many foods.  The wonder and fame of cocoa have invaded people in every part of the globe, however a few only know of its origin. The origin of the chocolate first started when the cacao tree was discovered in the tropical rainforest of Central and South America. The pods of the cacao tree contain seeds which can then be processed into chocolate. The first group known to first discover and make chocolate were the early cultures of Central America and Mexico, and together with the Aztec and Mayan people, they were able to make a spicy drink when they mixed cacao seeds with various seasonings.

The seeds were brought back to Spain by the conquistadors where they created new recipes from the seeds of the cacao plant. Through further development of technology and innovations, chocolate has continuously developed from its texture to taste as it becomes the chocolate we come to know now of, and it remains to be one of the world’s most favorite flavors.

As mentioned, chocolate comes from the seeds of the cacao trees that grows on the shade of tropical rainforests near the equator. The cacao trees produce brightly colored pods and if opened, you’ll find cacao seeds, typically 30 to 50 in number, which are nestled together in one pulp. These seeds undergo certain processes to become the chocolate we now know of.

Dark Chocolate and its benefits

Despite the pleasure and happiness that consuming chocolate gives us, it is also important that we also watch for our health too, even when taking something as irresistible as chocolate.

Not all chocolates are made equally, and with this notion, dark chocolate contains more cocoa, therefore containing more flavonoids, compounds that act as antioxidants that helps ward off free radicals, than other types of chocolates.

A small bar of dark chocolate everyday helps in the healthy functioning of the cardiovascular system, as it helps lower blood pressure and cholesterol level therefore reducing the risk of heart disease. It also lowers insulin resistance levels and can act as effective cough suppressant due to its theobromine content. The positive mood that is created by dark chocolate helps in improving information processing in the brain.

Visual contrast sensitivity and cognitive performance was also developed due to the cocoa flavanols found in dark chocolate, where researchers have observed that blood flow to the retina and brain was improved. This is according to the researchers from the University of Reading, whose work was published in the journal Physiology and Behavior.

Dark chocolates contain much more flavonoids than milk or white chocolate – not to mention that milk and white chocolates are packed with sugar. The flavonoid compounds present in dark chocolate are useful in treating patients with anemia and those with poor dietary habits. It also boosts the immune system and prevents chronic illnesses and detoxifies the body, making the body healthier and sick-free.

Though dark chocolate is known to provide a lot of health benefits for the body, it is still important to take note that too much chocolate may deprive you of the benefits you expect, therefore regulating the amount is important.

Oxidative Stress

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are naturally produced by oxygen-breathing organisms. These ROS play an important role in many body functions. However, when these ROS are over produced in the body due to exogenous sources like cigarette smoke exposure, environment pollution, excess alcohol consumption, asbestos, ionizing radiation exposure, bacterial, fungal or viral infection, intense exercise, and even simple aging, the body’s antioxidant defenses may be overwhelmed and this can lead to oxidative stress.

Generally speaking, oxidative stress is termed as an oxidative damage in a cell, tissue or organ caused by ROS. Oxidative stress is also found to be an underlying mechanism in the development and increased risk of many diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease.

The Study

A new study has found that possible damage effects of oxidative stress to the muscles may be reduced by dark chocolate consumption before exercising. Findings published in the European Journal of Nutrition states that dark chocolate with 70 percent of cocoa is correlated to oxidative stress blunting after exercise because of a reduction in the levels of the compound F2-isoprostane.

14 healthy mean were recruited by Davison and his co-workers to take part in the study. Volunteers were asked to take dark chocolate of 100 grams, a control bar, or nothing at all. After two hours, they were required to perform 2.5 hours of cycling at a maximal oxygen uptake level of 60 percent.

A boost in antioxidant status prior to cycling and reduced F2-isoprostane levels 1 hour after cycling were observed due to the intake of dark chocolate, compared to the control bar.

A better continuance of concentration of plasma glucose was also achieved for men who took dark chocolate because of increased insulin levels before the trial and after cycling, according to the scientists. In contrast, there were no observed changes in immune response markers, known to be influenced by rigorous exercise.

Glen Davison and his co-scientists from Aberystwyth University in Wales said that the minimal effects in the study is important physiologically, but occurs from metabolic changes because of cocoa, therefore directing to the modulation of the major plasma constituents.

Dark chocolate as well was observed to be effective in blunting the increase in plasma total antioxidant status due to exercise, as was monitored in other trials, supporting the idea that physiological significance is shown by the improved total antioxidant status in dark chocolate.

The findings of the researchers reported that effects were evident after only 100 grams serving of dark chocolate, and that it is possible that through different timing and quantity of dark chocolate ingestion would result to greater blunting on the response of oxidative stress, though further study is still needed.

The researchers also wrote that acute consumption of dark chocolate results is quite similar to those who were observed to be following ingestion of dark chocolate daily for 2 weeks.

The Nestle Research Center funded the study. Affiliations of the other scientists included the Loughborough University, the University of Newcastle in the UK and the Nestle Research Center in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Sources
takbo.ph
nutraingredients.com
fmnh.org
genox.com
foodproductdesign.com

A new research has suggested that the intake of coffee per day may reduce the risk of a sub-type of breast cancer, ER-negative breast cancer, by sixty percent.

Wonder Coffee

There are many talks and written records on how coffee came to be as what we see it now, but there is that strongest and most accepted legend about the discovery and drinking of coffee.

