Watch Dan Buettner and the Blue Zones on Oprah. Tuesday, November 25
On Tuesday, November 25, The Oprah Winfrey Show will devote the full hour-long show to tracking Dan Buettner’s research into the Blue Zones. During the show, Oprah discusses with Buettner and Dr. Oz exactly how each of us can live in our own “Blue Zone” and add more good years to our life. Buettner reveals what key kinds of food we should eat every day, what kind of community we should build around us, the role that faith plays in living a healthier life, and several methods to incorporate more physical activity into our daily lives.
You can find what time the show is on by going to the link below.
http://www.oprah.com/locallistings
Monday, November 24, 2008
Friday, November 21, 2008
Fox news Jamie Colby Calorie Restriction segment
There will be a Calorie Restriction segment tomorrow on Fox News with Jamie Colby. From Pauls email to the CR Society he says that it's expected to air on the weekend when on Jamies own show between 12:00-2:00 p.m on Saturday and 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m on Sunday.
Apparently Jamie said she would try to do the best CR interview, Paul and Meredith seem to think it will turn out very well. So don't forget to tune in to the show tomorrow to catch it. If you miss it then I think it might be put up on fox news website, which I'll provide a link for if it's there.
Heres an article the show
The Secret to Longevity: A Little Science and Lots of Healthy Living
Apparently Jamie said she would try to do the best CR interview, Paul and Meredith seem to think it will turn out very well. So don't forget to tune in to the show tomorrow to catch it. If you miss it then I think it might be put up on fox news website, which I'll provide a link for if it's there.
Heres an article the show
The Secret to Longevity: A Little Science and Lots of Healthy Living
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
The Truth about Sugar
Nutrition by Natalie. Part 2 is much more shocking than the first part, but it just shows you how much sugar is hidden in all those products! Scary!
PART1
PART2
Haven't had time to post lately, big update soon though!!!
PART1
PART2
Haven't had time to post lately, big update soon though!!!
Monday, November 10, 2008
Monday, October 13, 2008
The Time of Our Lives
The Time of Our Lives
Science meets hope in this episode of Catalyst, as some of the world’s leading minds take us on their race for the ageing “cure.” Can we really stay young through diet, or is the way we get old all in the mind? Science is chasing a longevity pill - but should we be tampering with the cycle of life and death? In this, the second part of Catalyst’s special on ageing, we’ll see how close we are to living healthier, longer lives. We also ask whether the human brain and its ability to extend our life expectancy could achieve more than is good for us.
PART 1
PART 2
Science meets hope in this episode of Catalyst, as some of the world’s leading minds take us on their race for the ageing “cure.” Can we really stay young through diet, or is the way we get old all in the mind? Science is chasing a longevity pill - but should we be tampering with the cycle of life and death? In this, the second part of Catalyst’s special on ageing, we’ll see how close we are to living healthier, longer lives. We also ask whether the human brain and its ability to extend our life expectancy could achieve more than is good for us.
PART 1
PART 2
Wednesday, October 08, 2008
60 Minutes - Forever Young
Video with a small section on CR. Paul and Meredith are in it once again, also a small part on Okinawans too. The 110 year old okinawa is looking very good for her age. Also Meredith and Paul are in the video, they mention their ages and Paul is 60 and Meredith is 62! A lot of the video is looking at Resveratrol.
SEE VIDEO HERE
Forever Young
SEE VIDEO HERE
Forever Young
Sunday, October 05, 2008
Age reversal with CR
Is it possible? Yes I absolutely think so. I found this photo that I forgot about, because well quite frankly I didn't like how I looked in it so didn't need reminding. What is interesting is that most people think I look younger now at almost age 24, than I did when I was 19 years of age. Another reason to go on CR, you can look so much younger and get quick results. You'll age more slowly than your peers as the years go by. I have other photos if I can find them and I look younger now than I did even when I was 17.
Did you know that SIRT1 blocks NF Kappa B activation? Which is involved in inflammation... Calorie Restriction up regulates SIRT1, and probably reverses aging of the skin. Here is a bbc news article explaining what happened when they blocked NFKappaB in skin
Skin age reversal in mice
CLICK PHOTO TO ENLARGE
Did you know that SIRT1 blocks NF Kappa B activation? Which is involved in inflammation... Calorie Restriction up regulates SIRT1, and probably reverses aging of the skin. Here is a bbc news article explaining what happened when they blocked NFKappaB in skin
By blocking the protein in older mice for two weeks, they found the skin was thicker and more cells appeared to be dividing, much like the skin of a younger mouse.
Skin age reversal in mice
CLICK PHOTO TO ENLARGE
Thursday, October 02, 2008
Calorie Restriction and Protein
Recent articles have been showing up lately about the protein IGF results in CRONies from the WUSTL study by DR Fontana. It seems most are coming up with the conclusion that calorie restriction does not work in humans, because this data disagrees with rodent sutdies. They are completely ignoring all the positive findings in humans showing that it's very likely that humans are responding to CR with more youthful health biomarkers and probably a longer life expectancy. No one can give a true answer to whether or not CR works until there is a study spanning across 100 years or so, and by then we'll have, I think, much more effective ways than calorie restriction at reversing aging.
If you refer back to some old studies done on rodents you will find that increasing protein intake, in the context of a CR diet, leads to 'longer life' in the CR group in rodents, and less disease. Michael from the CR Society actually replied with a few links on imminst which are worth the read. See them HERE
I'm unsure whether the protein increase (upto 50% of the diet) attenuates the reduction of IGF-1 normally seen in CR mice, but I assume it does to some extent. This is not evidence against CR at all, pretty much all previous results on humans have been beneficial. To name a findings; Virtually no risk of heart disease, diabetes or stroke. Little risk of autoimmune disease, no inflammation, less DNA damage, up regulation of genes involved in longevity (SIRT1) (but this is still under question), biomarkers that correlate with longevity such as very low fasting insulin and glucose, low body temperature, and overtime we expect less decline in DHEA. We see the same hormonal, metabolic changes as are seen in rodents, dogs, rhesus monkeys. Doctor Fontana even found that those on CR have hearts that function 15-20 years younger than their ages! This is big news. Interestingly I came across an article one day that showed in centenarians their heart function as measured in CRONies measure about 20 years younger than their age. It will be hard to find this article but it's out there somewhere. We hypothesis why centenarians become 'centenarians', why they make it to that big number of 100. Well if anything is going to give you that chance it HAS to be CR right? The common characteristics that are thought to enable people to reach 100 are being found in those that go on a CRON diet.
Most deaths in humans is caused by cardiovascular disease, IGF-1 plays a big role in cancers and rodents DO die of cancer much more frequently than humans. Higher IGF 1 in humans is actually found to PROTECT against degenerative diseases. Sure having IGF 1 might incrase ones risk of cancer, but in the general population we see that higher protein diets are actually better and have less mortality not more. A lot of cancer deaths can be prevented by not smoking and just eating a healthy diet. Age is the biggest risk factor, and the ability of CR to preserve immune function, to up regulate DNA repair, maintain lower glucose levels and less inflammation... even with IGF levels similar to the ad lib group in Fontanas study, we should actually fare better off. I believe that this is not a negative finding at all, and people on a CR diet should really think carefully before reducing their protein intake to such low levels while on CR.
If you want to live long enough to see real anti aging therapies. Be smart and practice some form of CR, whether it be just cutting out snacks or being on a more moderate diet. CR, not supplements or anything else is going to give the biggest chance of staying alive.
If you refer back to some old studies done on rodents you will find that increasing protein intake, in the context of a CR diet, leads to 'longer life' in the CR group in rodents, and less disease. Michael from the CR Society actually replied with a few links on imminst which are worth the read. See them HERE
I'm unsure whether the protein increase (upto 50% of the diet) attenuates the reduction of IGF-1 normally seen in CR mice, but I assume it does to some extent. This is not evidence against CR at all, pretty much all previous results on humans have been beneficial. To name a findings; Virtually no risk of heart disease, diabetes or stroke. Little risk of autoimmune disease, no inflammation, less DNA damage, up regulation of genes involved in longevity (SIRT1) (but this is still under question), biomarkers that correlate with longevity such as very low fasting insulin and glucose, low body temperature, and overtime we expect less decline in DHEA. We see the same hormonal, metabolic changes as are seen in rodents, dogs, rhesus monkeys. Doctor Fontana even found that those on CR have hearts that function 15-20 years younger than their ages! This is big news. Interestingly I came across an article one day that showed in centenarians their heart function as measured in CRONies measure about 20 years younger than their age. It will be hard to find this article but it's out there somewhere. We hypothesis why centenarians become 'centenarians', why they make it to that big number of 100. Well if anything is going to give you that chance it HAS to be CR right? The common characteristics that are thought to enable people to reach 100 are being found in those that go on a CRON diet.
Most deaths in humans is caused by cardiovascular disease, IGF-1 plays a big role in cancers and rodents DO die of cancer much more frequently than humans. Higher IGF 1 in humans is actually found to PROTECT against degenerative diseases. Sure having IGF 1 might incrase ones risk of cancer, but in the general population we see that higher protein diets are actually better and have less mortality not more. A lot of cancer deaths can be prevented by not smoking and just eating a healthy diet. Age is the biggest risk factor, and the ability of CR to preserve immune function, to up regulate DNA repair, maintain lower glucose levels and less inflammation... even with IGF levels similar to the ad lib group in Fontanas study, we should actually fare better off. I believe that this is not a negative finding at all, and people on a CR diet should really think carefully before reducing their protein intake to such low levels while on CR.
If you want to live long enough to see real anti aging therapies. Be smart and practice some form of CR, whether it be just cutting out snacks or being on a more moderate diet. CR, not supplements or anything else is going to give the biggest chance of staying alive.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Charlie Rose - Calorie Restriction
Jump to 4:35 to watch the part on the Calorie Restriction Rhesus Monkey study. The study started in 1989 and are now starting to show some big differences in health. The whole show can be seen on youtube just look for the 1st part and watch all of them.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Another use for Honey
I wrote a while ago that I use Manuka Honey because it's good for the throat to prevent infections, and it can be used topically too. Well now a new study shows that Honey is more effective than antibiotics at killing bacterial infections involved in chronic sinusitis. Many people in their lives get affected by sinusitis, whether it be an acute form or chronic. When it's chronic it can be a difficult thing to deal with and it seems like it never ends. Well luckily for me mine did and what cured it? A cold virus cured my bacterial sinusitis. That was kind of strange for me but the virus probably just got all the cells killed in the lining of the nose and the bacterial infection went out with the cells they so highly clung for a year :) No sinus problems since that 1 off thing I might add. I think it was actually caused by food being coughed up into sinuses at some point (broccoli). Weird hu?
So ok back to the story, in sciencedaily article it states;
Source
One way to do this might be to dilute some Manuka honey (stronger than regular honey) and use with a neti pot or something to irrigate the sinuses. This could allow the honey to get to work in more areas of the sinus that trying to poke some thing up the nose and coating it that way. I wish I had known about this earlier, as it might have saved much trouble :)
So ok back to the story, in sciencedaily article it states;
Honey is very effective in killing bacteria in all its forms, especially the drug-resistant biofilms that make treating chronic rhinosinusitis difficult, according to research presented during the 2008 American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF) Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO, in Chicago, IL.*
In eleven isolates of three separate biofilms (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and methicicillin-resistant and -suseptible Staphylococcus aureus), honey was significantly more effective in killing both planktonic and biofilm-grown forms of the bacteria, compared with the rate of bactericide by antibiotics commonly used against the bacteria.
