Category Archives: Human Longevity

When it comes to our brains, DHA is vital throughout the lifespan. It's important to get adequate amounts of EPA and DHA daily (the minimum is 250 to 500 milligrams per day) to ensure you're giving your brain all the fatty acids it needs to operate at full capacitynow and down the line.*

DHA is primarily found in fish, so consider introducing two servings or more of oily fish a week (per the Dietary Guidelines for Americans) to meet baseline omega-3 fatty acid needs. As nutrition scientist Ashley Jordan Ferira, Ph.D., RDN, explains, however,"To reap the full-on benefits of marine omega-3s for brain, heart, and whole-body health, science indicates a higher dose (1 gram plus) of EPA plus DHA each day is where it's at. That's like eating 7 servings of oily fish a week, mind you."*

For these higher omega-3 levels, consider leveraging a premium-quality, sustainably sourced, health-expert-approved fish oil supplement with third-party verified traceability like mbg's omega-3 potency+. This daily essential delivers a potent 1.5 grams of EPA plus DHA (that's the omega-3 equivalent of one serving of fish per day!) so that meeting your omega-3 needs isn't another fish for you to fry.

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This Brain-Focused Omega-3 Fatty Acid Supports Cognitive Function & Longevity* - mindbodygreen.com

This January, its time to take it easy and hone in on healthy habits that you can live with for an entire trip around the sunand beyond. Weve enlisted the help of industry experts to put together three four-week plans designed to help you move your body, eat more sustainably, or show yourself some loving care. Pick a planor threeand hit refresh. Get the Program

It's a well-known fact that exercise and mental health are intertwined. When you get sweaty, you're boosting your mood, increasing your self-esteem, and improving your memory and focus. Now, there's a new reason to sweat: Research hailing from the Memory and Aging Center at the University of California, San Francisco, indicates that movement may also play a major role in guarding our brains against dementia as we age.

Published in Alzheimer's and Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association, the study confirmed that exercise has a protective effect on the human brainespecially in later age. Scientists have long observed this benefit of exercise in mice test subjects before, but discovering the same relationship between movement and cognitive longevity in the humanbrain constitutes a major scientific milestone. The minds at UC-San Francisco uncovered this exercise-brain connection by studying people who donated their brains to scientific research as part of the Memory and Aging Project at Rush University in Chicago. The brains studied belonged to people who were between 70 and 80 years old at the time of their deaths.

Here's how they figured it out. A healthy brain is one that transmits electrical signals effortlessly through the synapses in our brains. You can think of synapses as little doorways between neurons that let the signals squeeze through, and proteins are essential for the maintenance of these little doorways. "There are many proteins present at the synapse that help facilitate different aspects of the cell-to-cell communication. Those proteins need to be in balance with one another in order for the synapse to function optimally," writes study author Kaitlin Casaletto, PhD.

As part of their research, Dr. Casaletto's team looked at the level of physical activity that the study participants had before they passed awayand found that those who exercised more tended to have more of those protective proteins in their brains. "We found that higher levels of everyday physical activity in older adults relate to higher levels of these synaptic proteins in brain tissue at autopsy," Dr. Casaletto tells Well+Good. "These are correlative so we do not know directionality, but it suggests that physical activity may promote maintenance of these protein levels even into the oldest ages."

"These findings begin to support the dynamic nature of the brain in response to our activities, and the capacity of the elderly brain to mount healthy responses to activityagain, even into the oldest ages." Kaitlin Casaletto, PhD

In short, this means that the more someone exercises, the more protective proteins develop in their brainregardless of whether or not the person breaking a sweat already has markers for Alzheimer's or dementia. "These findings begin to support the dynamic nature of the brain in response to our activities, and the capacity of the elderly brain to mount healthy responses to activityagain, even into the oldest ages. We also found fairly linear relationshipsmeaning the more physical activity, the higher the synaptic protein levels in brain tissue," says Dr. Casaletto, adding that she recommends aiming for about 150 minutes a week of physical activity.

So next time you're working out, make sure to dedicate a mile, burpee, or crunch to those little proteins in your brain. They're doing awholelot for you.

Oh hi! You look like someone who loves free workouts, discounts for cutting-edge wellness brands, and exclusive Well+Good content. Sign up for Well+, our online community of wellness insiders, and unlock your rewards instantly.

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Why Does Exercise Improve Brain Health as You Age? Scientists Just Unlocked a Major Key To Finding Out - Well+Good

Evolution is a great concept. As AI scientists we use it all the time to develop better algorithms rewarding and punishing them according to their actions in simulated environments. But when nature does it to us it feels very cruel. Our objective is to master our environment, compete, reproduce, take care of our young, the young of our young, and then gracefully decline and die. And when it comes to females nature is especially unfair as they carry much of the burden of reproduction and caring for the young. And while males can reproduce almost as long as they can live, the female reproductive period is limited and while they generally live longer, after reaching menopause they need to adjust to the new realities as their bodies shift gears.

Aging is generally unfair but it is especially unfair to women.

Menopause leads to the many diseases

By 20 weeks, a female fetus has a fully developed reproductive system; by the time this fetus is born, she will have approximately one million eggs. Yet, by the age of 30 a woman will have lost 90 percent of those eggs. Whats more, by the time a woman is 40 years old, roughly three percent of a womans eggs remain. As time continues on, this girl-turned-woman ages and so do her ovaries, but at a pace five times faster than any other human organ. Menopause lurks around the corner, with the onset between the ages of 40 and 60. This brings an onslaught of unfavorable symptoms including but not limited to fatigue, anxiety, vaginal dryness, and low libido. A taboo of a topic. Fact is, theres not a lot about womens reproductive health that is not taboo. From painful menstrual cycles to assisted fertility, to menopause, women suffer, and often suffer alone.