A goat shepherd named Kaldi noticed the strange behavior of his goats that were jumping and running around in excitement and full of energy after eating the fruits of an unknown bush. Kaldi soon found out that those fruits his goats tasted were cherry-like, and tasted the leaves for himself and soon enough, he became full of energy.

Kaldi took those bush’s fruit and branches to a monastery and the Abbot there decided to cook them. However, it turned bitter and the Abbot threw the entire pot into the fire. The cherries then started to burn, and the beans inside produced a pleasant aroma that made the abbot create a drink of the roasted beans. This is how then coffee came to be.

The black liquid in our morning cup is considered to be one of the most popular beverages after water. After petroleum, it is the most traded commodity in the world.

Before we know coffee as a drink, it first originated from coffee cherries which grow along the coffee tree’s branches. It takes a year for these cherries to mature. Inside the cherries are the coffee beans, and the coffee beans are then grinded on its way to become a beverage.

Scientifically, coffee contains a substance called caffeine. Caffeine is absorbed and distributed, particularly to the brain, quickly and is excreted through the urine many hours after consumption. It acts as a stimulant for the central nervous system ad diuretic. It also relieves fatigue and drowsiness for a short while and also treats migraine head aches. However, caffeine does not reduce he effects of alcohol, for many believe that it can “sober up” an intoxicated person. Excessive intake of caffeine can also result to nausea, vomiting, anxiety, depression, tremors, difficulty in sleeping and fast heart rate.

Taking coffee must be regulated, for research suggests coffee being addictive if taken in certain amounts during the day and can cause depression, chronic headaches, deprivation of sleep and increased blood pressure and sugar. However, proper coffee intake will give you as much benefits as you can get.

Coffee can help in prevention and risk reduction of certain diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and liver diseases. It also reduces the risk of diabetes and skin cancer. No one said that coffee can cure it, but knowing that that delicious drink every morning provides many health benefits gives reassurance. Coffee also contains antioxidants that fight the body’s free radicals. It also increases brain power every morning. It helps in mind concentration in the midst of work. Drinking coffee after a work out can also reduce muscle pains.

The Study

A new study suggests the reduction of risks of certain breast cancer types by 60 per cent through high consumption of coffee daily. Breast cancer can be divided into non-hormone responsive (estrogen receptor (ER) negative) and hormone-responsive (ER positive) subtypes.

Results of the study published at the Breast Cancer Research show that drinking five cups of coffee or more daily could help in reducing the risk of anti-oestrogen-resistant oestrogen-receptor (ER-negative) breast cancer, a breast cancer sub type.

Karolinska Institutet-based team of Swedish researchers found out that women coffee drinkers showed lower breast cancer incidence than those who rarely drank coffee by comparing the lifestyle factors of age-matched women with and without breast cancer.

According to Jingmei Li, the lead researcher, and other researchers, no evidence was found to prove that postmenopausal breast cancer overall risk is heightened by consuming coffee. However, ER-negative breast cancer decrease in postmenopausal women was found with high intake of coffee daily. Modest decrease in the overall risk of breast cancer through coffee consumption was also reported by the researchers.

Looking deeper into the study, Li and her co-workers separated the breast cancer sub types. They have found “heavy coffee drinkers”, who take 5 cups or more a day, to have a notable decrease in ER-negative breast cancer.

The Swedish researchers said that because of coffee’s complex chemical make-up, it becomes a light on the aetiology of breast cancer. Some experimental studies have also shown the potential of these chemicals to alter the risk of cancer through significant biological mechanisms. However, they also added that the stand of the scientific community is divided over that beverage’s toxicity.

In simpler words, Li and her co-workers have found out that the risk for ER-negative breast cancer was significantly decreased compared to ER-positive breast cancer with the help of high consumption of coffee. They also added that future studies should now be gradually performed as to verify the significant benefit of high coffee consumption to breast cancer sub types.

Coffee is a complex mixture of polyphenols and caffeine, and with this, previous experimental studies have suggested that it may play a role both as an agent for chemo-prevention and as a carcinogen.

Association between postmenopausal breast cancer risk and coffee were assessed by the researchers in a large population of 6,000 people.

Breast Cancer Prevention

The way to live a healthy and productive life is to keep the body away from diseases and illnesses. Breast cancer, a type of cancer experienced by women, prevention starts with various factors that can be controlled.

• Controlling alcohol intake is important to prevent breast cancer. If wanting to drink alcohol including beer, wine or liquor, make sure to take no more than one drink per day.
• Breast feeding could also help. The longer time you breast feed, the greater the protection you get.
• Overweight people have higher risks of developing breast cancer, especially if obesity occurs later in life, particularly after menopausal.
• Exposure to environmental pollution could also contribute to breast cancer, though further studies are needed. A link between exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from vehicle exhaust and air pollution and breast cancer was found in some researches.
• Getting plenty of physical activity helps you prevent gaining of weight or reducing it, therefore preventing breast cancer development.
• If you are taking hormone therapy for menopausal symptom, its better to discontinue before you develop breast cancer.

No research has yet shown a direct link of diet to breast cancer prevention. Though there are some studies, only minimal effects are shown. Still, taking a healthy diet would help one reduce risk of other diseases such as cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. In addition, taking a healthy diet helps one maintain healthy weight, a key factor in preventing breast cancer.