Source
One way to do this might be to dilute some Manuka honey (stronger than regular honey) and use with a neti pot or something to irrigate the sinuses. This could allow the honey to get to work in more areas of the sinus that trying to poke some thing up the nose and coating it that way. I wish I had known about this earlier, as it might have saved much trouble :)
Michael and Aprils CBS3 News Report (new)
Michael and April who most CRers in the CRS know did any interview back in 2007 and I put the video somewhere here on the blog, check through archives in last couple months. This video is slightly different and contains different parts of the interview not seen in previous news report
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Okinawa's living relics
OKINAWA LIVING RELICS
The best video I've found on Okinawan longevity. This is a new one and I enjoyed it!
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Excerpt from the documentary "How to live to 101".
A good part of the documentary on Okinawans and their longevity
Okinawa study has been going on for over 20 years now and they have the longest life expectancy in the world, and more centenarians than any other country. They have the lowest rates of almost all diseases of aging such as heart disease, cancer, dementia, diabetes, osteoporosis, they live healthy right up until they die, and the reasons for this are discussed in this short 8 minute video on living longer.
Some key points;
Eat fewer calories *
Eat vegetables, fruits, nuts, fish, and lean meats
Maintain a good social life and support
Practise something called "hara hachi bu" (eat only until 80% full)
Avoid or limit processed foods
Read "The Okinawa Program : How the World's Longest-Lived People Achieve Everlasting Health--And How You Can Too"
Doing the above might give you longer healthier life and maybe you could reach your 90's, 100, or become a super centenarian 110+ years.
Okinawa study has been going on for over 20 years now and they have the longest life expectancy in the world, and more centenarians than any other country. They have the lowest rates of almost all diseases of aging such as heart disease, cancer, dementia, diabetes, osteoporosis, they live healthy right up until they die, and the reasons for this are discussed in this short 8 minute video on living longer.
Some key points;
Eat fewer calories *
Eat vegetables, fruits, nuts, fish, and lean meats
Maintain a good social life and support
Practise something called "hara hachi bu" (eat only until 80% full)
Avoid or limit processed foods
Read "The Okinawa Program : How the World's Longest-Lived People Achieve Everlasting Health--And How You Can Too"
Doing the above might give you longer healthier life and maybe you could reach your 90's, 100, or become a super centenarian 110+ years.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Worlds oldest male 113
ARTICLE
Anyone measured his daily calorie intake yet??? :p
Seriously, the guys advice is to eat lots of vegetables, drink green tea, eat fish, drink milk, don't snack, don't smoke, and don't drink alcohol. Sounds like what a lot of us do on CRON now.
Here is a wiki article on the guy
This was him the other year in a picture. He said he wants to live forever... probably not likely, but I hope he has his wish to live at least another 10 years to beat Calments record of 122 years as the oldest person ever recorded.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
longevity in response to treatment with serum collected from humans on calorie restricted diets
In vitro cellular adaptations of indicators of longevity in response to treatment with serum collected from humans on calorie restricted diets.
Allard JS, Heilbronn LK, Smith C, Hunt ND, Ingram DK, Ravussin E; Pennington CALERIE Team, de Cabo R.
Laboratory of Experimental Gerontology, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America.
Calorie restriction (CR) produces several health benefits and increases lifespan in many species. Studies suggest that alternate-day fasting (ADF) and exercise can also provide these benefits. Whether CR results in lifespan extension in humans is not known and a direct investigation is not feasible. However, phenotypes observed in CR animals when compared to ad libitum fed (AL) animals, including increased stress resistance and changes in protein expression, can be simulated in cells cultured with media supplemented with blood serum from CR and AL animals. Two pilot studies were undertaken to examine the effects of ADF and CR on indicators of health and longevity in humans. In this study, we used sera collected from those studies to culture human hepatoma cells and assessed the effects on growth, stress resistance and gene expression. Cells cultured in serum collected at the end of the dieting period were compared to cells cultured in serum collected at baseline (before the dieting period). Cells cultured in serum from ADF participants, showed a 20% increase in Sirt1 protein which correlated with reduced triglyceride levels. ADF serum also induced a 9% decrease in proliferation and a 25% increase in heat resistance. Cells cultured in serum from CR participants induced an increase in Sirt1 protein levels by 17% and a 30% increase in PGC-1alpha mRNA levels. This first in vitro study utilizing human serum to examine effects on markers of health and longevity in cultured cells resulted in increased stress resistance and an up-regulation of genes proposed to be indicators of increased longevity. The use of this in vitro technique may be helpful for predicting the potential of CR, ADF and other dietary manipulations to affect markers of longevity in humans.
Allard JS, Heilbronn LK, Smith C, Hunt ND, Ingram DK, Ravussin E; Pennington CALERIE Team, de Cabo R.
Laboratory of Experimental Gerontology, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America.
Calorie restriction (CR) produces several health benefits and increases lifespan in many species. Studies suggest that alternate-day fasting (ADF) and exercise can also provide these benefits. Whether CR results in lifespan extension in humans is not known and a direct investigation is not feasible. However, phenotypes observed in CR animals when compared to ad libitum fed (AL) animals, including increased stress resistance and changes in protein expression, can be simulated in cells cultured with media supplemented with blood serum from CR and AL animals. Two pilot studies were undertaken to examine the effects of ADF and CR on indicators of health and longevity in humans. In this study, we used sera collected from those studies to culture human hepatoma cells and assessed the effects on growth, stress resistance and gene expression. Cells cultured in serum collected at the end of the dieting period were compared to cells cultured in serum collected at baseline (before the dieting period). Cells cultured in serum from ADF participants, showed a 20% increase in Sirt1 protein which correlated with reduced triglyceride levels. ADF serum also induced a 9% decrease in proliferation and a 25% increase in heat resistance. Cells cultured in serum from CR participants induced an increase in Sirt1 protein levels by 17% and a 30% increase in PGC-1alpha mRNA levels. This first in vitro study utilizing human serum to examine effects on markers of health and longevity in cultured cells resulted in increased stress resistance and an up-regulation of genes proposed to be indicators of increased longevity. The use of this in vitro technique may be helpful for predicting the potential of CR, ADF and other dietary manipulations to affect markers of longevity in humans.
Friday, September 05, 2008
Diet as of today
Heres just an example of what I eat in a day now. There are obviously some variations but they are small and the following is basically what I eat 95% of the time. Like sometimes I might have some strawberries, oranges, pineapples, Raisins among other things.
Breakfast
45g Oatmeal
Small Banana
Almonds
Walnuts
Blueberries
Whey Protein Drink
10g 70% Dark Chocolate
Essential Mix 3g
Cranberry Juice
Snack
Small apple
Bioactive Yogurt
cod liver oil
Essential Mix 3g (vitamins/minerals)
Dinner
Sweet potatoes
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Broccoli steamed
Cauliflower steamed
Whey protein
Tomato sauce or salsa
Brussel sprouts steamed (not for a while they're not in stock!?)
1 clove of garlic
Later on I'll eat
sweet potato (the other half from earlier)
Red onions
Kale
Cherry tomatoes on the vine.
tsp of extra virgin olive oil
half a serving of whey protein
2 cloves of garlic
If I don't have the last bit of food I might just open up a low sugar/salt can of beans if I'm in a rush. I pretty much meet 100% of everything by the time I get to 1700-1800k/cal :)
Oh yes, I missed out the 5-10 cups of green tea I drink per day :D
Breakfast
45g Oatmeal
Small Banana
Almonds
Walnuts
Blueberries
Whey Protein Drink
10g 70% Dark Chocolate
Essential Mix 3g
Cranberry Juice
Snack
Small apple
Bioactive Yogurt
cod liver oil
Essential Mix 3g (vitamins/minerals)
Dinner
Sweet potatoes
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Broccoli steamed
Cauliflower steamed
Whey protein
Tomato sauce or salsa
Brussel sprouts steamed (not for a while they're not in stock!?)
1 clove of garlic
Later on I'll eat
sweet potato (the other half from earlier)
Red onions
Kale
Cherry tomatoes on the vine.
tsp of extra virgin olive oil
half a serving of whey protein
2 cloves of garlic
If I don't have the last bit of food I might just open up a low sugar/salt can of beans if I'm in a rush. I pretty much meet 100% of everything by the time I get to 1700-1800k/cal :)
Oh yes, I missed out the 5-10 cups of green tea I drink per day :D
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
Substance Found In Fruits And Vegetables Reduces Likelihood Of The Flu
News Article Sep. 3, 2008
Mice given quercetin, a naturally occurring substance found in fruits and vegetables, were less likely to contract the flu, according to a study published by The American Physiological Society. The study also found that stressful exercise increased the susceptibility of mice to the flu, but quercetin canceled out that negative effect.
Quercetin, a close chemical relative of resveratrol, is present in a variety of fruits and vegetables, including red onions, grapes, blueberries, tea, broccoli and red wine. It has been shown to have anti-viral properties in cell culture experiments and some animal studies, but none of these studies has looked specifically at the flu.
The researchers found that:
* Stressful exercise increased susceptibility to the flu. The mice that exercised to fatigue for three days were more likely to develop the flu than the mice that did not exercise (91% versus 63%).
* The mice that exercised developed the flu much sooner than those that did not (6.9 days versus 12.4 days).
* Mice that exercised and took quercetin had nearly the same rate of illness as those that did not exercise. In other words, quercetin canceled out the negative effect of stressful exercise.
* The severity of the symptoms among those mice that either did not exercise or those that exercised but took the quercetin was about the same.
* Quercetin had protective effects for the mice that did not exercise.
SOURCE: ScienceDaily
ill -- for 12 hours
I used the advice below and it seemed to work once again! I started to get a mild sore throat in work about 7pm last night, and by this morning I was 90% back to normal, and now at 6pm I feel about 95%. Isn't knowledge great! There are so many things one can do to abort these nasty viruses. I am in work all week so I took today off so that I can give my throat a rest as a precaution so I don't lose it (since I call people on the phone and need my voice!)
I heard that many CRers have less colds, and when they do have them they are gone in a very short amount of time. I remember Dean saying that he only usually gets colds now for half a day... pretty much what I experience.
I heard that many CRers have less colds, and when they do have them they are gone in a very short amount of time. I remember Dean saying that he only usually gets colds now for half a day... pretty much what I experience.
Monday, September 01, 2008
Plans for the next year
I'm probably going to stop being lazy now and start doing a lot of different stuff. Back in November 2007 I mentioned that I would like to take Acting classes, so I been looking this up and found a few classes that start in end of September, might for those and they aint too expensive. Then I also got to take some singing lessons as in September I'm starting a new band. I also want to probably take a part time course at the college, maybe Spanish, but I'm not sure. I'd rather not waste an entire acedemic year doing nothing. I also am working much more now to so I can pay for all of this. This isn't all I want to do! I have so many ideas and plans, no wonder why I want to live a long time. I love everything haha :)
A few other things that I need to work on is doing Yoga more consistently again, and also want to get back into Karate as soon as possible too. But I won't push this because I need my achilles tendon to heal fully first.
As for the allergic reaction below, well, there was just some Rash that came up for no apparent reason other than some medicine I took last night for my stomach. It's pretty much 'almost' faded now, but I hope it goes by tomorrow because I have work! :D
A few other things that I need to work on is doing Yoga more consistently again, and also want to get back into Karate as soon as possible too. But I won't push this because I need my achilles tendon to heal fully first.