To make matters worse, there are serious medical consequences of menopause that go beyond symptoms. Menopause causes medical diseases including osteoporosis, heart disease, and dementia.

Whether female or not, nearly everyone can relate to being ill. However, the severity of illness caused by a complex amalgamation of hormonal changes that has been historically beyond a womans control is likely hard to relate to unless having lived experience. But female-related struggles do not cease at the health level, the issues permeate beyond a diagnosis.

Women are accustomed to either a healthcare provider or family member discussing fertility in some capacity. They may be informed about the decrease in chances of conception that comes with age; or, the higher probability of a genetic disorder for their unborn child should they choose to wait much longer to become pregnant. This pressure is fueled by an underlying fear a fear that all women possess in some way. The ticking biological clock chimes louder with each year and women are met with a decision they feel they must make and soon. It can consume a mind: What if I waited too long and can no longer have children? How can I balance my career and my family? Should I freeze my eggs?

Its fairly possible that by the time a woman finishes college, earns well-deserved promotions, builds a career, establishes financial stability, or demonstrates exceptional emotional maturity, she may have been failed by her ovaries. Critical career moments seemingly coincide with the time in a womans life when she needs to decide whether or not to have children. This has women caught in the crossroads of compromise. Or, the reality might spark an interest in leveraging an alternative method.

The technology of egg freezing has existed since the 1980s; however, in the past decade, technological advances have improved the efficacy of the method. Even so, the process of freezing eggs is cost-prohibitive and only a small percentage of corporations offer it as a medical benefit. Beyond the cost alone, the success rates are not overwhelming. While different fertility clinics vary on the percent of successful pregnancies, the average is 20%.

Much can be accomplished in a lifetime, especially since our life expectancy is increasing. If a womans average life expectancy is 80 years in the United States, is it not peculiar that her family planning needs to be achieved by her 30s? This point is dramatized when looking at mens capability to produce sperm (spermatogenesis) throughout a lifetime without the existence of premature reproductive aging. If overall life expectancy is increasing, and it has consistently over the past decade, we must realize that without extending female reproductive life, we are worsening gender inequality.

In recent years, the phenomenon of opting out of bearing children has burgeoned. In fact, the Census Bureau accounts for the United States having the slowest increase in population since the Bureau began making population estimates in the 18th century. From 2020 to 2021 year, the United States population grew only 0.1 percent. This is a significant socioeconomic concern.

We have witnessed this unraveling at the seams amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Since September 2021 alone, 300,00 women have left the workforce. As people have been pushed to work remotely, women have reportedly assumed the responsibility for both domestic work and childcare. It is no mystery as to why women are departing their places of work, as detrimental as it may be. These cumulative departures over the past two years will be costly to the United States economy, costing around $650 billion each year. These departures also threaten womens financial independence and set back the clock on pay equity. Women are more aware than ever that the social construction of having it all may very well be false. The cards seem stacked against women both in health and in career parity.

Fertility and longevity market size

But it is not all doom and gloom there are women writing a new chapter for their time on this earth, just as women have done before them. But this time, it involves money.

While the richest men in the world may be worth trillions, women have shattered enough glass to be worth billions, and theyre putting it to good use. Womens wealth is increasing as the recent Forbes Americas Richest Self-Made Women article demonstrated by the notable cutoff increase to $225mm: a $75mm increase.

These women have earned their stripes as founders, co-founders, CEOs, public figures, artists, and much more, and many are taking a stand for women by making impactful decisions about their employees health care choices, as demonstrated by Whitney Wolfe. Others, such as Anne Wojcicki, have taken successful healthcare companies public, while simultaneously acting as a lead investor in the female reproductive and fertility space. Women are starting new venture firms, creating powerful networks, and are investing in companies with female leadership.

It makes sense women are investing in companies that serve women. Its a true demonstration of women supporting women. And getting older is no longer a deterrent, instead, its a second life. From the comeback of Sex & the City to the influx of Botox use, to in vitro fertilization (IVF), women are creating their options rather than waiting for better options to come their way. Consider Viagra. This was a problem worth solving for men and thus scientists pursued solutions. Have we thought about the female equivalent of Viagra? What if just as erectile dysfunction can be circumvented, so too can menopause?

What is surprising, is that there are very few research institutions and companies going after female reproductive longevity and inequality. I personally got interested in the field when Nicole Shanaghan, at that time the founder and CEO of ClearAccessIP, an AI-powered IP management company that helped manage the IP of Insilico Medicine, got into this field from the philanthropic angle. That was around 2017-2018. She helped establish the research institutes on this subject at The Buck Institute for Research on Aging, and at the National University of Singapore. The Buck is, without doubt, the most reputable and productive non-profit research institution focusing exclusively on aging and with support from BiaEcho, their brilliant CEO, Dr. Eric Verdin set up a research center in record time. The center is now led by Jennifer Garrison, who I hope to interview for one of the follow-up articles.

However, on the commercial front, the situation is even bleaker. I would not be able to name even a dozen companies aiming to extend female reproductive longevity. It is not easy to start a company in this field. It requires very specific talent and experience, established animal models, regulatory pathways, expert investors, and pharmaceutical partners. It resembles the field of AI-powered drug discovery in 2013.