Sources
shaka.mistral.co.uk
amolife.com
mayoclinic.com
nutraingredients.com

A clinical study showed the effect of practicing Tai Chi for a better quality of life in people with heart diseases.

With the varying types of diseases and conditions that occur all over the world, the best way to prevent the acquiring of such is to live healthy – eating right, exercise and maintaining an active lifestyle. A well-balanced diet is not merely enough as our body also needs to keep moving to ensure healthy blood flow. The body needs regular exercise to work out the muscles and joints, improve endurance and prevent numerous diseases as well. However, not everyone will benefit equally from exercise. We should always be aware of one’s fitness level in order to identify the correct degree of exercise to be performed without straining the muscles.

When talking about exercise, the thing that first pops in our mind are weight training, cycling, running, hiking, swimming, gym trainings or vigorous exercises that produce a lot of sweat and energy. However, there is one specific exercise that won’t stress you out, but instead give you a relaxing feeling while absorbing the benefits it can give.

What is Tai Chi?

Tai Chi Chuan, can be translated to “Supreme Ultimate Force”, where ‘supreme ultimate’ is associated with the Chinese concept of yin-yang, a balance or dynamic duality in everything and ‘force’ is the way in achieving such yin-yang.  Tai Chi Chuan, or simply Tai Chi, is a slow, meditative exercise for health, relaxation and self-defense which originated from China, but is known all throughout America and all over the world for its health benefits.

To the Chinese, illnesses and sickness are all results of imbalances in the flow of chi or “life energy” in the body. This imbalance, as they say, is because of too much yin or yang therefore causing turbulence or delayed flow of blood and chi.

Many practitioners of Tai Chi do not only treat it as a meditative exercise for the body, but also puts importance on its combat aspects. It was treated as a potent art and was used by a few families for self defense. The proper positions for the transmission of energy or “chi” and the methods of single-weightiness, relaxation techniques and control of breath were formed for the purpose of succeeding in combat in a capable and scientific manner. A Tai Chi student must be able to appreciate this martial context because the four major Tai Chi Styles: Chen, Yang, Wu and Sun, places great emphasis in grasping the meaning of Tai Chi and its purposes being for meditative wellbeing and physical health as Tai Chi is also considered an exercise and sports regimen.

Tai Chi aims in developing a calm and tranquil mind, keeping focus in performing precise execution of these exercises. Learning Tai Chi in such a way would help one develop alignment, balance, fine-scale motor control, movement rhythm and many more.

Tai Chi has its origin from martial arts, therefore, it does have some martial arts applications. “Push Hands”, a two person exercise develops the principles of Tai Chi by being sensitive of another person’s “chi” or vital energy. With this, Tai Chi’s martial arts concepts are developed in a slow-tempo combat. However, long-time practitioners could become very skillful in martial arts. What Tai chi puts emphasis on is channeling potentially destructive energy away, in the form of kick or punch, in a way that would drive off the destructive energy in a direction with no danger.

Benefits of Tai Chi

Tai Chi is known to be a slow and gentle exercise unlike any other, but nonetheless, it gives one numerous health benefits for the body. First of all, it addresses the key components of fitness namely muscle strength, flexibility, balance, and aerobic conditioning. Some studies have also shown the possibility of practicing Tai Chi in reducing the fear of falling.

A good number of studies have proven that Tai Chi also benefits many health conditions when combined with standard treatment for medical problems such as arthritis, low bone density, breast cancer, heart diseases, heart failure, hypertension, Parkinson’s disease, sleep problems and stroke.

The Study

Benefits of exercising, as most people see it, can only be acquired through vigorous workouts like weight lifting and the like. However, a clinical study from the April issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine in association with the Journal of the American Medical Association, showed that Tai Chi, a Chinese practice, improves systolic heart rate, patient’s mood, quality of life, and self-efficacy.

In the United States, people who are not playing sports, weight lifting, and the like are acquiring a lot of health benefits from practicing Tai Chi, and they are often seen to be moving in a slow flowing motion, transitioning into different poses.

The study published reported the result of the clinical study at the Harvard Medical School in Boston and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. This study observed patients with heart failure taking a Tai Chi class twice a week.

This was done for three months. Later on, it was observed that the patients practicing Tai Chi increased in confidence in performing their everyday tasks and were also able to live their lifestyles more actively than those who took classes in health education. Results can also be compared to the benefits of Tai Chi for stroke.

Results from those who engaged in Tai Chi in previous studies were found to have lowered their blood pressure, improved bone density and immune system, even though these effects might also be acquired from performing thorough aerobic exercises.

This study is only limited to a lesser active form of Tai Chi, therefore not finding improvement in aerobic fitness, but a significant improvement in attitude and health of heart disease patients.

Dr. Gloria Y. Yeh, the study’s lead author, said that the real aim of this activity is to get patients to actively continue exercising.  She also said that adherence is one of the biggest advantages of any exercise regimen and with this, accessibility becomes Tai Chi’s most important component. For 12 weeks, more than three-fourths of the participants of the study continued practicing Tai Chi, and six months later, many were still practicing it.

Ways to promote a Healthy Heart

There are many ways to promote a healthy heart. First off is to follow a heart healthy diet by limiting intake of fats and hydrogenated oils, refined sugar intake from cakes and cookies, using extra virgin olive oil and garlic in cooking to lower cholesterol and adding omega 3 fatty acids in the diet. Regular exercise must also be followed by exercising 3-4 times a week, stretching before training and keeping one hydrated and resting between sets.