As for the allergic reaction below, well, there was just some Rash that came up for no apparent reason other than some medicine I took last night for my stomach. It's pretty much 'almost' faded now, but I hope it goes by tomorrow because I have work! :D
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Yoga
Some cool mini videos from Tara Styles. To view more just click on here profile HERE
Below is one of her videos on strength building with Yoga
This is a preview of the Yoga DVD I use. It's really nice! I love doing yoga to this one!
Also Arturo (another person who does CR) has some good stuff on Yoga here
Below is one of her videos on strength building with Yoga
This is a preview of the Yoga DVD I use. It's really nice! I love doing yoga to this one!
Also Arturo (another person who does CR) has some good stuff on Yoga here
Live to be 150
A good brief introduction into various areas of life extension ideas and research. The program is quite fast paced, but it stays quite interesting all the way through. They cover areas such as life extending drugs such as resveratrol, cryonics, Aubrey De Greys SENS approach to aging, Calorie Restriction, and how others are keeping healthy at an old age.
PART 1
PART 2
PART 3
PART 4
PART 5
PART 6
PART 1
PART 2
PART 3
PART 4
PART 5
PART 6
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Juvess Second Try
It's been a few weeks now since I last tried using Juvess, see belolw to read a bit about the failure! :) Well I have two products now which could help make it work this time
1. Neutrogena Exfoliating gentle face wash to uplug pores and remove dead skin
2. Aloe Vera Gel from Aubrey Organics, which also contains a couple other ingredients like vitamin E and grape seed.
Rather than just using the Juvess all over I'll and apply it to one area like the chin. Which also happens to be where breakouts are more likely to occur because it's in the T zone.
1. Neutrogena Exfoliating gentle face wash to uplug pores and remove dead skin
2. Aloe Vera Gel from Aubrey Organics, which also contains a couple other ingredients like vitamin E and grape seed.
Rather than just using the Juvess all over I'll and apply it to one area like the chin. Which also happens to be where breakouts are more likely to occur because it's in the T zone.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Secrets of Living Longer
Secrets of Living Longer
I've spoke about this before but haven't put up this video yet. Dan explains his findings in 3 different areas where there is greater longevity in those that follow certain habits. The most consistent thing is that the poeple who live the longest were mostly vegetarian, they ate little meat and tended to be bean eaters. Seventh Day Adventists for example live upto 10 years longer than the average californian americans and they don't smoke, they don't drink, and they are vegetarian. However they are NOT on CR... as I've previously mentioned their BMI's are around 24 on average (Normal is 18.5-25).
Here are the survival curves for SDA Men and Women
"When vegetarians are forced to take medium-
risk values for all other covariates in the statistical
model, the corresponding expected ages at death are 85.3
and 88.6 years, respectively (Figures 3 and 4)"
Ten Years of Life; Is it a matter of choice?
http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/reprint/161/13/1645
Background: Relative risk estimates suggest that effective
implementation of behaviors commonly advocated
in preventive medicine should increase life expectancy,
although there is little direct evidence.
Objective: To test the hypothesis that choices regarding
diet, exercise, and smoking influence life expectancy.
Methods: A total of 34192 California Seventh-Day Adventists
(75% of those eligible) were enrolled in a cohort
and followed up from 1976 to 1988. A mailed questionnaire
provided dietary and other exposure information
at study baseline. Mortality for all subjects was ascertained
by matching to state death tapes and the National
Death Index.
Results: California Adventists have higher life expectancies
at the age of 30 years than other white Californians
by 7.28 years (95% confidence interval, 6.59-7.97
years) in men and by 4.42 years (95% confidence interval,
3.96-4.88 years) in women, giving them perhaps the
highest life expectancy of any formally described population.
Commonly observed combinations of diet, exercise,
body mass index, past smoking habits, and hormone
replacement therapy (in women) can account for
differences of up to 10 years of life expectancy among
Adventists. A comparison of life expectancy when these
factors take high-risk compared with low-risk values
shows independent effects that vary between 1.06 and
2.74 years for different variables. The effect of each variable
is assessed with all others at either medium- or
high-risk levels.
Conclusions: Choices regarding diet, exercise, cigarette
smoking, body weight, and hormone replacement
therapy, in combination, appear to change life expectancy
by many years. The longevity experience of Adventists
probably demonstrates the beneficial effects of
more optimal behaviors.
I've spoke about this before but haven't put up this video yet. Dan explains his findings in 3 different areas where there is greater longevity in those that follow certain habits. The most consistent thing is that the poeple who live the longest were mostly vegetarian, they ate little meat and tended to be bean eaters. Seventh Day Adventists for example live upto 10 years longer than the average californian americans and they don't smoke, they don't drink, and they are vegetarian. However they are NOT on CR... as I've previously mentioned their BMI's are around 24 on average (Normal is 18.5-25).
Here are the survival curves for SDA Men and Women
"When vegetarians are forced to take medium-
risk values for all other covariates in the statistical
model, the corresponding expected ages at death are 85.3
and 88.6 years, respectively (Figures 3 and 4)"
Ten Years of Life; Is it a matter of choice?
http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/reprint/161/13/1645
Background: Relative risk estimates suggest that effective
implementation of behaviors commonly advocated
in preventive medicine should increase life expectancy,
although there is little direct evidence.
Objective: To test the hypothesis that choices regarding
diet, exercise, and smoking influence life expectancy.
Methods: A total of 34192 California Seventh-Day Adventists
(75% of those eligible) were enrolled in a cohort
and followed up from 1976 to 1988. A mailed questionnaire
provided dietary and other exposure information
at study baseline. Mortality for all subjects was ascertained
by matching to state death tapes and the National
Death Index.
Results: California Adventists have higher life expectancies
at the age of 30 years than other white Californians
by 7.28 years (95% confidence interval, 6.59-7.97
years) in men and by 4.42 years (95% confidence interval,
3.96-4.88 years) in women, giving them perhaps the
highest life expectancy of any formally described population.
Commonly observed combinations of diet, exercise,
body mass index, past smoking habits, and hormone
replacement therapy (in women) can account for
differences of up to 10 years of life expectancy among
Adventists. A comparison of life expectancy when these
factors take high-risk compared with low-risk values
shows independent effects that vary between 1.06 and
2.74 years for different variables. The effect of each variable
is assessed with all others at either medium- or
high-risk levels.
Conclusions: Choices regarding diet, exercise, cigarette
smoking, body weight, and hormone replacement
therapy, in combination, appear to change life expectancy
by many years. The longevity experience of Adventists
probably demonstrates the beneficial effects of
more optimal behaviors.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
How to prevent infections
Over the years you kind of get to know what helps and what doesn't when it comes to either stopping yourself from becoming sick, or just helping to relieve symptoms and hasten up the process of recovery. So in this post I will focus on what you can do to avoid becoming ill with viral infections. September is coming and when all the kids start going back to school there tends to be an outbreak of colds, and then shortly after the flu, and right now there seems to be a spike in the number of gastroenteritis illness which is mostly likely caused by the norovirus.
Green Tea - Green tea contains a polyphenol compound called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). This is usually the most active component against many virses, bacteria and fungi. Green Tea seems to alter the protein around the virus and stop it infecting the cells in the first place [1], but if this fails then green tea actually boosts the immune system. [2].
And another mechanisms from another study [3]
My advice is to replace whatever you drink with green tea. Make sure you get a good quality one however, something like Sencha or Matcha green tea, and from Japan if possible rather than China. The decaf products do comtain less EGCG than the caffeinated also. I believe 3 cups of decaf is equivalent to 1 cup of caffeinated green tea.
Garlic - It has been known for a very long time that garlic was a good anti bacterial, and anti viral. The compound responsible for this is the one that gives off that funny smell when you eat too much... but wouldn't you rather just smell a bit of garlic than be sick? I know I would. There was a report a few years back saying that 'garlic is the common cold cure'. Well not quite, however it does seem to do a remarkable job at reducing the number of colds, and reducing the number of days ill with symptoms. What you do is get 2 cloves of garlic and consume them immediately when you feel a cold coming on, then I eat 2 every 3-4 hours for a couple days... I then just stick to me normal intake of 2-4 per day as a preventative measure. So crush the garlic well and then you could possibly put it on a bit of bread, or if you're really brave try chewing it and swallowing. Be careful you don't burn your mouth because believe me, it is pretty strong and can burn right through the tissue in your mouth easily. From BBC news website that reported on the garlic study
If you actually take a look at the full paper you will see that the people who were taking garlic only had significant symptoms for 1.5 days compared to 5 days in the placebo group!
More studies are definitely needed on garlic and common colds/flu. I have tried it out on a few friends and family members and their colds completely went away within 1 day if caught early enough. It has also worked for me and over the last 14 months since I been trying it I have only felt like I had a cold for about 1/2 a day. The results will vary because it also depends on the hosts immunity to virses as well. Garlic might simply just restore you to normal (average) if you are under stress, sleep deprived, already ill or have some other condition that affects your immunity.
Nasal Irrigation - Sounds disgusting right? Well a recent study was published showing that kids who used products that spray water up the nose such as sterimar help ward of infection. Sterimar contains water and sea salt at the right concentrations similar to that of the human body. Because of the osmotic effect of salt you want to have the right concentration so that it doesn't cause irritation to the nasal lining and even bleeding. But interestingly sea salt (or any salt) actually helps kill bacteria by this method, as well as increasing the action of cilia which is tiny hairs in your nose that remove particles and keep mucous moving. When these stop working or are paralyzed by things like cigarette smoke you can be more susceptible to colds and sinusitis (bacterial infection). You can also buy something called a neti pot which are quite cheap and make up your own using 1/4 of a tea spoon of salt for 500ml water. This seems to work fine for me. Make sure it's cooking salt and not table salt. I personally do not recommend doing this neti wash if you have an active infection because it can easily spread the cold to your ears and block those up, simply because of where the eustachian tubes are located.
Vitamin D3 - Have you been looking at the news lately on this vitamin? It seems like everyday there is positive results coming from studies. A double blind placebo controlled study that was held in new york showed that giving subjects vitamin D3 resulted in 70% less colds and flu. There was another study that took place in a hosptial where a doctor gave his patients over 1000IU of vitamin D3 per day and when there was an outbreak of flu, none of those recieving the vitamin D caught it. I predict that in the UK there will be a big cold and flu season again simply because we've had such a poor summer. The best thing you can possibly do for yourself right now is to make sure that you have high normal level of 1,25(OH)D3. You can order this test from your doctor, but 1000IU capsules should get you within a good range, and 2000IU is almost certainly safe too. If you go down to my previous posts a bit you can view a couple videos on vitamin D that might interest you. Here are some extracts from the medicalnews website.
Steam Inhalation - This is simple but can be quite dangerous so be careful if you decide to do this. Just boil kettle water and put it into a bowl. Then get a towel and put your head under it and breath in the steam. Simple but only seems effective for a short while. I still use the method however.
Ginger - Ginger is a well known anti emetic. Meaning, it prevents sickness and nausea. Some doctors instruct women to use it while pregnant and has morning sickness, other uses are travel sickness, general nausea and indigestion, acid reflux disease. The only one it doesn't seem to be effective for is when use post operatively (after operation with G.A). It can be also used to help unblock the noise and is an weak antiviral so could help with cold symptoms. The best use for this herb is simply when you have a bad stomach and don't like being sick. I have managed not to be sick for almost 6 years because of gingers anti emetic effect.