To understand this field a bit better, I recently chatted about this topic with Dina Radenkovic, MD, a longevity physician and entrepreneur, who has recently revealed her new company Gameto. And while I do not know much about their technology and can not make any claims in this area, the team looks impressive. Dina joined forces with Martin Varsavsky, a leader in the fertility space and founder of Prelude Fertility and Overture Life. Gameto is women-backed with six female investors: Maryanna Saenko of Future Ventures, Deena Shakir of Lux Capital, Deborah Jackson of Plum Alley, Kristina Simmons of Overwater Ventures, Viktorya Tigipko of TA Ventures and Caterina Fake of Yes VC. As a medical doctor with a background in aging, Dina is intent to position Gameto as a company redefining the narrative around female reproductive longevity and making it more around health and longevity. Gameto is applying the advances of cellular reprogramming to offer solutions for both menopause and fertility. This may just offer the optionality women are looking for and Dina hopes they might be able to make women suffer fewer health problems in their later life.

When ovaries are termed geriatric by many traditional medical criteria, the rest of the body is certainly not and this creates conflict for people pushing them to make compromises they may not wish to make. I hope our technology can in the future empower women and also make the second half of our lives, the best one. said Dr. Dina Radenkovic, CEO of Gameto.

Female-run and female invested Gameto

Every woman has a unique story to be told, but it is the cumulation of these stories that evoke fundamental change about how women choose to live. A selection of Gameto investors chose to share their sentiments on the essentiality of investment in womens reproductive health

Women's health is one of the highest potential and most important investment areas. It's been underfunded, and because of the acceleration of science/tech, now is the time. Gameto combines a powerful mission to make the biological clock option with strong science. Said Kristina Simmons, Founder & Managing Partner of Overwater Ventures who previously worked at Lululemon and Khosla Ventures.

Deborah Jackson, CEO of Plum Alley, a venture capital firm formed by previous Wall St. executives who are backing women in STEMM such as Jennifer Doudna, Co-Founder of Mammoth Biosciences and Mary Lou Japsen, CEO of Openwater shared, "The health of a woman's ovary is one of the fundamental drivers of her health over her lifetime, in addition to giving her the ability to conceive and make healthy offspring. As a woman, mother of two adult daughters and investor in frontier technologies, I have long been searching for breakthroughs that prioritize the uniqueness and brilliance of the female body. If we prevent disease and extend healthy living for women because of the work of Gameto, we will make one of the most profound scientific advances that is possible for all of humanity."

Deena Shakir, Partner at Lux Capital and investor in Gameto, recently wrote about this topic in Forbes and it seems her predictions may be coming true. She has shared that, "Transformative innovations in womens and family health not only advance health equity, but can also improve individual family finances and contribute more broadly to economic productivity."

Beyond the clear need in IVF/oocyte freezing, we are deeply excited about the prospect of a better standard of care for women undergoing menopause. The suffering caused by menopause is not a biological imperative, and the many complications that come along with menopause, particularly early-onset menopause, can be entirely avoided. - Maryanna Saenko and Steve Jurvetson of Future Ventures venture fund that led Gametos series A and backed an aging company Cambrian Biopharma as well as Neuralink, Deep Genomics and Space X.

While Gameto is still in the early days, solving the problem of accelerated ovarian aging for womens health and equality is a worthy cause, and a problem worth discussing.

There is a new season of women bound together by life experiences and by the realized necessity of optionality. The option of having a successful career without foregoing having children. The option to leverage biotechnology for relief from menopause or infertility. The option to discuss reproductive health without being shamed or silenced.

Read more:
Nature Is Sexist. Can Advances In Longevity Biotechnology Help Restore Reproductive Equality? - Forbes

The Tri-County Community Corrections (TCCC) Board met this past week for their first board meeting of 2022. The agenda began with the election of officers, and the officers will remain the same for the upcoming year. Polk County Commissioner Warren Strandell will remain the Chair, Commissioner Steve Bommersbach of Norman County will remain the Vice-Chair, and Commissioner Ron Weiss of Red Lake County will remain the Secretary.

The next item on the agenda was the approval of the monthly statistics report. Tri-County Community Corrections Executive Director Andrew Larson noted with the Northwest Regional Corrections Center (NWRCC) population reduction, the jail numbers are down significantly compared to previous months. The average daily number of inmates for December was 125 compared to around 175 when the jail is fully staffed. The board approved the monthly statistics unanimously.

Larson also provided an update on how the NWRCC population reduction plan has been going. I just made the board aware of what measures have been taken thus far and talked a little bit about how many applications weve received and how many interviews we have conducted, said Larson. We also discussed what our out-of-county cost is because we are housing some of our inmates in Pennington County right now to keep our numbers more manageable. With all things COVID-19, that is impacting us, so it probably was best we reduced our jail numbers when we did because we are starting to see an impact on some of our employees as well as our inmates.

The next item on the agenda was Personnel Issues, and Larson said there was one key difference with the report this month. For the first time in a long time, we had no resignations to report, said Larson. That was great news for us. We also had a few promotions and several new hires, so this was a much better report than we normally give the board.