Leading a healthy lifestyle is also important by avoiding smoking and second hand smoke which are causes of heart disease, limiting alcohol intake, reducing stress and anxiety and keeping weight within limits.

Blood indicators in the development of heart disease must also be given attention. Watching out for high levels of cholesterol, triglyceride levels, homocysteine levels, and C-reactive Protein levels must be done for these are all potential risk factors in the development of heart diseases.

Sources
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health.harvard.edu
patiencetaichi.com
chebucto.ns.ca
healthy-heart-guide.com

Resveratrol may help diabetics overcome eye damage by preventing the growth of abnormal blood vessels in the eyes.

In a recent study by researchers from the Washington University School of Medicine, it was found that resveratrol, a key compound in red wine and fresh foods such as peanuts and fresh grapes, may be able to save the diabetics from vision loss in the near future.

Published in the American Journal of Pathology, researchers stated that the compound can reverse the growth of abnormal blood vessels in the eyes (in animal studies).

Retinal damage was reduced when the blood vessel growth was regulated. According to Dr. Rajendra Apte, this is a very novel way of looking at resveratrol because for many years, laymen and scientists studied and used resveratrol for its heart-healthy benefits and antioxidant content.

The study

While many people are confident of resveratrol’s ability to protect the heart and slow aging, few have looked at this compound for its ability to protect the eyes, especially in the face of age-related macular degeneration and type 2 diabetes-related eye damage.

Rajte’s study involved using lasers on the retinas of laboratory mice. The laser treatment encouraged the growth of additional blood vessels in the eyes of the animal subjects. When the abnormal vessels began to form, the mice were regular feedings of resveratrol.

The researchers observed that resveratrol was able to slow down the current growth of the blood vessels as well as inhibit further formation of additional blood vessels. The beneficial effects of the compound was identified in the chemical pathway eEF2.

While there was a measure of success in animal trials, Rajte added that the doses that were given to the mice were much higher than what was found in numerous bottles of regular red wine. Because of this, Dr. Rajte noted that if this approach was used on humans, then resveratrol must be given in its complete/full form in order to work effectively. I personally recommend Nature’s Way, because that’s the brand of resveratrol supplement I use.

Other benefits of taking resveratrol

Resveratrol can be sourced from fresh food, red wine and supplements. If you want a fuller dose and more convenient packaging, supplements are of course a good choice.

Three to five half-servings of red wine per week are also good. Don’t overdo it though; excessive use of alcohol is bad for the health. But as for resveratrol, the more you can get, the better the results. If you can get at least 2,000 milligrams per day, you are that much closer to reaping the full benefits of the compound.

And here are some other reasons to love resveratrol:

• It is a natural anti-inflammatory agent, which may help individuals with chronic inflammatory diseases such as arthritis, etc.

• Resveratrol also has been studied for its direct, anti-viral activities.

• Resveratrol has been reported to have anti-cancer properties. In addition to its antioxidant activities, resveratrol also initiates the death of cancerous cells. The problem with cancer cells is that they literally forget how to naturally die – which makes the abnormal cells malignant and dangerous to the human body. Resveratrol takes care of this problem by triggering natural cell death called apoptosis.

• Resveratrol may also be useful in combating Alzheimer’s disease by protecting the body’s nerves from physical damage and build-up of plaque.

• In addition to eye health, resveratrol can also help diabetics by improving cell sensitivity to insulin. Insulin production is not always the main problem with many type-2 diabetics; sometimes, the diabetics are producing enough insulin but the body’s cells are not responding to the natural insulin, which causes a host of problems.

• If you want something to aid in weight loss, forget hyped-up supplements – take resveratrol instead. According to studies, this compound can help people lose weight by initiating caloric restriction in the body.

• Resveratrol may also help reduce the incidence of breast cancer by inhibiting the interaction between the female hormone estrogen and the human DNA, according to a study performed by researchers from the University of Nebraska.

• According to an animal study from the University of South Florida, resveratrol may help people suffering from fatty liver by enhancing fat metabolism in this vital organ.

Sources:
nutraingredients.com
webmd.com
webmd.com
webmd.com
webmd.com
webmd.com

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Life is getting better: "Human society has changed much over the last centuries and this process of 'modernization' has profoundly affected the lives of individuals; currently we live quite different lives from those forefathers lived only five generations ago. There is difference of opinion as to whether we live better now than before and consequently there is also disagreement as to whether we should continue modernizing or rather try to slow the process down. Quality-of-life in a society can be measured by how long and happy its inhabitants live. Using these indicators I assess whether societal modernization has made life better or worse. Firstly I examine findings of present day survey research. I start with a cross-sectional analysis of 143 nations in the years 2000-2008 and find that people live longer and happier in today's most modern societies. Secondly I examine trends in modern nations over the last decade and find that happiness and longevity have increased in most cases. Thirdly I consider the long-term and review findings from historical anthropology, which show that we lived better in the early hunter-gatherer society than in the later agrarian society. Together these data suggest that societal evolution has worked out differently for the quality of human life, first negatively, in the change from a hunter-gatherer existence to agriculture, and next positively, in the more recent transformation from an agrarian to an industrial society. We live now longer and happier than ever before."