Red Wine - There was a study on the BBC news website a few years back showing that red wine stops common colds. This is probably due to the resveratrol found in red wine. [5]
Resveratrol also has been succesful at blocking bird flu too. Might be worth keeping this one handy in case of a future outbreak.
Broccoli - Broccoli can restore supressed immune function and also transiently stimulate immune function. The effect is quite dramatic and in-vivo studies show that it stimulates various immune system components to augment the hosts defence against cancer, viruses, bacterial infections and fungi infections.
Diindolylmethane (DIM) Immune Modulating Properties Include:
Stimulation of Interferon-γ Sensitivity by Increasing IFN-γ Receptors
Stimulation of Interferon-γ, G-CSF, IL-6 and IL-12 Production
Synergy with Interferon-γ in Expression of the MHC-I Complex
From DIM activation centre website
I recommend you look at reference [8] and read the results for yourself.
Lactoferrin - Lactoferrin can be found in breast milk, cows milk, whey protein. Your body uses lactoferrin in various places such as saliva, tears, urinary tract to prevent infections. It can also be useful in preventing food poison too. Theres a good article over at LEF that you can take a look at, see HERE
Beta Glucan - The one derived from yeast is best, but oats also have an impact on immune system too. I recommend you view this WIKI article here. Beta Glucan clearly has a massive impact on immunity.
Wash hands How simple is this? Just wash your hands frequently and do it with soap for at least 25 seconds under running water. Do not eat before washing your hands
UTI Infections - This is mostly for the girls as they tend to get these much more than men, but the advice can apply to both. Cranberry juice has severeal mechanisms by which is can stop things like bladder infections. Both because it is acidic and it makes the wall of the bladder slipper so the bacteria can't attach. E coli is most often the culprit in these infections. Another very effective method is to use something called D-Mannose. D mannose is basically a sugar and doesn't get digested, passes into the urine and coats the bladder wall, and the bacteria (only works mostly for E coli) attach to the sugar molecules and flush out... without killing a bacterium too! :D
Dental Infections - There is some evidence that green tea is effective against the bacteria that involved in tooth decay. Abscesses are painful, from experience, and from hearing other peoples cry of pain lol. So apart from your daily routine of brushing, flossing, mouth wash etc... drinking green tea is good for this too!
OK that is all from me today... I hope that some of this information will be of use to you. I hope everyone is able to stay well and free from infection. The above wont always work, but it can help as the evidence shows.
[1] Song JM, Lee KH, Seong BL.
Antiviral effect of catechins in green tea on influenza virus.
Link to study
[2] Rowe CA, Nantz MP, Bukowski JF, Percival SS.
Specific formulation of Camellia sinensis prevents cold and flu symptoms and enhances gamma,delta T cell function: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.
Link to study
[3] Garlic 'prevents common cold'
[4] Epidemic Influenza And Vitamin D
[5] Red wine 'protects from colds'
[6] Chemical in grapes inhibits flu virus
[7] Compound in broccoli has immune-boosting properties, finds new study
[8] DIM
Green Tea - Green tea contains a polyphenol compound called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). This is usually the most active component against many virses, bacteria and fungi. Green Tea seems to alter the protein around the virus and stop it infecting the cells in the first place [1], but if this fails then green tea actually boosts the immune system. [2].
"Among subjects taking CSF there were 32.1% fewer subjects with symptoms (P = 0.035), 22.9% fewer overall illnesses of at least 2 days duration (P = 0.092), and 35.6% fewer symptom days (P < 0.002), compared to subjects taking placebo. gammadelta T cells from subjects taking CSF proliferated 28% more (P = 0.017) and secreted 26% more IFN-gamma (P = 0.046) in response to gammadelta T cell antigens, as compared to gammadelta T cells from subjects taking placebo. CSF was well-tolerated."
And another mechanisms from another study [3]
The compounds strongly inhibited adsorption of the viruses on red blood cell (RBC). They also restricted the growth of avian influenza virus in ovo with minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) of 5-10 microM far exceeding the neuraminidase (NA) inhibitor oseltamivir or M2 proton channel inhibitor amantadine. The antiviral activity appears to be mediated by interaction with hemagglutinin (HA)/viral membrane rendering HA less fusogenic at the initial stage of infection.
My advice is to replace whatever you drink with green tea. Make sure you get a good quality one however, something like Sencha or Matcha green tea, and from Japan if possible rather than China. The decaf products do comtain less EGCG than the caffeinated also. I believe 3 cups of decaf is equivalent to 1 cup of caffeinated green tea.
Garlic - It has been known for a very long time that garlic was a good anti bacterial, and anti viral. The compound responsible for this is the one that gives off that funny smell when you eat too much... but wouldn't you rather just smell a bit of garlic than be sick? I know I would. There was a report a few years back saying that 'garlic is the common cold cure'. Well not quite, however it does seem to do a remarkable job at reducing the number of colds, and reducing the number of days ill with symptoms. What you do is get 2 cloves of garlic and consume them immediately when you feel a cold coming on, then I eat 2 every 3-4 hours for a couple days... I then just stick to me normal intake of 2-4 per day as a preventative measure. So crush the garlic well and then you could possibly put it on a bit of bread, or if you're really brave try chewing it and swallowing. Be careful you don't burn your mouth because believe me, it is pretty strong and can burn right through the tissue in your mouth easily. From BBC news website that reported on the garlic study
Over a 90-day period during the winter when most colds occur, just 24 colds were recorded among those taking the supplement, compared to 65 amongst those taking the placebo.
The study also found that those taking the supplement who did catch a cold were more likely to make a speedier recovery than those taking the placebo and the chances of re-infection following a cold were significantly reduced
If you actually take a look at the full paper you will see that the people who were taking garlic only had significant symptoms for 1.5 days compared to 5 days in the placebo group!
More studies are definitely needed on garlic and common colds/flu. I have tried it out on a few friends and family members and their colds completely went away within 1 day if caught early enough. It has also worked for me and over the last 14 months since I been trying it I have only felt like I had a cold for about 1/2 a day. The results will vary because it also depends on the hosts immunity to virses as well. Garlic might simply just restore you to normal (average) if you are under stress, sleep deprived, already ill or have some other condition that affects your immunity.
Nasal Irrigation - Sounds disgusting right? Well a recent study was published showing that kids who used products that spray water up the nose such as sterimar help ward of infection. Sterimar contains water and sea salt at the right concentrations similar to that of the human body. Because of the osmotic effect of salt you want to have the right concentration so that it doesn't cause irritation to the nasal lining and even bleeding. But interestingly sea salt (or any salt) actually helps kill bacteria by this method, as well as increasing the action of cilia which is tiny hairs in your nose that remove particles and keep mucous moving. When these stop working or are paralyzed by things like cigarette smoke you can be more susceptible to colds and sinusitis (bacterial infection). You can also buy something called a neti pot which are quite cheap and make up your own using 1/4 of a tea spoon of salt for 500ml water. This seems to work fine for me. Make sure it's cooking salt and not table salt. I personally do not recommend doing this neti wash if you have an active infection because it can easily spread the cold to your ears and block those up, simply because of where the eustachian tubes are located.
Vitamin D3 - Have you been looking at the news lately on this vitamin? It seems like everyday there is positive results coming from studies. A double blind placebo controlled study that was held in new york showed that giving subjects vitamin D3 resulted in 70% less colds and flu. There was another study that took place in a hosptial where a doctor gave his patients over 1000IU of vitamin D3 per day and when there was an outbreak of flu, none of those recieving the vitamin D caught it. I predict that in the UK there will be a big cold and flu season again simply because we've had such a poor summer. The best thing you can possibly do for yourself right now is to make sure that you have high normal level of 1,25(OH)D3. You can order this test from your doctor, but 1000IU capsules should get you within a good range, and 2000IU is almost certainly safe too. If you go down to my previous posts a bit you can view a couple videos on vitamin D that might interest you. Here are some extracts from the medicalnews website.
guess our hospital was under luckier stars as only about 12% of our patients were infected and no one died. However, as the epidemic progressed, I noticed something unusual. First, the ward below mine was infected, and then the ward on my right, left, and across the hall - but no patients on my ward became ill. My patients had intermingled with patients from infected wards before the quarantines. The nurses on my unit cross-covered on infected wards. Surely, my patients were exposed to the influenza A virus. How did my patients escape infection from what some think is the most infectious of all the respiratory viruses?
My patients were no younger, no healthier, and in no obvious way different from patients on other wards. Like other wards, my patients are mostly African Americans who came from the same prisons and jails as patients on the infected wards. They were prescribed a similar assortment of powerful psychotropic medications we use throughout the hospital to reduce the symptoms of psychosis, depression, and violent mood swings and to try to prevent patients from killing themselves or attacking other patients and the nursing staff. If my patients were similar to the patients on all the adjoining wards, why didn't even one of my patients catch the flu?
A short while later, a group of scientists from UCLA published a remarkable paper in the prestigious journal, Nature. The UCLA group confirmed two other recent studies, showing that a naturally occurring steroid hormone - a hormone most of us take for granted - was, in effect, a potent antibiotic. Instead of directly killing bacteria and viruses, the steroid hormone under question increases the body's production of a remarkable class of proteins, called antimicrobial peptides. The 200 known antimicrobial peptides directly and rapidly destroy the cell walls of bacteria, fungi, and viruses, including the influenza virus, and play a key role in keeping the lungs free of infection. The steroid hormone that showed these remarkable antibiotic properties was plain old vitamin D.
Steam Inhalation - This is simple but can be quite dangerous so be careful if you decide to do this. Just boil kettle water and put it into a bowl. Then get a towel and put your head under it and breath in the steam. Simple but only seems effective for a short while. I still use the method however.
Ginger - Ginger is a well known anti emetic. Meaning, it prevents sickness and nausea. Some doctors instruct women to use it while pregnant and has morning sickness, other uses are travel sickness, general nausea and indigestion, acid reflux disease. The only one it doesn't seem to be effective for is when use post operatively (after operation with G.A). It can be also used to help unblock the noise and is an weak antiviral so could help with cold symptoms. The best use for this herb is simply when you have a bad stomach and don't like being sick. I have managed not to be sick for almost 6 years because of gingers anti emetic effect.
Red Wine - There was a study on the BBC news website a few years back showing that red wine stops common colds. This is probably due to the resveratrol found in red wine. [5]
"Rather than directly attacking the flu virus itself, resveratrol seems to block host-cell functions that are essential for viral replication, says the report by Anna T. Palamara and colleagues at the University of Rome. They write that the substance holds promise as a possible weapon against flu."
Resveratrol also has been succesful at blocking bird flu too. Might be worth keeping this one handy in case of a future outbreak.
Broccoli - Broccoli can restore supressed immune function and also transiently stimulate immune function. The effect is quite dramatic and in-vivo studies show that it stimulates various immune system components to augment the hosts defence against cancer, viruses, bacterial infections and fungi infections.
Diindolylmethane (DIM) Immune Modulating Properties Include:
Stimulation of Interferon-γ Sensitivity by Increasing IFN-γ Receptors
Stimulation of Interferon-γ, G-CSF, IL-6 and IL-12 Production
Synergy with Interferon-γ in Expression of the MHC-I Complex
From DIM activation centre website
I recommend you look at reference [8] and read the results for yourself.