The board then heard a Compensation and Staffing Study conducted by Mark Goldberg of DDA Human Resources Inc. The purpose of the study was for an outside source to come in and rate each position within the department and offer a new salary compensation structure that Tri-County Community Corrections may implement. Larson said the study was very beneficial. With all of the turnover that weve had, we wanted to get an outsiders perspective and get an idea for some of the contributing factors that were seeing when it comes to the challenges were facing, said Larson. They interviewed several of our agency staff and then presented it to the board so that we can be aware and have an idea of what we can potentially do better to make the work environment satisfactory. The presentation was informational, and no action was needed from the board.

There was then the reviewal and approval of a Law Enforcement Labor Services Collective Bargaining Agreement effective now until December 31, 2024. Larson shared some details and changes with the agreement. That is our contract with our jail correction officers and juvenile workers, said Larson. The board did approve the contract, and it calls for a 3.25% cost of living adjustment, and there were also a few changes to vacation accrual and longevity pay.

The following two items on the agenda were slight changes to the TCCC Employee Handbook and Cost of Living Adjustments for the Non-Collective Bargaining Employees. The board approved the changes unanimously.

The last item on the agenda was for the board to approve Tri-County Community Corrections to receive bids to salvage a 2006 Chevrolet Van. The board approved the request. The next meeting will take place in February.

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TRI-COUNTY COMMUNITY CORRECTIONS BOARD HOLDS FIRST MEETING OF 2022 - kroxam.com

All writers in Op Ed are here to inform and acknowledge issues of importance to our communities, however these writings represent the views and opinions of the authors and not necessarily of The Advertiser.

By Sigrid Fowler

The opposite of new is old,another thought that comesto mindas we singAuld Lang Synon January 1.Danielhasa visionofone like ason ofman,presented to the Ancient of Days. The titlegetsourattention.It is made up oftwo oppositeideasancient,awordmeaninglongevity in unspecified, perhaps absolute, terms andaword denoting the brief timespan of one twenty-four-hourperiod,theunitofa human life. The contrast is vivid andcant have beencontrived at randomor without thought.To speak of God as the Ancient of Days brings together in one title two facts we knowthat Godisnt limited bytime and paradoxically,thatGod is also omnipresent, as theologians saypresent everywhere, even in the seconds and minutes of eachsingle day inonepersons experience.Quitea thought for the new year, one to help us get startedmaybe withencouragementand peace.

One aspect of Gods nature that fascinates and comforts us is his eternity, says Ralph F. Wilson,writing aboutthe eternal God (http://www.jesuswalk.com/names-god/3_eternal.htm). The striking statement isnt simple to explain. How the eternal can be comforting Im not sure I know, but I get the pointWilson is making. Things bigger or more powerful or beyond us inasignificant waythingslike knowing everythingorbeing called the Eternalcan be reassuring, especiallyif theyre not threatening.Things Jesus said aboutthe Fatherillustrate thistruth.Forexample: Arent two sparrows sold fora cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father (Matt 10: 29). Or this: Your Father knows what you need before you ask him (Matt 6: 8b).

These arentjustthe teachings ofJesus. In the psalms, we findsimilarlines: He gives names to all the stars and calls them all by name (Ps 147: 4).Other psalms praise the God who is eternal. Psalm 102: 12 is an example: Butyou, O Lord, abide forever,/Andyour name to all generations.Psalm 90declares: For a thousand years inyour sight/Are like yesterday when it passes by,/Or as a watch in the night. When the writer of Psalm 121 says, He that watches Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps (Ps 121: 4a), he or she has zeroed in on this comfortingand paradoxicalaspect of Gods naturei.e., his eternal but always-present existenceand his loving concern.Its nice to know that somebody has our backSomebody, in fact. Call that Somebody Jesus, who is one with the Father and the Spirit, and youll find the comforta bit moreaccessible. Were being looked afterwhatever the time, whatever the placeand the person giving his attention to us is alsopowerful.

John reported the revelation of Jesus.His writingmakes upthe last book of the Biblefor example a momentwhenJesus, now revealedin glory,nowidentifies himselfwitha new name: I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end(Rev 22: 13). Notice the same paradoxical quality in this title,the beginning and the endmake upone name, the name of one personagain,the contrast of present and foreverseentogetherin one person.Christisvictorious,a conquerorin Johns report, butwhen we remember the gospels,we knowhe isntthreatening. Hesapproachable, welcoming, available. He was so busy healing and teachinghe couldnt even eat, andhis family worried about his health. They even thought he was crazy! (Mark 3: 20-21).At one point, when children were brought to Jesus, the disciples tried to shoo them away. Jesus rebukedthe fussy disciples, not the parents who were bringing their children (Matt 19: 13-14), andwelcomedthem all.

Jesusown words show how one of eternal presence and power canbecomforting and comfortable, even in the minutes of ourparticulardays: Come to me, he said,all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you shall find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light (Matt 11: 28-30).This yoke?Maybeits likea sheep carried on the shoulders of a shepherd.Asheeplooks like a yokeif itson the shoulders,maybe the shouldersofthat happyshepherdexcitedlyyelling to everyonehes found his sheep.One of those quotable John F. Kennedy sayings comes to mind. He was young,being cautionedabouttheweighthe was carrying.He said, Hes not heavy, hes my brother. We allknowaboutworkingvery hard at somethingthat involvesa person we care about. Itsno task at all.Isthis what Jesus meant?Dontforget that the one who says, My yoke is easyis God the Son, the Son of Manwho cameafter us. Hesofferingtoexchangeourburdensfor his lighter one. If his burdenis concern drivenandinfusedbylove, indeed it is easy.