View the Article Under Discussion: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2848343/

Read More Longevity Meme Commentary: http://www.longevitymeme.org/news/

Fibromyalgia remains a health problem that is surrounded by a great deal of mystery. However, researchers have proved that those people who exercise and are at a healthy weight are less likely to develop the problem.

A new study from Norwegian University of Science and Technology has shown that overweight and obese women are more likely to develop fibromyalgia.  This study was published in the May issue of Arthritis Care and Research.

Fibromyalgia includes long-lasting pain in points including the neck, shoulder, back, hips, arms and legs.  People with this issue commonly have fatigue, headaches, and trouble with their moods.  Sleep can also be disrupted. The cause of this problem is unknown, though genetics are believed to be a factor.

Some experts believe that fibromyalgia is caused from a dysfunctional nervous system.  Fibromyalgia impacts over 2% of the population of the United States.  Women are more likely than men to develop this problem. The likelihood of fibromyalgia also increases with age.

In this Norwegian study, 16.000 people were surveyed over a period of years.  As it turned out, of the group 380 people developed fibromyalgia. The patient’s exercise habits and BMI were examined over the years.  The results showed that people who exercised and were at a healthy weight were far less likely to have fibromyalgia.

Lead researcher Paul Mork said, “Women who reported exercising four times per week [or more] had a 29 percent lower risk of fibromyalgia compared with inactive women.”  Additionally, women who were heavier had a 60-70% higher change of getting fibromyalgia.  However, the overweight women who exercised were less likely to develop the problem.

As fibromyalgia does seem to run in families, this news is especially relevant for those with a family history.  Those who already have the condition can reduce pain if they reduce their weight and incorporate exercise into their routine.

Sources:
news.health.com
mayoclinic.com

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New research indicates that people who ingest more olive oil, grapeseed oil and peanut oil are less likely to get ulcerative colitis.

A new study by researchers at the University of East Anglia has shown that consuming more olive oil can actually prevent ulcerative colitis.  The findings were presented at this year’s Digestive Disease Week conference in New Orleans.  The study centered on oleic acid, which is present in olive oil, peanut oil and grapeseed oil.  Oleic acid is a monounsaturated fatty acid.

Over 120,000 people in the UK and 1 million in the US have ulcerative colitis.  The disease causes inflammation in the lining of the colon and bowel leading to pain and diarrhea.  Other symptoms of ulcerative colitis include fever, weight loss, and gastrointestinal bleeding.

This new research studied over 25,000 middle-aged people in the UK who did not have ulcerative colitis.  The participants completed food diaries during the study, which were then analyzed by nutritionists.

When researchers analyzed the results, they found that the people, who developed ulcerative colitis, had the lowest intake of oleic acid.  On the other hand, those who ate the most foods with oleic acid had a 90% less change of getting ulcerative colitis.

Dr. Andrew Hart was the leader of the research, he stated, “We estimate that around half of the cases of ulcerative colitis could be prevented if larger amounts of oleic acid were consumed.  Two-to-three tablespoons of olive oil per day would have a protective effect.”

Other dietary suggestions for those with ulcerative colitis include drinking lots of water, eating smaller portions, and avoiding fattening greasy foods.  Obviously, these are good suggestions for everyone, even if this digestive issue does not impact them.

Sources:
health.google.com
medicalnewstoday.com

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From Singularity Hub: "Wake Forest's Institute for Regenerative Medicine (WFIRM) and the Armed Forces Institute for Regenerative Medicine (AFIRM) have developed a skin printer that can deposit cells directly onto a wound to help it heal faster. They recently presented the results of their latest experiments at the American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress (ACSCC) in Washington DC. Mice given topical wounds were able to heal in just three weeks when a new skin was printed onto the damaged area (compared to 5-6 with control groups). WFIRM and AFIRM also stated that the skin printer had been tested to see if it could print human cells, but that the next step forward would be experiments on pigs. If ultimately successful, skin printers could revolutionize the way we treat injuries - making serious wounds less fatal and rapidly speeding the healing of other injuries. ... the recent conference [gives] some valuable insights into how the skin printer actually works. Two different printing heads are used - one with skin cells, a coagulant, and collagen; the other with a different kind of coagulant. Keeping these substances separate allows them to be deposited easily (like ink) but then quickly bond together and form a solid skin covering with fibrin."

Link: http://singularityhub.com/2010/11/04/wake-forest-could-print-you-some-new-skin/

A study published in the Phytotheraphy Research journal showed that the daily supplementation of fenugreek extract can maintain normal testosterone level and boost libido in men.

Your Sex Drive

Although testosterone is not the only enzyme that is responsible for a man’s performance and sex drive, low testosterone can lead to sexual problems like erectile dysfunction which can have a direct negative effect on a man’s self-esteem and his relationships. The first and most common approach to treating sexual problems is by increasing the amounts of testosterone in the body; male libido and testosterone goes hand in hand.  Knowing the various negative effects of low libido will help in better understanding and accepting the problem as a medical condition that needs expert medical attention.

Keep Your Pistons Going

People don’t usually talk about sex as an important aspect in keeping a relationship, and marriage, alive. Clinical psychologist Kevin Leman said in his book Sheet Music: Uncovering the Secrets of Sexual Intimacy in Marriage that intimacy between two married individuals is very important. He also addressed the problems of most married people who have become too stressed and tired to have a love life. The lack of intimacy can begin when the man starts to lose his libido which tends to naturally decline as the person ages. Other sexual problems like erectile dysfunction can become a huge hindrance in maintaining an intimate relationship.