Lactoferrin - Lactoferrin can be found in breast milk, cows milk, whey protein. Your body uses lactoferrin in various places such as saliva, tears, urinary tract to prevent infections. It can also be useful in preventing food poison too. Theres a good article over at LEF that you can take a look at, see HERE
Beta Glucan - The one derived from yeast is best, but oats also have an impact on immune system too. I recommend you view this WIKI article here. Beta Glucan clearly has a massive impact on immunity.
Wash hands How simple is this? Just wash your hands frequently and do it with soap for at least 25 seconds under running water. Do not eat before washing your hands
UTI Infections - This is mostly for the girls as they tend to get these much more than men, but the advice can apply to both. Cranberry juice has severeal mechanisms by which is can stop things like bladder infections. Both because it is acidic and it makes the wall of the bladder slipper so the bacteria can't attach. E coli is most often the culprit in these infections. Another very effective method is to use something called D-Mannose. D mannose is basically a sugar and doesn't get digested, passes into the urine and coats the bladder wall, and the bacteria (only works mostly for E coli) attach to the sugar molecules and flush out... without killing a bacterium too! :D
Dental Infections - There is some evidence that green tea is effective against the bacteria that involved in tooth decay. Abscesses are painful, from experience, and from hearing other peoples cry of pain lol. So apart from your daily routine of brushing, flossing, mouth wash etc... drinking green tea is good for this too!
OK that is all from me today... I hope that some of this information will be of use to you. I hope everyone is able to stay well and free from infection. The above wont always work, but it can help as the evidence shows.
[1] Song JM, Lee KH, Seong BL.
Antiviral effect of catechins in green tea on influenza virus.
Link to study
[2] Rowe CA, Nantz MP, Bukowski JF, Percival SS.
Specific formulation of Camellia sinensis prevents cold and flu symptoms and enhances gamma,delta T cell function: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.
Link to study
[3] Garlic 'prevents common cold'
[4] Epidemic Influenza And Vitamin D
[5] Red wine 'protects from colds'
[6] Chemical in grapes inhibits flu virus
[7] Compound in broccoli has immune-boosting properties, finds new study
[8] DIM
Monday, August 18, 2008
Free 5 day pass
I just spoke to David Lloyd Health club yesterday because my friend recommended me for a free 5 day pass (or was it 3? will have to ask my friend again). I really want to start building up my strength as I said in my previous post. Last time I managed to bench about 70kg weights, which is actually not bad at all for weighing something around 50kg. I'll probably start slow because I'd rather not risk any injuries... . I think I'm probably going to gain a few pounds of muscle and see how I feel then. Mostly I'm dong this for bone health though because with CR that is of course very important. We don't want fractures so starting weight bearing exercises at a young age is a good idea :)
Nothing really new in terms of any changes to my CR lately, and I'll probably be doing a repeat of a few blood tests as the last ones had a few unexpected numbers. I'm sure everything will be fine now, things are looking up :D
Hope everyone is dong well, and CR is going good...
Nothing really new in terms of any changes to my CR lately, and I'll probably be doing a repeat of a few blood tests as the last ones had a few unexpected numbers. I'm sure everything will be fine now, things are looking up :D
Hope everyone is dong well, and CR is going good...
Friday, August 15, 2008
Ready to go back, almost
I'm almost ready to get back into karate! My Yoga is going quite good at the moment and doing it twice a week. Now that I recovered about 95% from that cipro poison I need to start building back to how I was before that stuff happened.
One thing has changed however, my mind is saying to be 'gain weight'. I dont particularly like looking skinny as I do, in fact I think I would look healthier by gaining at least 5-10 lbs more. The thing is, if I want to stay true to my beliefs and use the only method known right now to slow ageing, then by sticking with CR I 'could' make it to 'escape velocity' and Aubrey De Grey puts it. But you know, given my age which is only 23, 24 soon (noooo!), I would probably make it anyway without moderate CR... if you believe in the Kurzweil future lol.
There is one thing I'd never go back to though, and that is eating a shitty diet. Vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes, not forgetting the bit of dark chocolate lol, and I'm pretty happy. It tastes far better than any junk food out there :D
One thing has changed however, my mind is saying to be 'gain weight'. I dont particularly like looking skinny as I do, in fact I think I would look healthier by gaining at least 5-10 lbs more. The thing is, if I want to stay true to my beliefs and use the only method known right now to slow ageing, then by sticking with CR I 'could' make it to 'escape velocity' and Aubrey De Grey puts it. But you know, given my age which is only 23, 24 soon (noooo!), I would probably make it anyway without moderate CR... if you believe in the Kurzweil future lol.
There is one thing I'd never go back to though, and that is eating a shitty diet. Vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes, not forgetting the bit of dark chocolate lol, and I'm pretty happy. It tastes far better than any junk food out there :D
Two different paths
I got asked a question today about what I'm going to do when I go to university. As medicine has been my goal now for quite a while I just said that, and forgot about the amount of thought I put into deciding over the last few months. It's true that I'd be happy with biomedical science, but medicine is my ideal job, I think. I have to decide really quickly what to do because by the time I'd finish I'd be over 30 years of age... well, maybe not so bad considering CR will keep me younger for longer... but those that have been reading my blog now know by now that I do want to get involved in researching into ageing too. Medical school would be like 6 years, thats including foundation year, and a degree in something like biomedical science would be half that. There is no saying that I'll even make my first attempt to get into med school, but it sure is a decision that I would want to make sure I'm doing the right thing -- the stress of long hours would age me lol.
There is always another idea and that is to go into med school as a grad student, complete biomedical degree and then apply for 4 year course in medicine. I really do have some big decisions to make, and pretty soon, if I am to apply for 2009... Biomedical science I have a bit more time to decide as you don't have to apply so early for that.
But I wont think no more about this now, it's 5am as I type this and I have work at 1pm... I am going to be tiiirrreeed today! :(
There is always another idea and that is to go into med school as a grad student, complete biomedical degree and then apply for 4 year course in medicine. I really do have some big decisions to make, and pretty soon, if I am to apply for 2009... Biomedical science I have a bit more time to decide as you don't have to apply so early for that.
But I wont think no more about this now, it's 5am as I type this and I have work at 1pm... I am going to be tiiirrreeed today! :(
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Is this guy for real? He is 52 years old?
So is this guy for real, he claims he has been doing Calorie Restriction since his 20s and is now 52 years old in that photo. I think one person Brian Delaney from the CR Society has run into him once before, so maybe this is real. We can clearly see from the animal experiments that the old CR monkeys look really young. Some CRers who are now approaching 40 look like they're in their 20's. So I wouldn't rule it out. It would be interesting to see Elixer in a video or something, rather than an image which can be photoshopped a bit.
There is a discussion over at Imminst about him. I don't know, you decide, do you think it's possible to look in 25-30 years old at 50? I think so, but have no idea if this guy is real because hes so mysterious lol.
Juvess no more?
As with the majority of skin creams I've run into a problem, yet again. I am thinking that i'll just have to go with the copper peptides to remodel the skin, and use just a general non oily moisturzer like oil of olay or something. The Juvess original contains somethings that could clog up pores and be comedogenic. For the majority of people the cream is fine but clearly not me. I will try an experiment and use it around the chin area and use an exfoliator like salicylic acid. The positives I noticed though were that in the morning my skin was much better, less red, better complexion, more soft and smooth. It's just approx 2 weeks after using it, it's like I'm 15 again. What I would give to have perfect skin! arghh! lol.
One thing I'm going to add back into skin care is Aloe Vera gel and apply at night, then wash off in the morning because I got told that direct exposure to sunlight will cause damage while using this.
One thing I'm going to add back into skin care is Aloe Vera gel and apply at night, then wash off in the morning because I got told that direct exposure to sunlight will cause damage while using this.
Saturday, August 02, 2008
Juvess Skin Cream
I've just started using a new skin cream the other day which apparently is similar to the popular 'Creme de le mer' which is endorsed and used by many celebs such as kate moss, jennifer aniston, kera knightly, johnny depp are using because it is supposed to be a high quality moisterizer. Well it should be, because it costs $110 per ounce. However Juvess has apparently got a very similar cream but also contains a few active compounds such as: Copper peptides, which help increase collagen synthesis. It increases elasticity of the skin, helps remove scars by replacing abnormal collagen matrix with normal collagen. In studies shown here at SkinBiology the results of using copper peptides on skin is dramatic. Another interesting ingredient is Beta glucan, which is found in yeast and oats. A study a little while back found that oat beta glucan can penetrate the skin and increase collagen synthesis, stimulate removal of dead cells and it may help with acne prone skin. At Juvess they have a bar graph which shows the effects of the ingredients. The one below is the results of Beta glucan on skin
The other ingredient is Carnsoine which prevents glycation, and has the ability to actually renew cells to a more youthful state as seen here in this picture.
I've read that many people have had some good success with this cream and now use it to prevent damage and aging, and treat skin that has already been damaged and aged. At the moment I cannot comment on how well it worked for me and my post acne hyperpigmenation and minor scars, because I've only applied the cream 4 times in total. However, what I can say is that the texture is really nice, it doesn't feel to heavy on the skin, and it's non greasy -- leaving a very soft and smooth feel to the skin. By now typical moisturizers would have me breaking out in spots the following day of application.... I feel confident about this cream because the ingredients are backed up with some good, and up to date science from what I've researched over the past week. Juvess also only costs $30 for two ounces, and can last up to 6 months.
I can't wait to 'hopefully' see some good results in the coming months, I'll keep you posted.
Also has anyone else tried this Juvess with much success?
Here are the reference Juvess.com provides to support their cream. Some good evidence, take a read :D
References
1. Int J Cosmet Sci, Vol 27, Issue 5, pp. 292-292 (1), Pillai, R. et al - Anti-wrinkle Therapy: Significant New Findings in the Non-Invasice Cosmetic Treatment of Skin Wrinkles with Beta-Glucan.
http://www.ceapro.com/pdfs/ifscc.pdf
2. Biofactors. 1999; 9(2-4) : 371-8. Hoppe U et al - Coemzyme Q10, a cutaneous antioxidant and energizer. [PMID 10416055]
3. Z Gerontol Geriatr. 1999 Apr;32(2):83-8. Blatt T et al - Modulation of oxidative stresses in human aging skin [PMID 10408011]
4. Ann NY Acad Sci2006 May;1067:369-74. Hipkiss AR - Would carnosine or a carnivorous diet help suppress aging and associated pathologies? [PMID: 16804013]
5. Eur J Dermatol. 2007 Jan-Feb;17(1):12-20. Epub 2007 Feb 27. Pageon H et al - Collagen glycation triggers the formation of aged skin in vitro. [PMID: 17324821]
6. Exp Gerontol. 1999 Jan;34(1):35-45. McFarland GA, Holliday R. - Further evidence for the rejuvenating effects of the dipeptide L-carnosine on cultured human diploid fibroblasts. [PMID: 10197726]
7. Am J Pathol. 2006 Jun;168(6):1861-8. Varani J et al - Decreased collagen production in chronologically aged skin: roles of age-dependent alteration in fibroblast function and defective mechanical stimulation. [PMID: 16723701]
8. J Cosmet Sci. 2002 Jan-Feb;53(1):1-9. Fujimura T, Tsukahara K,... - Treatment of human skin with an extract of Fucus vesiculosus changes its thickness and mechanical properties. [PMID: 11917251]
The other ingredient is Carnsoine which prevents glycation, and has the ability to actually renew cells to a more youthful state as seen here in this picture.