Ps 38: 4calls sin a burden.Theone of human appearance,whois presented tothe Ancient ofDaysto receivean eternalkingdom (Dan 7: 13-14)is theeternalSon of Man,who welcomes and loves us. He is the Good Shepherd. His strong shoulderscan take your burden.They carried a cross.

Link:
The Ancient of Days The Edgefield Advertiser - Edgefieldadvertiser

By Michael Roizen, M.D.

Q: I really want next year to be the year I become as healthy as possible. Can you help me figure out a plan and schedule? Casey R., Santa Rosa, California

A: Bravo! You are planning ahead and making a public declaration of your intention to live a healthier and happier life! That shows how serious you are about achieving your goals.

By following the lifestyle adjustments suggested in my book What to Eat When and the longevity-extending tips in The Great Age Reboot (due out in 2022), you can put together a plan that is both easy to follow and loaded with great rewards.

Your smart nutrition guide. The What to Eat When formula says eat only when the sun is up: a window of approximately 12 hours, depending on the time of year. This allows for a resting period (or fasting) and can help you break the habit of bingeing on snacks.

WTEW also suggests you eat most of your food for breakfast and lunch. Aim to consume 80% of your daily calories before 3 p.m.

As for what you eat during these recommended times: You know the drill: plant-based, free of added sugars, no red or processed meats and no ultraprocessed foods.

Move it to lose it and gain a longer, healthier life. In The Great Age Reboot, I list steps you can take to self-engineer your fitness.

1. Walk 10,000 steps a day or the equivalent one minute of activity equals about 100 steps.

2. Get two or three sessions of strength training a week include core-strengtheners to avoid back problems down the road.

3. Do cardio exercise that increases your heart rate three times a week for 20 minutes. Aim for 80% of your age-adjusted heart rate (figure it by subtracting your age from 220 and then taking 80% of that).

4. Take 40 jumps in place a day. This increases lymphatic flow, bone density and spine health.

Q: Cancer seems to run in my family, and I want to do everything I can to help prevent it from happening to me. Can you tell me about cancer-fighting foods? John Y., Indianapolis

A: You are right to fight! Genetic predispositions do not always mean you are going to develop whatever condition they are affiliated with. Your lifestyle choices can activate that predisposition or help squelch it! And food is a powerful tool when it comes to helping prevent cancer.

Some of our favorites are berries, lentils, kale, spinach, cauliflower, 100% whole grains and turmeric.

Berries: Blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and strawberries contain phytochemicals such as anthocyanins and a powerful antioxidant, pterostilbene, that reduce chronic bodywide inflammation (from obesity, red meats, added sugars, stress and poor sleep habits). Chronic inflammation ups the risk of cancer substantially. Berries also contain something call ellagic acid; laboratory studies show it has antiviral, antibacterial, antioxidant and cancer-preventive properties.

Lentils: High-fiber foods nurture good gut bacteria and may reduce the risk of colon cancer. They also help control appetite and weight being overweight is associated with an increased risk of 12 cancers. Kale, cauliflower and

Kale, cauliflower and spinach: Kale and other cruciferous veggies, like broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower, contain glucosinolate, which can cause tumor cells to die. Spinach contains carotenoids that may help fight cancer. It also has glycoglycerolipids certain formulations may inhibit some forms of breast cancer.

Whole grains: They contain fiber, phytochemicals and minerals that help fight cancer. One metastudy looked at the diets of 786,000 people and found that eating 7 grams of whole grains daily was associated with a 20% decrease in the risk of dying from cancer.

Turmeric: This tasty spice may do more than add flavor to your favorite foods. Laboratory and animal research indicates it may prevent cancer, slow its spread, make chemotherapy more effective and protect healthy cells from damage by radiation therapy. Confirmation in high-quality human trials is needed.

Health pioneer Michael Roizen, M.D., is chief wellness officer emeritus at the Cleveland Clinic and author of four No. 1 New York Times bestsellers. Email your health and wellness questions to Dr. Mike at question@GreatAgeReboot.com.

Original post:
Launch a new you with the new year; foods that fight cancer The McPherson Sentinel - McPherson Sentinel

The 2021 MCU entry is finally streaming on Disney+. Heres what you need to know before hitting play. Art: Marvel

When contract disputes and creative differences sent veteran Marvel comics artist Jack Kirby the man who co-created Captain America, the Avengers, and the X-Men, among others into the arms of DC Comics in 1970, New Gods was born. It constituted a thematic continuation of the stories hed been crafting for the Asgardians in Thor, featuring an original pantheon of characters powerful to the point of godhood. The New Gods were divided into two planets: Genesis, a world of peace led by the Highfather, and Apokolips, a planet of cruelty ruled by the despot Darkseid. The two opposed civilizations had struck a deal: The sons of Highfather and Darkseid would be traded, so Apokolips-born Orion would grow up on Genesis and Genesis-born Scott Free (better known as Mister Miracle) would be raised on Apokolips. The arrangement was part treaty and part experiment; neither world would wage war on the other with a prince in the way, and it could settle the question of the nature versus nurture debate, too.

But the series didnt perform well at the time and was canceled in 1972, leaving a climactic battle between Orion and his father Darkseid unresolved. There are no New Gods movies currently streaming on HBO Max, although Ava Duvernay nearly adapted it and several of Apokolipss villains feature in Wonder Woman and Justice League. Still, the story proved to be an influential property in DCs superheroic canon, with Darkseid going on to fight Superman numerous times and become the central antagonist of the Great Darkness Saga over in Legion of Super Heroes and the Final Crisis miniseries decades later.

