You are right as usual, both of you. There is a lot to make up the total health of a human and that includes mental and emotional health as well as physical health.

I do believe The Villages fosters the mental and emotional health of seniors very well, and anything that moves us around is good for us.

Many people eat out a lot and some of us enjoy preparing meals at home. There are choices we make every day. Some are better for us than others.

The chances of me getting up some morning and running five miles are about as good as me winning the lottery.

I know I harp on Television. If a person doesn't have a TV receiver in this day and age it puts them very behind in general information as well as pleasurable diversion which is good for our minds.

Originally Posted by graciegirl https://www.talkofthevillages.com/fo...s/viewpost.gif
So if Science did develop a cure so that one's lifestyle was not part of the equation, you would consider it a failure?

Villages PL Reply:
No, I just wouldn't waste my time waiting and getting my hopes up for something that may never come. I have better things to do with my time rather than become obsessed with that perspective.

Barefoot Comment:
If one has to have an obsession, I think it's healthier to hope for a positive outcome than focus on negatives.

If knowledge is power and knowledge of the sciences and research is essential, does that mean you appreciate the knowledge I brought to this thread (i.e., the opening statement by Dr. Longo who stated that protein activates genes to accelerate aging)?

I read that article when you first recommended it to me several months ago. I wondered why you recommended it to me rather than starting a thread on it yourself. BTW, I wasn't very impressed because I didn't find anything all that new in it.

On the plus side, it proved that when you're living off of nature, in the wild, you can live off of almost anything. They preferred meat but when hunting for animals became unproductive, they lived on a plant based diet.

Maybe I've forgotten something? What do you think is important that we should learn from that article that relates to this thread?

One thing is obvious: When you're trying to survive in the wild, the last thing you would worry about is coming down with a degenerative disease like cancer. Their main concern was to keep from starving.

I'd be interested in the OP's view on whether he feels that good friends and positive emotional health are as important to good health as becoming a Vegan.

Carla, that's exactly what I mean by the medical perspective. They make it sound pretty hopeless. The title itself says it all: "Bad Luck of Random Mutations Plays a Predominant Role in Cancer, Study Shows."

To repeat what you once said to me, "Holy Cow!"

But I did find at least one sentence that gave some hope: "The best way to prevent some cancer types is by eliminating environmental factors and by changing lifestyles." But they only gave one example: "Quitting smoking is one valuable example of primary prevention."

I assume that "changing lifestyles" includes one's diet regimen but they didn't even devote one word to that. Diet has a lot to do with inflammation and one's immune system but there was no mention of that. Exercise is also very important and there was no mention of that either. That's the medical perspective. They mainly want to impress upon people the fact that it's complicated and mostly unavoidable and there's not much you can do except get tested and then treated (by them I presume - that's how they make their money). Cancer is big business and they're running it the way one would expect a business to be run.

But nothing to support your belief? Then I'll tell you what I believe based on a book I read (no link). I'll get the book title later, if you're interested.

There was a study that went on for about 80 years. It started with about 1,500 kids who were about 12 or 13 years old. And the study went on until almost all but a few had died. They categorized all of them as to personality types, based on tests and comments by parents and teachers.

The personality type that did the best overall was called "conscientious". (That's my personality type.)

The personality type you're referring to was called "happy-go-lucky". The problem with the happy-go-lucky type is they often disregard healthy lifestyle rules in favor of having fun.

Did the "best" from which perspective? Social acceptability, educationally, health wise, etc.

I think this is the foundation of Bare's post. It is from the Mayo Clinic and I have clipped the article for the sake of brevity:

Social support: Tap this tool to beat stress
Having close friends and family has far-reaching benefits for your health. Here's how to build and maintain these essential relationships.

By Mayo Clinic Staff
A strong social support network can be critical to help you through the stress of tough times, whether you've had a bad day at work or a year filled with loss or chronic illness. Since your supportive family, friends, and co-workers are such an important part of your life, it's never too soon to cultivate these important relationships.

What is a social support network?

A social support network is made up of friends, family and peers. A social support network is different from a support group, which is generally a structured meeting run by a mental health professional. Although both can play an important role in times of stress, a social support network is something you can develop when you're not under stress. It provides the comfort of knowing that your friends are there for you if you need them.

Here's the link to the full article: http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-li...t/art-20044445

But there would NEVER have been humans without eating animal protein as that is what grew our brains.

John you may want to review this before you say that bigger brains.....sorry long read


also research some of these in red There’s something in meat called L-carnitine, which causes plaque in arteries when it’s digested. Which is a long-winded way of saying that eating meat will, without exception, give you artery plaque (unless you’re a mutant or something). There’s also a sugar in meat called Neu5Gc, which our immune systems attack, which can eventually cause cancer

[QUOTE=Villages PL;1041104]Valter Longo, Ph.D. » USC Davis School of Gerontology

Dr. Longo is the director of the University of Southern California's Longevity Institute. In this week's Parade Magazine he was quoted as follows: "Protein, especially from animal sources, activates two sets of genes that accelerate aging."

That must be the work of the greedy developer to get people to move here earlier in life. As a result of eating lots and lots of delicious hamburger, My age accelerated and moved here at age 42.

That is the chant of the holistic group wherever you go. I don't buy it. I think that the business of cancer is better understood when you find you have it or your loved one has it. Spending money to research how it works and what can be done to prevent it is money well spent. I wish you would better understand the processes you speak of such as "inflammation" and "one's immune system". It is obvious you believe your diet is the panacea but I disagree. And giving up delicious food that our body is inclined to hunger for is sort of like asking people to give up sex as a means of birth control. There has to be a better way, a more moderate way than abstaining from the devil meat that our bodies want to eat.

Again I chant moderation. Your diet is extreme. It isn't proved to be the answer to all you claim. It is very possible that the "pure" Island population that you are always bringing up have better diets and more genetic defenses against cancer too. We have and do mix all kinds of genes in this great diverse country. It is proven that the African American population has more difficulty with sickle cell anemia and diabetes than white or Asian groups. That native Americans have more difficulty with genetic triggered alcohol addiction than other groups. That some European Ethnic Jews carry the Tay-Sachs gene that causes certain death to babies affected with it.

With regard to your comment about African-Americans and diabetes, it could be related to diet and other socio-economic issues and not a specific predisposition to diabetes, as you suggested. Separating out genetics from lifestyle is a daunting task.

You're missing something important: The "conscientious" personality type has all of the above adequately covered. But the "happy-go-lucky" personality type doesn't have all the bases covered as far as living a complete healthy lifestyle. The happy-go-lucky types take more health risks in the name of having fun.

For example, they're likely to laugh and/or ridicule a healthy diet as being extreme or obsessive. They're also likely to dismiss a healthy diet as being dull and boring - no fun! By the way, it's not true but it's true from their perspective or mind set.

It's not that being happy and having a support system isn't good, it's just not the whole picture. (Too many eggs in one basket.)