I've read that many people have had some good success with this cream and now use it to prevent damage and aging, and treat skin that has already been damaged and aged. At the moment I cannot comment on how well it worked for me and my post acne hyperpigmenation and minor scars, because I've only applied the cream 4 times in total. However, what I can say is that the texture is really nice, it doesn't feel to heavy on the skin, and it's non greasy -- leaving a very soft and smooth feel to the skin. By now typical moisturizers would have me breaking out in spots the following day of application.... I feel confident about this cream because the ingredients are backed up with some good, and up to date science from what I've researched over the past week. Juvess also only costs $30 for two ounces, and can last up to 6 months.
I can't wait to 'hopefully' see some good results in the coming months, I'll keep you posted.
Also has anyone else tried this Juvess with much success?
Here are the reference Juvess.com provides to support their cream. Some good evidence, take a read :D
References
1. Int J Cosmet Sci, Vol 27, Issue 5, pp. 292-292 (1), Pillai, R. et al - Anti-wrinkle Therapy: Significant New Findings in the Non-Invasice Cosmetic Treatment of Skin Wrinkles with Beta-Glucan.
http://www.ceapro.com/pdfs/ifscc.pdf
2. Biofactors. 1999; 9(2-4) : 371-8. Hoppe U et al - Coemzyme Q10, a cutaneous antioxidant and energizer. [PMID 10416055]
3. Z Gerontol Geriatr. 1999 Apr;32(2):83-8. Blatt T et al - Modulation of oxidative stresses in human aging skin [PMID 10408011]
4. Ann NY Acad Sci2006 May;1067:369-74. Hipkiss AR - Would carnosine or a carnivorous diet help suppress aging and associated pathologies? [PMID: 16804013]
5. Eur J Dermatol. 2007 Jan-Feb;17(1):12-20. Epub 2007 Feb 27. Pageon H et al - Collagen glycation triggers the formation of aged skin in vitro. [PMID: 17324821]
6. Exp Gerontol. 1999 Jan;34(1):35-45. McFarland GA, Holliday R. - Further evidence for the rejuvenating effects of the dipeptide L-carnosine on cultured human diploid fibroblasts. [PMID: 10197726]
7. Am J Pathol. 2006 Jun;168(6):1861-8. Varani J et al - Decreased collagen production in chronologically aged skin: roles of age-dependent alteration in fibroblast function and defective mechanical stimulation. [PMID: 16723701]
8. J Cosmet Sci. 2002 Jan-Feb;53(1):1-9. Fujimura T, Tsukahara K,... - Treatment of human skin with an extract of Fucus vesiculosus changes its thickness and mechanical properties. [PMID: 11917251]
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Arthur De Vany
Arthur De Vany is being interviewed by the immortality institute on the Ustream channel this sunday 20th July 2008. For the details go here. This will be interesting, he did speak at the Calorie Restriction Conference in 2004 I believe about what he think the optimal way of living is. You can head on over to his blog to find out more about him here
I must admit, hes not doing so bad for his age!
I must admit, hes not doing so bad for his age!
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Life expectancy calculator
I thought it would be a little bit of fun to input some data into this calculator and see what age it says I am expected to live to. I don't entirely believe these are all that accurate, but it was just something to do :)
You know a lot of things in life are just chance events, anything could happen [my cipro incident for example]. The calculator has some improvements now it seems because it no longer puts too much emphasis on your grandparents or parents history when it comes to things like cancer, because it clearly states about the relationsihp between smoking induced cancer deaths, rather than just cancer. All my grandparents died at around the age of 85, but died of lung cancer relating to life long smoking. So maybe they would have lived to age 90 or so.
So here was my result; "Your calculated age expectancy is 98 years"
Should be enough time for Aubrey to get enough funding for his plan to cure aging in humans. With Calorie Restriction I expect it to at least get me to ages equivalent of todays centenarians or if I'm lucky become a super centenarian. But by then surely medicine will be well advanced enough to deal with aging. I think moderate CR alone would get most people who started CR at a young at to about 100 years, and a fair few between 105-115... or is this just being too optimistic?
To take the life expectancy test go here
You know a lot of things in life are just chance events, anything could happen [my cipro incident for example]. The calculator has some improvements now it seems because it no longer puts too much emphasis on your grandparents or parents history when it comes to things like cancer, because it clearly states about the relationsihp between smoking induced cancer deaths, rather than just cancer. All my grandparents died at around the age of 85, but died of lung cancer relating to life long smoking. So maybe they would have lived to age 90 or so.
So here was my result; "Your calculated age expectancy is 98 years"
Should be enough time for Aubrey to get enough funding for his plan to cure aging in humans. With Calorie Restriction I expect it to at least get me to ages equivalent of todays centenarians or if I'm lucky become a super centenarian. But by then surely medicine will be well advanced enough to deal with aging. I think moderate CR alone would get most people who started CR at a young at to about 100 years, and a fair few between 105-115... or is this just being too optimistic?
To take the life expectancy test go here
Sunday, July 06, 2008
More CR Videos
Mike Linksvayer, a 36-year-old chief technology officer at a San Francisco
nonprofit group, embarked on just such a diet six years ago.
Calorie Restriction Fox News (CR Way)
Eat Less, Live Longer?
CR VIDEO REPORT
CR Video
Calorie Restriction CBS Early Show
You can view my channel to see other videos here
nonprofit group, embarked on just such a diet six years ago.
Calorie Restriction Fox News (CR Way)
Eat Less, Live Longer?
CR VIDEO REPORT
CR Video
Calorie Restriction CBS Early Show
You can view my channel to see other videos here
Saturday, July 05, 2008
CR Mice
Calorie Restriction started at middle age extends lifespan of mice. Videos of the mice from both groups are included in the video, and the CR mice appear to be very active in comparison to the ad lib fed group.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Calorie Restriction Protects rhesus monkeys from sarcopenia
Well according to that abstract it significantly slows the decline. We see the same with various hormones, and bone with CR too. Start off at a lower level, but the decline is much slower.
There was an interesting study a little while back on rodents. An article states;
"Scientists from the University of Calgary found that rats fed a nutritious, calorie-restricted diet maintained their muscle mass much better than rats that ate a normal amount of food. "It's the equivalent of an 80-year-old rat with the muscles of a 20-year-old rat," said Russ Hepple, a physiologist at the University of Calgary."
Source
It seems very likely the same effect will be seen in humans. The fact that CR preserves muscle mass is very nice because not only could we expect to be more functional with age, but also have much less chance of bone fracture. People with better muscle function and mass tend not to be as susceptible to falls as old frail people with poor muscle function, co ordination... Even at 18y the CR group had a higher ESM than the ad lib group at 10 years!
Heres a direct link to the graph from the paper
Attenuation of sarcopenia by dietary restriction in rhesus monkeys.
Colman RJ, Beasley TM, Allison DB, Weindruch R.
Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1220 Capitol Ct., Madison, WI 53715. rcolman@primate.wisc.edu.
Sarcopenia, the loss of muscle mass with normal aging, devastates quality of life-and related healthcare expenditures are enormous. The prevention or attenuation of sarcopenia would be an important medical advance. Dietary restriction (DR) is the only dietary intervention that consistently extends median and maximum life span, as well as health span in rodents. Evidence suggests that DR will have a similar effect in primates. Furthermore, DR opposes sarcopenia in rodents. We tested the hypothesis that DR will reduce age-related sarcopenia in a nonhuman primate. Thirty adult male rhesus monkeys, half fed a normal calorie intake and half reduced by 30% in caloric intake, were examined over 17 years for changes in dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry-estimated skeletal muscle mass. Body weight-adjusted skeletal muscle mass declined somewhat in both groups but was far more rapid in the control group. We have shown that moderate, adult-onset DR can attenuate sarcopenia in a nonhuman primate model.
PMID: 18559628 [PubMed - in process]
There was an interesting study a little while back on rodents. An article states;
"Scientists from the University of Calgary found that rats fed a nutritious, calorie-restricted diet maintained their muscle mass much better than rats that ate a normal amount of food. "It's the equivalent of an 80-year-old rat with the muscles of a 20-year-old rat," said Russ Hepple, a physiologist at the University of Calgary."
Source
It seems very likely the same effect will be seen in humans. The fact that CR preserves muscle mass is very nice because not only could we expect to be more functional with age, but also have much less chance of bone fracture. People with better muscle function and mass tend not to be as susceptible to falls as old frail people with poor muscle function, co ordination... Even at 18y the CR group had a higher ESM than the ad lib group at 10 years!
Heres a direct link to the graph from the paper
Attenuation of sarcopenia by dietary restriction in rhesus monkeys.
Colman RJ, Beasley TM, Allison DB, Weindruch R.
Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1220 Capitol Ct., Madison, WI 53715. rcolman@primate.wisc.edu.
Sarcopenia, the loss of muscle mass with normal aging, devastates quality of life-and related healthcare expenditures are enormous. The prevention or attenuation of sarcopenia would be an important medical advance. Dietary restriction (DR) is the only dietary intervention that consistently extends median and maximum life span, as well as health span in rodents. Evidence suggests that DR will have a similar effect in primates. Furthermore, DR opposes sarcopenia in rodents. We tested the hypothesis that DR will reduce age-related sarcopenia in a nonhuman primate. Thirty adult male rhesus monkeys, half fed a normal calorie intake and half reduced by 30% in caloric intake, were examined over 17 years for changes in dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry-estimated skeletal muscle mass. Body weight-adjusted skeletal muscle mass declined somewhat in both groups but was far more rapid in the control group. We have shown that moderate, adult-onset DR can attenuate sarcopenia in a nonhuman primate model.
PMID: 18559628 [PubMed - in process]
Friday, June 20, 2008
Exercising again
It's been 8 months since I took cipro and my tendons are pretty much able to withstand exercise now. The doctor told me that it would take 3 weeks for my tendinitis induced by ciprofloxacin to heal, however it actually has taken 32 weeks!!!
But anyway, I'm back to doing yoga twice a week with 1 hour each session. I am practicing my Katas ready to go back to Karate in a couple months. I am also able to run now, just the other day I ran 5 miles straight without any problems, and actually even though I haven't done this sort of running in over 8 months I didn't feel unfit? LoL. I am also rebuilding my strength back up with my free weights. I'm using a pretty low weight right now but will work up very slowly to avoid further injury. Anyway thats it for this post... looks like I might be definitely fully restored by 12th month mark :)
But anyway, I'm back to doing yoga twice a week with 1 hour each session. I am practicing my Katas ready to go back to Karate in a couple months. I am also able to run now, just the other day I ran 5 miles straight without any problems, and actually even though I haven't done this sort of running in over 8 months I didn't feel unfit? LoL. I am also rebuilding my strength back up with my free weights. I'm using a pretty low weight right now but will work up very slowly to avoid further injury. Anyway thats it for this post... looks like I might be definitely fully restored by 12th month mark :)
Friday, June 06, 2008
Resveratrol in the News
I guess we've all heard the resveratrol news by now... but am I taking it?