More than that, New Gods proved influential across the comics aisle. The story of the Eternals, who feature in the Marvel Cinematic Universes 2021 entry named after them (which is currently streaming on Disney+), owes a lot to the demise of New Gods. After its end, Kirby bounced around various DC projects before once again growing creatively dissatisfied and jumping ship. By 1975, he was back at Marvel, and one of the first things to spring from his pen was 1976s The Eternals. Having previously drawn on Norse mythology to build his deities, Kirby drew from Incan history this time around; the gods once worshipped by Incans, he suggested, were in fact a divergent evolution of the Dawn Ape mankinds progenitor. The Celestials, gigantic and inscrutable ur-gods, created both the Eternals and their nemeses, the Deviants, alongsidehumanity but distinct from it, from a prehistoric ape. The Eternals were few in number and immune to time and death, and each of them possessed unique powers, while the Deviants were ever-changing and destructive, an unstable species that mutated in new and monstrous ways with each new generation, prone to constant warfare. The Deviants sought out the depths of the Earth to hide, and the Eternals took to mountaintops, forming vast cities like Olympia in Greece and Polaria in Siberia. Eventually even these peaks would prove lacking, and the Eternals took to space, only visiting Earth occasionally to check in on humanitys progress.

Kirbys original Eternals story isnt set in the time of the Inca, but centers around the Eternals return to Earth in modern times. His lead is the golden-haired and golden-eyed Ikaris, who, under the alias Ike Harris, leads a father-daughter pair of explorers into an ancient underwater Incan ruin and reignites a beacon that leads the Eternals back to Earth and right behind them, their creators. The impossibly old Celestials stand in judgment of all intelligent life; if the Eternals (and New Gods and Asgardians) reflect the enormity of polytheistic pantheons, the Celestials rise above even that, with the power to end entire planets. Moviegoers have seen at least a few Celestials on the MCU screen the colony of Knowhere, featured in Guardians of the Galaxy, exists in the skull of a dead Celestial. Later in the same film, the Collector (Benecio Del Toro) views footage of the Celestial Eson the Searcher. And while he is definitively not a Celestial in the comics, the cinematic version of Ego the Living Planet (Kurt Russel) claims to be a Celestial in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.

The Celestial Arishem, with the power to judge humanity in the palm of his hand. Art: Marvel

The Celestial Arishem the Judge is the first to appear in the comics. Massive and encased in red armor, he does nothing when he arrives but stand atop a rock and judge Earths progress (according to metrics known only to the Celestials themselves). The set-up: If he judges in Earths favor, the planet lives, and if not, Earth is to be destroyed. More directly interested in the Earths destruction are the Deviants, who are eager to expand an empire, as they once did in the days of pre-history. To this end, theyre ruled by a squat, green Deviant named Tode, who commands an underling named Kro. Kro, a largely human-shaped creature with reddish skin and the ability to manipulate his own atomic structure, would go on to become a central antagonist in the Eternals saga. Within the first few issues, he uses his powers to grow a pair of horns, so that he might resemble the Devil and play on humanitys fears.

After Ikaris, Kirby introduces Ajak (named after the Greek hero Ajax), Sersi (after the Greek figure Circe), Makkari (after the Roman god, Mercury), Zuras and Thena (after Zeus and Athena), and more. While each Eternals powers vary for instance, Ikaris can levitate and shoot energy beams from his eyes, while Makkari has super-speed, and Thena is a masterful hand-to-hand combatant and scholar all Eternals generally have the same abilities. They include invulnerability, longevity, and immunity to disease, as well as teleportation, some low-level telepathic ability, the ability to project illusions, and complete molecular control over their entire bodies. In crafting their individual and collective storylines, Kirby wove in not just fantastic fiction, but his own ideas about religion and humanity, his feelings about global politics, and even elements of his time serving in World War II. For example, in recounting the ancient history of the Eternals and Deviants, he describes a pre-emptive strike akin to Pearl Harbor followed by a mushroom cloud retaliation that is roughly analogous to his perception of U.S. involvement in World War II. Here, Kirby not so subtly equates his gods with American forces, and the monstrous deviants with the Japanese.

But the lines between the Eternals and Deviants did get blurry; within a few issues, two Deviants are shown living under the protection of the Eternals, away from their own kind. Kirby leaned on the idea of good people and evil people, but he also repeated the same trick he pulled with New Gods, placing paramount importance on a given characters moral choice in a moment. A character could be born a Deviant, but choose the path of good, and vice versa. Take Druigs betrayal of his fellow Eternals, culminating in his attempt to destroy one of the Celestials in the books final issue.

Unfortunately, like New Gods before them, The Eternals was canceled after 19 issues due to low sales, leaving plotlines unresolved once more. Marvel revived the series a few times throughout the years, and each revival was shorter than the last; as of this writing, there are a grand total of 56 issues starring the group. The second volume of The Eternals was a 12-issue series started by Peter Gillis, finished by Walt Simonson, and released in 1985. It continued the groups story, with Thena leading the Eternals following the demise of Zuras. The Deviants loyalties are split between Kro and a new character, the leader of a religious sect by the name of Priestlord Ghaur. But Ghuars ambitions, like Druigs in the original series, result in his own annihilation. By the end of the series, Ikaris, arguably the main character all along, assumes leadership (after Thena began a love affair with Kro). There wouldnt be another Eternals series for 20 years, though some of the characters kept busy in the meantime.Several joined the Avengers in various capacities, and a story arc from Avengers #246-248, by Roger Stern and Al Milgrom, established that there were Eternals offshoots known by different names. The most notable of these is familiar to moviegoing audiences: His name is Thanos.

