Thanks for your input, I totally agree. Let's not wait around for research that may never materialize, lets do everything that we already know how to do, like eat a healthy-whole-foods plant-based diet. :mmmm:

Hi villages PL: Appreciate the reply. As to 65+ eating more meat the study explained it had to do with the reduction in absorption rate of nutrients by seniors. Makes sense to me.

Again we find the experts reverse themselves. Reported in the New England Journal of Medicine is the following findings.

Current guidelines by WHO, American Heart Association and other groups set daily sodium targets between 1,500 and 2,300 milligrams. The average US daily consumption is about 3,400 milligrams. The new study tracked 100,000 people in 17 countries for more than 3 years. Those who consumed less than 3,000 milligrams daily had a 27% higher risk of heart attack or stroke than those consuming 3,000 to 6,000 Risk of death or major events increased with intake above 6,000.

At the risk of being accused of confirmation bias it seems the Greeks common sense approach of "Moderation in all things" once again is validated

This thread as been split between discussion of mortal life and eternal life.

I read two accounts this morning of what faith can achieve, both concerning Eastern Europeans under the yoke of communism. The Poles had credited Pope John Paul with giving them the strength and determination to succeed in their fight for democracy. another part of the article pointed to an observation of a US government official who was taken to a Russia church where he found the exterior badly deteriorated and in need of repair. However when he entered the church he found the interior to be extremely beautiful and in a pristine state. The obvious reason was to escape detection from the communist so these parishioners could practice their faith

Perhaps a strong faith and the promise of eternal life has a positive affect on our longevity? One thing for sure you have to admire people such as those above who demonstrate such tenacity in the face of such dangerous and life threatening adversity

rubicon, I found the Daily Sun article about high-protein diets for the elderly. It was published on March 9, 2014. The heading was: "High-protein diets: Bad for the middle-aged, good for the elderly" The sub-heading was "Study: High protein diet in those 66 and older likely to live longer". But the article never said how much longer they would live, on average, and it never quantified the amount of protein. In that regard the heading conflicted with the actual information in the body of the article.

The lead author of the study, Valter Longo, said the following: Among the older subjects, the source of proteins was less important. The important thing is that "those entering a period of frailty" take in more protein to reduce "their loss of weight and muscle mass."

My problem is with a lack of specifics in the article. The information seems to suggest that the subjects were suffering from protein deficiency, but the amount of protein was not quantified.

When I did an on-line search on how to calculate one's protein requirement, I found the following formula: Body weight in lbs. X 0.4 = number of protein grams per day. And about 1/3 more protein is needed when the source is plant-based.

The study was about "those entering a period of frailty." So you have to imaging that they are not getting much exercise, if any. Under those conditions the most that one can hope for is to "reduce [the] loss of weight and muscle mass." Protein by itself is not going to build lean muscle.

The article mentioned that plant-based nutrients have important protective effects. So, to the extent that someone over consumes animal protein, they will be displacing the all important plant-based nutrients.

It seems that at some point nature may box a person in. If the person is frail and doesn't get much exercise, they're unlikely to have a good appetite. So if they're only eating a very small volume of food, they will likely do better with a more concentrated source of protein, like eggs, chicken or fish. (The calculation method I provided above should do it.)

All of this assumes that the frail elderly don't like beans etc. and won't eat them in any significant quantities. So one would just do the next best thing under the circumstances.

About the sodium: Reductionist thinking strikes again! I'll explain more about this at some later time.

About the Greeks: I will repeat what I've said before: In what year did they say "Moderation in all things"? Back then their access to highly processed junk foods (manufactured foods) were essentially non-existent.
So their saying "Moderation in all things" cannot be applied today. It simply wouldn't work.

Well, if faith helps that's good. My best friend is highly religious and it seems to help her a lot. But one never knows for sure what's going to help, as far as longevity. Take my grandmother and grandfather: My grandmother was a Pentecostal and religion was probably the most important thing in her life. My grandfather was a non-believer. She developed dementia and had to be institutionalized while he stayed mentally sharp and lived to the age of 97. Off hand I'd say he lived at least 15 years longer.

A grandmother's prayers...i had a heritage like that.
I think they're very effective.

My grandmother was a good singer and liked to sing religious songs in Italian while doing housework. I think my grandfather liked it because it made him smile whenever she would start singing....:)

Gerontology, the study of aging, is a relatively new science so there might not be too much information to get excited about. Although, there have been some promising breakthroughs as I mentioned earlier. Let's give it more time; I think it's gaining momentum. ;)

That's a nice memory. It made him happy when she was happy.

In the book, "The Strange Science of Immortality" the author found some fault with Aubrey de Gray's plan to find a way to live for 1,000 years. He said a much longer life would just become incredibly boring.

If that's true, and I think it is, how does it compare with eternity? Can the human mind even comprehend what eternity must be like? Might it be too much of a good thing?

Here's something that might be of some help to grasp the concept of eternity:

If a little bird were to take a grain of sand in its
beak from the seashore and somehow manage to
fly it to the furthest quasar in the universe, and if it
returned and repeated the process until all the sand
of the oceans both from beaches and the bottoms
were gone, eternity would be just beginning.

-Anonymous, written on the wall of the
Mate' Factor Café, Ithaca Commons, NY

We are dying all the time, each moment, every night. We die to what we leave behind. Finally we die as the body gives out for one reason or another. We also live on in many ways.

I wrote this a long time ago:



Each and every moment, I die
In the twinkling of an eye
Then awakening, here and now
Never knowing, never questioning how
Eternity lives in me

Nice poem. Cells in our body are constantly dying and being born. New cells replace old cells. Every so many years we are not the same person.

When the question of why do we get old and die is on my mind, I have a couple of cookies and a cold glass of milk and take a nap.

Immortality pill marketing problems
 

Imagine the marketing problems a drug company might have in the future if they came out with an immortality pill. How would they go about getting it approved for the stated purpose? The FDA would require a never ending long term study to prove the pill effective for the stated purpose.

Would a thousand years of testing be enough? Nope! Would ten thousand years be enough? Nope! A million years? Nope!


"Immortality is a long shot, I admit; but somebody has to be first." -Bill Cosby