Most men will refuse to see a doctor to treat their sexual problems. Knowing that there are various natural herbs and food supplements that promise to bring back their sex drive tends to make them believe that they can treat the problem alone. But sometimes, these over-the-counter natural food supplements may contain certain compounds that have not been proven to be safe for human consumption.

Proper nutrition and regular exercise will help in keeping your sex drive going and can aid in maintaining sufficient levels of testosterone in the body. Studies show that low testosterone levels will not only affect your libido but it may lead to other more serious sexual problems. Other factors like stress can also affect a person’s sex drive.

Low testosterone and Common Sexual Problems in Men

The body needs more than 300 nanograms of testosterone per deciliter of blood in order to keep the sex drive going and avoid other problems like mood fluctuations, sleeping disturbances and erectile dysfunction. Though a few men with low testosterone levels do not experience any sex-related symptoms, the greater percentage suffers from its adverse effects. In cases wherein low testosterone is affecting the person’s quality of life, medical experts will recommend testosterone replacement. This is done by using patches, oral tablets, skin gels and injections that introduce more testosterone in the body. The known long-term effects of low testosterone include the higher risk of cardiovascular disease, depression, diabetes and obesity. These health conditions are also some of the risk factors of erectile dysfunction.

Erectile dysfunction is commonly caused by atherosclerosis or the hardening of the arteries. The small blood vessels that drive and hold blood in the male genital area, when they are damaged, will fail to dilate and maintain a strong blood flow. The main causes of atherosclerosis are high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol levels.

A study conducted by researchers from Massachusetts had found that 28 percent of men with low testosterone levels had decreased libido. And the study participants who were found to have this condition had an average age 47 years. The other causes of low libido are chronic medical illnesses, depression, lack of sleep and stress.

Fenugreek to Boost Sex Drive and Testosterone Levels in Men

A study conducted by researchers from the University of Queensland, Brisbane, Clinical Trials, and the Applied Science and Nutrition found that the daily supplementation of fenugreek extract can improve the male libido and help in keeping normal levels of testosterone in the body. The formulation containing minerals ad fenugreek extract was found to improve libido of more than 80 percent of study participants while more than 60 percent reported an improvement in their sexual performance after taking the supplement.

The researchers from Australia gathered a group of 60 healthy participants aged 25 to 52 and randomly asked them to take the supplement containing fenugreek extract or a placebo pill everyday for a period of 6 weeks. Note that none of the study participants had erectile dysfunction at the start of the study. In addition to the primary findings of the study, 56 percent of the participants also reported an improvement in overall well-being and 82 percent had higher energy levels. The results were published in the Phytotheraphy Research journal.

Health Benefits of Fenugreek

Fenugreek is a strong aromatic plant that belongs to the legume family. It is rarely used in cooking but it is more often applied as an herbal treatment for certain health conditions. The most active components of fenugreek are protein, fiber, lysine, steroidal saponins, flavonoids, phosphates, vitamin C, vitamin B1, Vitamin A and iron. The sapogenins in fenugreek can help in preventing the synthesis and absorption of cholesterol. At the same time, it contains diosgenin that act like steroidal hormones and estrogen. The soluble fiber in fenugreek also helps in maintaining healthy glucose metabolism. It contains 50 percent fiber that can inhibit the rate of postprandial glucose absorption.

The medicinal property of fenugreek is traditionally considered as a laxative, expectorant, demulcent, carminative, and stomachic. It is used as a topical treatment for ulcerations of the skin, gout, eczema, burns, boils and abscesses due its anti-inflammatory benefits. People with diabetes have also been using fenugreek seeds as a natural alternative to orally taking insulin.

Top Things that can Impair Your Libido

• Stress is the number one killer. If you have been taking too much load at work and are noticing a decline in your sex life, you might as well link them together and find a way to fight the stress. Find healthy avenues to release your stress like going to the spa regularly, participating in sports activities more often or anything that you find effective in relieving stress. Seeking the advice of doctors and counselors in finding a suitable stress management technique will also help you a lot.

• Avoid too much alcohol. Drinking alcoholic drinks will not always put you in the mood. It can kill your sex drive and make you less interested about sex. This is also true for recreational drugs.

• Insufficient sleep and sleeping disorders can decrease your sex drive. The factors that are preventing you from getting enough sleep are also interfering with your used-to-be healthy sex drive. You can seek the assistance of a medical expert on how you can conquer both problems.

• Some other sex drive killers are low self-esteem, certain medications like oral contraceptives, antihistamines, blood pressure medications and antidepressants, as well as relationship problems, obesity and depression.