So the story goes, Thanos is one of two sons of the Eternal known as Alars, or Mentor. Alars was a brother to Zuras, who left Earth to form a civilization on Titan, the moon of Saturn. There, with another Eternal named Sui-san, he fathered both Thanos and his brother, Eros. Thanos and Eros were originally created by Jim Starlin in 1972 for the pages of Iron Man, and were not originally intended to be Eternals, though they were based on Greek myth. It was not until the pages of Avengers nearly a decade later that the link between the Titanians and Eternals was established. By then, Thanos brother Eros was known more widely as Starfox, and was a card-carrying member of the Avengers right alongside Sersi.

Marvel finally began publishing a third volume of the Eternals in 2006, penned by Neil Gaiman with art by John Romita Jr. Internecine squabbles were common, resulting in multiple betrayals. For example, Sprite, an Eternal who lives forever in the body of a child, hatches a scheme to kill his fellow Eternals and to render himself mortal so that he might finally age. His plan fails, but not before another Celestial known as the Dreaming Celestial nearly ends the world. In one of the third volumes final and most disturbing scenes, Zuras catches up with the pint-size trickster turned murderer and quietly snaps his neck aboard a train.

Death, of course, is rarely the end for Sprite or any of the other Eternals. If Kirby presented the characters as a kind of space-faring, exploratory people, deity impersonators who shaped the course of human history, Gaiman codified the idea even more clearly. He ritualized the idea of Eternals not as simply immortal, but as extremely long-lived super beings who are resurrected by ancient Celestial-designed machinery to continue their work of standing in preservation of Earth. He built on the initial cyclical ideas presented by Kirbys original work; the Eternals live to defend, maintain, and preserve Earth, then eventually die, only to rise again and repeat the process.

Ikaris explains the Eternals role in the grand scheme of things. Art: Marvel

A new Eternals, penned by Charles Knauf with art by Daniel Acuna, began in 2008 focused on continuing Gaimans modernization of the franchise. Though it was canceled early, it prompted the Celestials move toward the forefront of Marvel lore. After the Dreaming Celestial of the 2008 volume awoke and stood above San Francisco, he was often seen in the background of X-Men comics set in the Bay Area. Celestials featured prominently in Uncanny Avengers, a mixed team of Avengers and X-Men designed to heal tensions between mutants and superheroes in the aftermath of a large-scale conflict that pitted the two groups against each other. (X-Men-Celestial history goes back further; it was the Celestials who created the Life and Death Seeds, artifacts with the power to jumpstart creation and extinction, and a common tool of the villain Apocalypse.) Most notably, an entire army of Celestials appeared as the antagonists of Jason Aarons 2018 run of Avengers, a conflict that once again resulted in the Eternals dying, this time without even the benefit of a book of their own.

But last January they returned with a fifth volume, written by Kieron Gillen and Esad Ribic, the storys rise and fall forever reflecting the cyclical nature of its narrative conflict. If the post-credits scene of the new Eternals movie is any indication, the Marvel world and the Marvel Cinematic Universe are hardly done with Kirbys invention.

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Wait, Who Are the Eternals? - Vulture

Just when we think cast of 1883 couldn't get any more impressive, another a-list star is added to the show!

The Yellowstone prequel, which tells the origin story of the Dutton family as they travel West, already features an eye-popping list of familiar faces, from Tim McGraw and Faith Hill as James and Margaret Dutton to Sam Elliott as Shea Brennan and Billy Bob Thornton as Marshal Jim Courtright. Even Oscar winner Tom Hanks made an appearance, with an episode 2 cameo as U.S. Civil War General George Meade. And now, it looks like Tom's wife, Rita Wilson, will be joining in the fun!

According to Variety, Rita will take on the "role of Carolyn, a storekeeper at Doans Crossing who helps Margaret (Faith) decompress with some whiskey punch." That certainly sounds like a lot of fun!

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Rita shared an incredible behind-the-scenes photo of her and Faith in their full 1883 costumes to announce the news. She wrote, "The secret is out Ill be joining my friends @faithhill and @thetimmcgraw on the show @1883official this season! Keep up with episodes every Sunday on @paramountplus to catch a glimpse of yours truly ."

Fans jumped to the comments section to convey their excitement. One wrote, "Love your beautiful hairstyle and stunning dress! ," and another commented, "Good for you! I didnt realize that was Faith Hill with you in the first photo. Have fun, ladies!" Another fan chimed in, "Oh thats so awesome!!! I CANNOT WAIT!"

It turns out Rita and Faith have been friends for nearly 20 years. Rita even dedicated a recent "Woman Crush Wednesday" Instagram post to Faith and shared a throwback photo of the two from the 2003 People's Choice Awards.

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Rita wrote, "#WCW to the moment I met the extraordinary human @faithhill at @peopleschoice I believe in 2003. Faith and I were laughing maybe a little too loud and when you laugh at the same thing as someone else for all the wrong reasons you know youve found a friend. Hard to believe our friendship is already 19 years old. Its proof that our business, which sometimes gets a bad rap for lack of longevity in relationships also creates lasting friendships based on trust, kindness, and of course, humor. Love you, Faith. (P.s. Out movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding won that night! Another treasured memory!)."