No I'm not. I think it is a little risky taking resveratrol in huge quantities when I'm already doing CR anyway. Sure it might enable the maximum benefit of CR, but on the other hand it could actually prevent CR from slowing down aging. It will be probably take years of more data on CR + Reseveratrol for me to even consider taking it long term. I don't drink red wine either, but was following a discussion the other week on red wine and CR... and how they might be synergistic. I kind of follow MR's point now when I think about it, sure red wine has pretty good evidence behind it, and thats why he and others choose to drink it, so one should maybe include it in their diet. The argument, which I also believed a year or so ago was that would the small amount of resveratrol in red wine actually contribute ANYTHING at all to a CR diet in reducing disease risk further. But then Michael brought up the broccoli argument. It's showing that its a good cancer protector, but would it add anything to a CR diet? So you can basically throw the argument to any functional food at all. For me I'll skip the red wine, but it seems like a safe bet anyway.
At the end of 2006 there was a study that came out showing mice on a HIGH FAT diet, 60% of the calories coming from saturated fat had their lifespan extended and was protected from the harmful effects of a high fat diet if they were given large doses of resveratrol.
In the recent study here it was found that mice on a normal diet (high carb) had similar gene expression profiles and had a benefit in cardiac function (like seen in human CRONies).
I've noticed some people are mixing these studies up. The first one was about reversing the effects of obesity induced by a high saturated fat diet, and the second recent one was more of a comparison between a normal diet (75.9% CHO, and 9.4% fat), vs CR diet, vs mice fed resveratrol. The CR ones still had the best result as they had less tumor incidence.
But with such low level of resveratrol creating some positive effects, maybe everyone should enjoy a glass of red wine every day for better health.
No I'm not. I think it is a little risky taking resveratrol in huge quantities when I'm already doing CR anyway. Sure it might enable the maximum benefit of CR, but on the other hand it could actually prevent CR from slowing down aging. It will be probably take years of more data on CR + Reseveratrol for me to even consider taking it long term. I don't drink red wine either, but was following a discussion the other week on red wine and CR... and how they might be synergistic. I kind of follow MR's point now when I think about it, sure red wine has pretty good evidence behind it, and thats why he and others choose to drink it, so one should maybe include it in their diet. The argument, which I also believed a year or so ago was that would the small amount of resveratrol in red wine actually contribute ANYTHING at all to a CR diet in reducing disease risk further. But then Michael brought up the broccoli argument. It's showing that its a good cancer protector, but would it add anything to a CR diet? So you can basically throw the argument to any functional food at all. For me I'll skip the red wine, but it seems like a safe bet anyway.
At the end of 2006 there was a study that came out showing mice on a HIGH FAT diet, 60% of the calories coming from saturated fat had their lifespan extended and was protected from the harmful effects of a high fat diet if they were given large doses of resveratrol.
In the recent study here it was found that mice on a normal diet (high carb) had similar gene expression profiles and had a benefit in cardiac function (like seen in human CRONies).
I've noticed some people are mixing these studies up. The first one was about reversing the effects of obesity induced by a high saturated fat diet, and the second recent one was more of a comparison between a normal diet (75.9% CHO, and 9.4% fat), vs CR diet, vs mice fed resveratrol. The CR ones still had the best result as they had less tumor incidence.
But with such low level of resveratrol creating some positive effects, maybe everyone should enjoy a glass of red wine every day for better health.
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
Anti aging pill could cost pennies
Below is a picture showing a CR monkey vs a Ad lib monkey at 30 years. Once again, the CR monkey looks like it's still in its youth ;) Just click on it so you can view it better or to zoom in on the monkeys
The CR monkey is 32 years old, and the Ad lib is 30. You can clearly see
(try zooming for better view) that the CR monkey still has his youthful
looks, even at what is an equivalent age of 96 human years and at least from
the still image doesn't have a frail appearance. While the Ad lib monkey
looks old and frail. This seems typical of the comparison shots we've seen
from other rhesus monkeys in the study.
ARTICLE :
"It's not a matter of if, but when," said gerontologist David Sinclair of a drug that promises a long and healthy life -- not quite a fountain of youth, but perhaps a fountain of fitness.
Best of all, predicted Sinclair, you'll be able to afford it.
Speaking yesterday at a World Science Festival discussion on the science of longevity, Sinclair predicted that the drugs "could have as big an impact as antibiotics in the 20th century, and it's just around the corner."
Five years ago, Sinclair, a Harvard University professor and co-founder of Sirtris Pharmaceuticals, discovered the molecule resveratrol. It targets a gene activated by calorically restricted diets, which have extended the lifespans of laboratory animals from yeast to monkeys.
Despite the paucity of human testing, some people already practice caloric restriction. Most, however, are discouraged by the spartan dietary discipline required of adherents. Questions also remain about long-term side effects. Instead, scientists are shooting for pharmaceutical shortcuts that do the same thing -- namely, reinvigorating our mitochondria, fixing a lifetime of cellular wear-and-tear.
Many gerontologists believe that the so-called diseases of aging -- cancer, diabetes, heart disease, dementia and any other condition whose primary risk factor is age -- originate in damage caused to our mitochondria by free oxygen radicals. These are an inevitable byproduct of turning chemical energy into our body's fuel, but corrode mitochondrial DNA, eventually causing organs and systems to malfunction and shut down.
READ THE REST AT THE LINK ABOVE.
The CR monkey is 32 years old, and the Ad lib is 30. You can clearly see
(try zooming for better view) that the CR monkey still has his youthful
looks, even at what is an equivalent age of 96 human years and at least from
the still image doesn't have a frail appearance. While the Ad lib monkey
looks old and frail. This seems typical of the comparison shots we've seen
from other rhesus monkeys in the study.
ARTICLE :
"It's not a matter of if, but when," said gerontologist David Sinclair of a drug that promises a long and healthy life -- not quite a fountain of youth, but perhaps a fountain of fitness.
Best of all, predicted Sinclair, you'll be able to afford it.
Speaking yesterday at a World Science Festival discussion on the science of longevity, Sinclair predicted that the drugs "could have as big an impact as antibiotics in the 20th century, and it's just around the corner."
Five years ago, Sinclair, a Harvard University professor and co-founder of Sirtris Pharmaceuticals, discovered the molecule resveratrol. It targets a gene activated by calorically restricted diets, which have extended the lifespans of laboratory animals from yeast to monkeys.
Despite the paucity of human testing, some people already practice caloric restriction. Most, however, are discouraged by the spartan dietary discipline required of adherents. Questions also remain about long-term side effects. Instead, scientists are shooting for pharmaceutical shortcuts that do the same thing -- namely, reinvigorating our mitochondria, fixing a lifetime of cellular wear-and-tear.
Many gerontologists believe that the so-called diseases of aging -- cancer, diabetes, heart disease, dementia and any other condition whose primary risk factor is age -- originate in damage caused to our mitochondria by free oxygen radicals. These are an inevitable byproduct of turning chemical energy into our body's fuel, but corrode mitochondrial DNA, eventually causing organs and systems to malfunction and shut down.
READ THE REST AT THE LINK ABOVE.
Supersize vs Superskinny
Elizebeth claims she is on a anti aging diet by eating very little, however it isn't apparent at first that she is eating the right foods or supplements to avoid deficiencies. The doctor in the video claims that she will ruin her health and age more rapidly by restricting her calories. She looks like in her 20's though I 'think' she is in her 40's and looks far healthier than the average person in my opinion. She WAS only eating 1000k/cal per day... She also believes aging is an illness and wants a cure. The program did not go into much detail of her overall. No real Idea if it was a CR or CRON diet.
She has a myspace here
http://www.myspace.com/weexistwhy
Those that are interested can view the video here;
Supersize v Superskinny EP4 Part 1
Supersize v Superskinny EP4 Part 2
Supersize v Superskinny EP4 Part 3
Supersize v Superskinny EP4 Part 4
Supersize v Superskinny EP4 Part 5
There are many other episodes of this program available on youtube which are also quite good. Though I hate the fact that in some of the episodes some are eating really healthy diets and are being told to eat lots of crap... It must be a big shock to their system. Most of the skinny girls seem to be eating between 1000-1700k/cal and have BMI's between 15 - 18.
She has a myspace here
http://www.myspace.com/weexistwhy
Those that are interested can view the video here;
Supersize v Superskinny EP4 Part 1
Supersize v Superskinny EP4 Part 2
Supersize v Superskinny EP4 Part 3
Supersize v Superskinny EP4 Part 4
Supersize v Superskinny EP4 Part 5
There are many other episodes of this program available on youtube which are also quite good. Though I hate the fact that in some of the episodes some are eating really healthy diets and are being told to eat lots of crap... It must be a big shock to their system. Most of the skinny girls seem to be eating between 1000-1700k/cal and have BMI's between 15 - 18.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Vitamin D
Those that had sufficient levels of Vitamin D who had breast cancer were 94% less likely for it to spread and 73% less likely to die from the disease. This comes after another study found that colon cancer was prevented by taking just 1100IU per day. People taking D3 were 72 Percent less likely to get colon cancer.
Vitamin D: Essential for Prevention of Diseases
Vitamin D - Breast cancer
Vitamin D: Essential for Prevention of Diseases
Vitamin D - Breast cancer
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Some thoughts on lab results
Cholesterol
My HDL went up by 50%, that is quite a huge improvement.
Total Cholesterol 3.7 (144mg/dl)
HDL 1.5 (59mg/dl)
LDL 1.9 (74mg/dl)
Triglycerides 0.6 (53mg/dl)
TC:HDL Ratio 2.5
Here is a website showing what risk group you're in according to lipid profiles. Clearly I'm well below even the 'very low risk' numbers.
LINK HERE
I used to eat much less fat than I do now, thanks to April and MR who recommended increasing my fat and protein, my cholesterol looks a lot better now. I spoke to a few people involved in low carbohydrate diet a while ago, and they suggested increasing the amount of saturated fat, which does actually raise HDL, but it also significantly raises LDL cholesterol too. I think that what made my HDL increase was increasing good fats and a little more exercise.
Anyway you can few my results HERE
My HDL went up by 50%, that is quite a huge improvement.
Total Cholesterol 3.7 (144mg/dl)
HDL 1.5 (59mg/dl)
LDL 1.9 (74mg/dl)
Triglycerides 0.6 (53mg/dl)
TC:HDL Ratio 2.5
Here is a website showing what risk group you're in according to lipid profiles. Clearly I'm well below even the 'very low risk' numbers.
LINK HERE
I used to eat much less fat than I do now, thanks to April and MR who recommended increasing my fat and protein, my cholesterol looks a lot better now. I spoke to a few people involved in low carbohydrate diet a while ago, and they suggested increasing the amount of saturated fat, which does actually raise HDL, but it also significantly raises LDL cholesterol too. I think that what made my HDL increase was increasing good fats and a little more exercise.
Anyway you can few my results HERE
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Sun Damage Experiment
We have had excellent weather here where I live, and can expect at least another week if weather reports are correct :) I wish it was like this all the time, as I said before it really gives me a big energy boost and I generally feel really happy.
So anyway, I seen something in the news paper the other day that suggested tomatoes protect against sun burn and act as a low level sun screen when 50g are consumed with some olive oil. The protective compound is thought to be Lycopene. Cooked/processed tomatoes give you more. I posted something on the Calorie Restriction Society email lists early on in my CR where I noticed that I have much increased protection from sun damage, DESPITE being very pale person. For an experiment (and before I done this I was quite confident of my observations) I decided to go out in the garden and sun bathe for three hours in mid day sun when the sun index was rather high and putting me at risk of sun burn. So my sister was out there too trying to get a tan and the result was;
I never got sun burned one bit, no redness, very slightly brown... however it was a totally difference case for my sister who eats a normal western diet and is not CR'd. She ended up red and burned, even though she lightly tanned all over to start with!