Sources
nutraingredients.com
askmen.com
vitamins-supplements.org
homeremediesweb.com
organicfacts.net
professorshouse.com
cbsnews.com
men.webmd.com
medicinenet.com

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Lower forms of life have stages that don't exist in higher animals - such as meiosis in yeast, or the dauer stage in nematodes. Researchers have found they can manipulate longevity by manipulating the molecular machinery associated with these states, but it's generally felt that this is of lesser relevance to mammals. Here is an example of the type: "Human cells have a finite lifespan: They can only divide a certain number of times before they die. However, that lifespan is reset when reproductive cells are formed, which is why the children of a 20-year-old man have the same life expectancy as those of an 80-year-old man. How that resetting occurs in human cells is not known, but MIT biologists have now found a gene that appears to control this process in yeast. Furthermore, by turning on that gene in aged yeast cells, they were able to double their usual lifespan. ... When yeast cells reproduce, they undergo a special type of cell division called meiosis, which produces spores. The MIT team found that the signs of cellular aging disappear at the very end of meiosis. ... The researchers discovered that a gene called NDT80 is activated at the same time that the rejuvenation occurs. When they turned on this gene in aged cells that were not reproducing, the cells lived twice as long as normal. ... In aged cells with activated NDT80, the nucleolar damage was the only age-related change that disappeared. That suggests that nucleolar changes are the primary force behind the aging process." Which is an interesting conclusion, but given all the other evidence for mechanisms of aging in mammals, I'm not sure it's going to translate well into higher animals.

Link: http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2011/cell-aging-0624.html

Type 2 diabetes is as close to a disease of choice as you're likely to find: provided that you adopt a sensible lifestyle of good diet and exercise then you are never going to suffer the condition, barring extremely bad luck in your genes. Similarly, if you are headed down the path towards diabetes, you can turn back by changing the way you live your life. Here's evidence that the turn can be made quite late if made aggressively enough: "An extreme eight-week diet of 600 calories a day can reverse Type 2 diabetes in people newly diagnosed with the disease .... the low-calorie diet reduced fat levels in the pancreas and liver, which helped insulin production return to normal. Seven out of 11 people studied were free of diabetes three months later. ... More research is needed to see whether the reversal is permanent, say experts. ... The 11 participants in the study were all diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes within the previous four years. They cut their food intake drastically for two months, eating only liquid diet drinks and non-starchy vegetables. ... After one week of the diet, researchers found that the pre-breakfast blood sugar levels of all participants had returned to normal. MRI scans of their pancreases also revealed that the fat levels in the organ had decreased from around 8% - an elevated level - to a more normal 6%. Three months after the end of the diet, when participants had returned to eating normally and received advice on healthy eating and portion size, most no longer suffered from the condition. ... This diet was only used to test the hypothesis that if people lose substantial weight they will lose their diabetes. Although this study involved people diagnosed with diabetes within the last four years, there is potential for people with longer-standing diabetes to turn things around too."

Link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-13887909

Stem cell populations in the body live in stem cell niches, each different type of stem cell with its own niche. The niche supplies the necessary environment and many of the cues that direct stem cell activity, and this is why changes in the niche are possibly more important than changes in stem cells themselves when it comes to the decline of stem cell activity with aging. That decline causes a sort of corrosion of your tissues as stem cells increasingly fail to keep up with maintenance and repair - but the evidence to date suggests that those stem cells are generally still capable of doing their jobs, provided they are given their marching orders:

Surprisingly, this age-related decline in stem cell potency may be somewhat reversible. A team of Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) researchers has found that in old mice, a several-week exposure to the blood of young mice causes their bone marrow stem cells to act "young" again. ... The researchers have not yet isolated the blood-borne factors that can switch old stem cells back to a more youthful state, but their results are consistent with other recent studies that show stem-cell aging may be reversible.

Thus we have to look at the aging of stem cells in the context of the niche and the rest of the body, and we have to look at regenerative medicine for the old in a holistic way. While throwing stem cells at every problem seems to be fairly beneficial, based on the successes to date in first generation stem cell transplant therapies, it isn't enough in and of itself. Putting good stem cells into an age-damaged environment is not using them to their best effect.

But this all comes back to the question of just what a stem cell niche is anyway, and why the changes of aging change the way in which stem cells act within the body. Here is a good open access paper that provides an introduction to the niche and its importance, with some examples of various different stem cell and niche types throughout the body:

What does the concept of the stem cell niche really mean today?

Ideas about stem cells, and how they behave, have been undergoing a lot of change in recent years, thanks to developments in visualizing, monitoring, and manipulating cells and tissues. ... the detailed mechanisms underlying niche function are extremely varied. Niches may be composed of cells, or cells together with extracellular structures such as the extracellular matrix (ECM). They may be sources of secreted or cell surface factors [that] control stem cell renewal, maintenance, or survival. They may consist of just a single cell type, or a whole host of interacting cells. They may derive from cells outside the stem cell's lineage, or they may derive primarily from the stem cell's own descendents. In general, there seems to be much more consensus about the fact that stem cells invariably need niches than about the specific mechanisms by which niches do their jobs.

Why should a stem cell need a special environment? This is a pertinent question, given that none of the elementary processes that stem cells rely upon - growing, dividing, differentiating - are unique to stem cells. We can easily imagine three classes of answers:

One possibility is that there are demands placed on stem cells that necessitate special support for viability. For example, the need, imposed by cellular immortality, to minimize the accumulation of genetic damage, may drive stem cells to adopt a peculiar metabolic state that might force them to rely upon other cells nearby for sustenance. This 'nutritive' function of the niche remains a formal possibility, but in most systems few experimental data in support of it have so far emerged.