Faith responded to the sweet post with, "I remember this moment. The laughter has never stopped. Love you so much!"

We can't wait to see what these friends have in store for 1883!

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Fans React to Rita Wilso Joining the 'Yellowstone' Prequel '1883' - Country Living

Doctors, philosophers and scientists have tinkered at extension of the human lifespan, trying to figure out how to prolong our perpetual flight from the reaches of death. Usually, though, the focus is on the addendum of years to the end of our lives.

A fresh, go-getting start-up called Gameto is pointing out that an extension of the human lifespan is not the end-all-be-all target of augmented human longevity. Instead, this biotechnology company is researching the longevity of one of the human bodys fastest aging organs: the ovaries, and on Monday, it announced $20million in Series A financing to expand these efforts.

Aging up to five times faster than the rest of the body, the subsequent decrease in fertility is what marks the start of menopause for the majority of women and the beginning of several associated symptoms and conditions that can heavily impact the daily lives of those experiencing it. And now that humans live almost twice as long as we used to, most women are looking at twice the amount of time spent with menopause and its after-effects.

Ovaries age five times faster than other organs, resulting in infertility, early menopause and increased years of poor health for women. We want to change the narrative of female reproductive longevity and address the root causes of sex/gender inequality in our society," said Gameto CEO Dr. Dina Radenkovic, M.D. in the press release.

With research that began in the laboratories of George Church at Harvard Medical Schools Wyss Institute, Gameto has created a three-part platform for ovarian therapeutics that will address menopause and assisted fertility: Fertilo, focused on the improvement of assisted fertility and working to eliminate female infertility; Deovo, focused on uncovering pharmaceutical treatments and constructing a computational platform for ovarian aging; and Ameno, focused on alleviating the medical burdens of menopause by finding a way to make it optional, not entirely unlike skipping the sugar pills in traditional birth control so that a woman doesnt start her period.

"We have strong preclinical evidence to believe in our platform," Dr. Radenkovic said. Its development is being guided by Martin Varsavsky, whose previous entrepreneurial efforts include a nationwide network of fertility centers that spans the United States known as Prelude Fertility.

Investment firms seem to agree, as Gameto originally raised $3 million in seed funding from the SALT Fund, Atomic founder Jack Abraham, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong and Coatue Management founder Dan Rose.

The Series A funding was led by Future Ventures with collaboration from Robert Nelsen, Anne Wojcicki, Bold Capital Partners and TA Ventures.

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Gameto Nets $20M on Path to Redefining Reproductive Longevity - BioSpace

The Covid pandemic has brought to the fore discussions around healthcare capacity, advances in treatments as well as the cost of healthcare. The capacity of healthcare services in the public sector is limited, leaving a majority of people, about 75% according to a NITI Aayog estimate, to look for treatment in private healthcare facilities. However, healthcare costs are increasing, which is also a reflection of the advances in healthcare and the resultant human longevity.

Amid all this, choosing a correct health care policy becomes imperative. Now, how does one go about getting health cover for oneself and ones family, such that the cost is optimum and the risk of treatment costs optimally covered? Shefali Munjal, Executive Director, Hero Enterprise, shares knowledge about some of the things that should be kept in mind while choosing the health insurance plan:-

1. Opt for an exhaustive health cover

Shefali Munjal suggest, "Always consider a comprehensive plan which covers one against any and all illnesses and is not limited to a specific illness, like Covid. As illness is unpredictable, you never know when you might need financial coverage."

2. Check for a family floater option

"Check whether the insurer provides a family floater cover for the health plan you are considering. This will allow you to get your entire family covered at a lower premium, rather than opting for separate covers for individual family members," she said.

3. Look for higher Sum Insured (SI)

"With rising treatment costs, it is prudent to look for options that offer a higher Sum Insured, which can cover the treatment costs without placing a financial burden on the family. A higher amount of cover also enables one to upgrade their healthcare treatment without having to dip into own savings, which would have been earmarked for other life events and goals," she advised.

4. Look for a plan without caveats

"It is best to opt for a plan which does not have any sub-limits or co-payments. While these features help in bringing down the premium, they restrict your coverage amount at the time of a claim," she added.

5. Check for plans with complete coverage

"The plan opted for should cover the costs for consumables used in treatment, such as PPE kits, gloves, and masks, which can potentially add-up to a substantial cost," she further added.

6. Get covered for an entire year

Opt for a year-round cover and not a short-term cover of say six or nine months. This ensures that you always have coverage whenever anyone in your family falls ill.

7. Opt for a plan offering coverage in a single, private room

"Given the risk of infections and communicable diseases such as Covid, you wouldnt want to get yourself or your loved ones treated in a shared room where there is a risk of disease transmission," she further suggested.

8. Pre-hospitalization and post-hospitalization cover

"Always check what the number of days for which pre- and post- hospitalization cover is offered. A longer time duration helps in covering expenses on medicines, diagnostics, and doctor consultations before hospitalization and after discharge from the hospital," she added.

"Any illness strains a familys finances. This has come to the fore in the Covid pandemic. It is therefore imperative, and prudent, for Indian families to get themselves suitably insured for healthcare related expenses," she concluded.

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The Smart Way of Choosing a Health Insurance Plan Amid Rise in COVID cases in India: Expert - Zee Business