A second possibility is that niches are agents of feedback control. Recent studies tell us that stem cell pools are not slavishly maintained at a constant size by fixed, asymmetric divisions, but are usually capable of expanding or contracting and, even under homeostatic conditions, may face large stochastic fluctuations. The varied growth factors and cell surface molecules produced by niche cells may share the common goal of controlling stem cell pools. If this is the case, then the niche might best be thought of not simply as an environment conducive to stem cell functioning, but as an apparatus for communicating information about the state of a tissue back to the stem cells that maintain it. An important question to address would then be how niches obtain and relay such information.

A third possibility is that niches are instruments of coordination among tissue compartments. Some of the best evidence for this view comes from work on the hair follicle niche ... There, stem and progenitor cells responsible for maintenance of epidermis, pigmentation, hair, and connective and adipose tissue all interact in close proximity. A need to achieve tight coordination among these different cell populations may be the overriding reason for complex organization of this niche. The possibility that other niches may also be hubs of inter-lineage coordination is certainly an idea worth investigating.

The best case scenario for the future is that enacting the Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence to repair the known forms of cellular and molecular damage that occur with aging will cause stem cell niches to largely take care of themselves. In other words, under this scenario it turns out that the second possibility outlined in the quote above is the principal role for niches, and thus repairing the biological damage of aging in the body will cause the command and control mechanisms for stem cell populations to return to a youthful state.

Source:
http://www.longevitymeme.org/newsletter/latest_rss_feed.cfm

From the IEET: "The focus of the 40th annual meeting of the American Aging Association, held a few weeks ago in North Carolina, was emerging concepts in the mechanisms of aging. Most of the usual topics in aging were covered, such as dietary restriction, inflammation, stress resistance, homeostasis and proteasome activity, sarcopenia, and neural degeneration. Newer methods like microRNAs and genome sequencing were employed to investigate gene expression variance with aging and genetic signatures of longevity. Aging as a field continues to mature including by using a systems approach to tracing conserved pathways across organisms, sharpening definitions of sarcopenia, frailty, and healthspan, and distinguishing interventions by age tier (early-onset versus late-onset). A pre-conference session on late-onset intervention concluded that there are numerous benefits to deriving such interventions."

Link: http://ieet.org/index.php/IEET/more/swan20110622

A cautious popular science article on calorie restriction: "Caloric restriction as a research discipline has actually been around for ages. The first demonstration of extending lifespan and improving health in rats by cutting calories was back in 1934, and since then the finding has been repeated in numerous species up to and including non-human primates. Animals subjected to caloric restriction while maintaining adequate vitamin, mineral, and protein intakes not only live longer, healthier lives, they also maintain vitality to an older age and have fewer visible signs of aging - such as white fur - compared to better-fed siblings. It is worth noting that we are not just talking about shedding a few pounds here. Animal studies show that, almost up to the point of frank starvation, the more calorie restriction the better when it comes to extending lifespan and health. ... Virtually every animal study ever done on caloric restriction has shown benefits for health and longevity, and now we have emerging studies showing that even intermittent caloric restriction may be beneficial, so it would be almost surprising if humans turned out to be the only species to have a negative response. Unlike research animals, however, humans don't live alone in pre-paid houses with the right kind of food carefully provided by scientists, so if caloric restriction is to be a feasible strategy for maintaining health as we age it has to be feasible to implement - in other words, doable and practical in real lives in the real world." People who write about calorie restriction without having made a serious attempt at trying it invariably exaggerate the difficulty. Practicing calorie restriction is both "doable and practical," and requires no more investment of time and willpower than any modestly challenging hobby.

Link: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/06/18/caloric-restriction-the-science-of-eating-less-and-living-longer.html

I stumbled across an interesting post on life, death, and cryonics today:

A deathist is someone who tells you death is good, natural, and somehow right. If you can truly trick yourself into thinking they're correct then good luck with your funerary planning. I, for one, disagree.

...

Humans have made tremendous advances over the past twenty years. And unless you believe all progress will stop, as if nothing new can be learned, then chances are good cryonics will increasingly be a short term means to heal and repair damage instead of the long-term suspension it is today. What cryonics does is provide the time to find causes and treatments. It is a chance to continue your life. To extend your life. To improve your quality of life.

If it doesn't work you're no more dead than if you did nothing. But some chance is better than no chance. [So] don't dispair. Don't give up. Never allow anyone to bury you so they feel better. You won't be there to care. You will be forgotten.

Name any random non-famous soldier from a past war who was told they would be remembered. How many grave markers in Arlington stand in quiet solitude because no one remembers, is alive, or cares to visit? How many of these lonely markers exist in local cemeteries? Name anyone you don't know via blood, friendship, or fame who has died in the past 50 years. Chances are good you can't. We lie to ourselves and each other to feel better when what we should do is work toward never having to lie in the first place.

Funerals and monuments are made by the living for the living. The world belongs the living, and the dead are slipped from it from the very moment of their demise. There are, as the author points out above, so very many ways in which we lie to and indulge ourselves in relation to the deaths of those we know and those we never knew - and none of it helps one bit when it comes to making things better for the future.

Death, the suffering that leads up to it, and the material loss left in its wake, are horrors that we should be working harder to eliminate. We know that it is possible to build rejuvenation biotechnologies, and we know in some detail how to do it. We know that is is possible to preserve the fine structure of the brain sufficiently well to preserve the mind, and possible to do just that for near every dying person. These things are well within the laws of physics as we understand them, and economically viable projects - yet very, very few people in this world of ours are working to make these visions a reality.