Is is all that green tea I drink? Is it the tomatoes, is it the CR? It's probably all of them reducing the inflammation response and clearing up those free radicals. I repeated this experiment the next day and got exactly the same result. I noticed this over the last 3 years now but never did this test.... casual sun exposure before used to make me go red, however now it didn't.
I don't expect to see quite the same result if I lived in another country where I would probably roast within 5 minutes... however it shows a nice protective effect WITHOUT sun screen and might contribute to the general anti aging effect of the skin.
I don't actually go in the sun that often, after getting my sunshine vitamin I mostly avoid it to stay looking young. I actually had a nice comments over the past few days , my friend think I could probably do another 3 years in high school because I look so young, and this other guy thought I was still in high school LOL. That's great because I left high school over 7+ years ago now! And would you believe it, there are some people that hate looking younger than their age and want to look older! Haha :)
See the study here:
Tomatoes found to fight sun damage
Tomatoes could be the new weapon in the fight against sun damage to the skin, research at the Universities of Newcastle and Manchester has revealed. According to a study presented at the British Society for Investigative Dermatology this month, eating tomato paste could help protect against sunburn and sun-induced skin ageing.
READ FULL HERE
I DON'T RECOMMEND TRY AND SPEND HOURS IN THE SUN AND GET BADLY SUN BURNED. BUT WOULD APPRECIATE ANY FEEDBACK IF OTHERS HAVE NOTICED CASUAL SUN EXPOSURE DON'T MAKE THEM SUN BURN AS EASILY.
So anyway, I seen something in the news paper the other day that suggested tomatoes protect against sun burn and act as a low level sun screen when 50g are consumed with some olive oil. The protective compound is thought to be Lycopene. Cooked/processed tomatoes give you more. I posted something on the Calorie Restriction Society email lists early on in my CR where I noticed that I have much increased protection from sun damage, DESPITE being very pale person. For an experiment (and before I done this I was quite confident of my observations) I decided to go out in the garden and sun bathe for three hours in mid day sun when the sun index was rather high and putting me at risk of sun burn. So my sister was out there too trying to get a tan and the result was;
I never got sun burned one bit, no redness, very slightly brown... however it was a totally difference case for my sister who eats a normal western diet and is not CR'd. She ended up red and burned, even though she lightly tanned all over to start with!
Is is all that green tea I drink? Is it the tomatoes, is it the CR? It's probably all of them reducing the inflammation response and clearing up those free radicals. I repeated this experiment the next day and got exactly the same result. I noticed this over the last 3 years now but never did this test.... casual sun exposure before used to make me go red, however now it didn't.
I don't expect to see quite the same result if I lived in another country where I would probably roast within 5 minutes... however it shows a nice protective effect WITHOUT sun screen and might contribute to the general anti aging effect of the skin.
I don't actually go in the sun that often, after getting my sunshine vitamin I mostly avoid it to stay looking young. I actually had a nice comments over the past few days , my friend think I could probably do another 3 years in high school because I look so young, and this other guy thought I was still in high school LOL. That's great because I left high school over 7+ years ago now! And would you believe it, there are some people that hate looking younger than their age and want to look older! Haha :)
See the study here:
Tomatoes found to fight sun damage
Tomatoes could be the new weapon in the fight against sun damage to the skin, research at the Universities of Newcastle and Manchester has revealed. According to a study presented at the British Society for Investigative Dermatology this month, eating tomato paste could help protect against sunburn and sun-induced skin ageing.
READ FULL HERE
I DON'T RECOMMEND TRY AND SPEND HOURS IN THE SUN AND GET BADLY SUN BURNED. BUT WOULD APPRECIATE ANY FEEDBACK IF OTHERS HAVE NOTICED CASUAL SUN EXPOSURE DON'T MAKE THEM SUN BURN AS EASILY.
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
I never fainted!
This morning with only 5 hours sleep because I wasn't tired and could not fall to sleep until early hours. With just 5 minutes until my appointment I rushed out the door and got there in time, I had already missed 2 appointments previously and these tests were supposed to have been done in Feb! I actually wasn't nervous this time and just got it done with no problem, in fact probably was the least problematic of all of them, maybe I'm really just getting used to it now, and I didn't faint which is great! Fainted in 2004 and not nice :)
I will check on Friday to see if the results are back, I suspect I wont know them now until next Wednesday, but when I get them I'll be sure to update my personal CR website where you can find all my previous lab results.
On another topic, I have decided that Sundays is now a fasting day. I feel quite good when I fast and doing it just one day a week will nudge calories down a tiny bit and maybe provide some benefit. I'll let you know how that goes... but I did do a 2 day fast just over 1 week ago and had no problem with it.
The Secret To Long Life May Not Be In The Genes
And here is an article for you to read from sciencedaily.com
A research on the bone health of one of the oldest persons in the world, who recently died at the age of 114, reveals that there were no genetic modifications which could have contributed to this longevity. The research team, directed by Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona professor Adolfo DÃez Pérez, pointed out a healthy lifestyle, a Mediterranean diet, a temperate climate and regular physical activity as the reasons for his excellent health.
Full article here
What about the secret to long life is in how MUCH and WHAT you eat ;)
I will check on Friday to see if the results are back, I suspect I wont know them now until next Wednesday, but when I get them I'll be sure to update my personal CR website where you can find all my previous lab results.
On another topic, I have decided that Sundays is now a fasting day. I feel quite good when I fast and doing it just one day a week will nudge calories down a tiny bit and maybe provide some benefit. I'll let you know how that goes... but I did do a 2 day fast just over 1 week ago and had no problem with it.
The Secret To Long Life May Not Be In The Genes
And here is an article for you to read from sciencedaily.com
A research on the bone health of one of the oldest persons in the world, who recently died at the age of 114, reveals that there were no genetic modifications which could have contributed to this longevity. The research team, directed by Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona professor Adolfo DÃez Pérez, pointed out a healthy lifestyle, a Mediterranean diet, a temperate climate and regular physical activity as the reasons for his excellent health.
Full article here
What about the secret to long life is in how MUCH and WHAT you eat ;)
Thursday, May 01, 2008
Tests
On the 6th May I'll finally be getting a whole load of blood tests done. I hope that everything is fine, I guess it probably will be. I should have got them done a while ago but I couldn't get a normal sleeping pattern back in place to actually wake up in the morning to get them done. Now sleeping is good again I should definitely have them done, I just hope I don't faint! Results will be posted here about the 8-9th.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Three CR Videos
I just uploaded these onto my youtube channel, enjoy;
CR MSNBC Story
Paul and Meredith Interview
CBS? Michael And April Interview
CR MSNBC Story
Paul and Meredith Interview
CBS? Michael And April Interview
Monday, March 17, 2008
The Longevity Revolution
Eventually through new breakthroughs in science we could be able to slow and reverse the aging process. We will be able to cure all diseases by repairing the damage. April also has a small part in this video, with Kevin Perrott, and a a few scientists involved in anti aging research. I thought this was a particularly good documentary.
One of the amazing parts of this story is when the surgeon got the whole jaw bone to totally regenerate using a protein to stimulate growth. They showed on the X rays the result, and it was remarkable. This will be common practice soon, by 2015-2020 stem cells will probably be a very effective treatment for a whole host of diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, autoimmune diseases, osteoarthritis, limb amputations, spinal problems, neurological disorders and so on. No longer will be just treat symptoms of disease, but will effectively be curing disease.
THE LONGEVITY REVOLUTION
Link to watch in full screen
One of the amazing parts of this story is when the surgeon got the whole jaw bone to totally regenerate using a protein to stimulate growth. They showed on the X rays the result, and it was remarkable. This will be common practice soon, by 2015-2020 stem cells will probably be a very effective treatment for a whole host of diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, autoimmune diseases, osteoarthritis, limb amputations, spinal problems, neurological disorders and so on. No longer will be just treat symptoms of disease, but will effectively be curing disease.
THE LONGEVITY REVOLUTION
Link to watch in full screen
Friday, March 14, 2008
WUSTL Testing
Now I'm gutted! :( I was supposed to go over to the United States to WUSTL with Luigi Fonatana for testing (calorie restriction). But there is absolutely no way I will be able to do this now, I think lol. I can't even walk around the super market without both achilles tendons feeling like they're ripping apart with mild pain. Would they heal in 2 months?
Oh well, maybe at some point in the future...
I have organized to go for blood tests next tuesday because my sleeping is more normal now. I'm sure everything will come back just normal, which is a good thing I guess.
Oh well, maybe at some point in the future...
I have organized to go for blood tests next tuesday because my sleeping is more normal now. I'm sure everything will come back just normal, which is a good thing I guess.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Sunday, February 03, 2008
Tinnitus petition
For those that are living in the UK could you please sign this petition for more funding in tinnitus research.
Sign here
Sign here
Sunday, January 06, 2008
The Death Defying Diet
I thought I'd share this new article with you all. It is from the 'TIMES ONLINE' and is quite positive about CR.
Here it is CR ARTICLE
It is 5 pages... and leave a comment there too.
Here it is CR ARTICLE
It is 5 pages... and leave a comment there too.
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
1 chocolate, 2 chocolate, 3.. .4...5...6...
I just couldn't resist. CR for three years coming up and I thought 'what the hell?' and ate a chocolate bar, then another one and so on. But in moderation as I only ate one or two a day for about a week and that was it. The bars weren't even the full size ones, just mini version so the calorie content was quite low 100/150k/cal per bar. No real nutritional value other than supplying calories, but I don't see how it can do much harm, I mean I'm not going to age before my very eyes over a week of consuming chocolate loaded with saturated fat and sugar. I did enough of it while I was a teenager and my health markers like fasting glucose was pretty good for non-cr @ 4.5 (81mg/dl). Fortunately because I'm young I can still still pretty much do these things on the off occasion, even more regularly if I wanted to (but I won't) and probably not get any significant negative effects from it. On the other hand unlike most people I still got all my RDA's every day, ate my 12-15 or so different vegetables and fruits... with massive servings of each.
I haven't experienced any SAD symptoms lately, I don't know why this is because I've not seen any daylight for ages now, so I'm quite surprised! I am having a bit of trouble trying to get my sleeping pattern back to normal hours though. I think I'm going to need to try something so that I can sleep and wake at normal times. Being awake at night while everyone else is asleep can become very annoying at times. I just find myself watching T.V. Way too much. if there is one thing I have to do in 2008 is get my sleeping habits sorted out.
The insomnia I had from taking 3 small doses of cipro (then UTI result came back negative and I quit) is starting to go away slowly. It initially caused me to not be able to sleep AT ALL. Then I kept waking up every 2 hours, and had non restful sleep. That continued well into November on and off. Though from start of December sleep has become more normal. The reason that Ciprofloxacin caused the insomnia was likely because it is able to inhibit GABA binding to the GABAa Receptor... Usually for most people this doesn't happen, but for me it did and there is no real fix other than time itself. I know one thing is certain, Since starting CR and taking up all these healthy foods my reaction to common drugs has increased. For certain antibiotics and other medications I seem to get the 'very rare' side effects for most. I don't know whether it is the CR or the foods (specific compounds) that are somehow altering the metabolizing of the drugs. Probably via the P450 enzyme system. So me and my usual doctor agreed that it's best to take medication only when 'absolutely' necessary because of my track record. And I agree! It would be interesting if other CRers have noticed that they react to medications more strongly now.
The end of 2006 to the first quarter of 2007 was terrible, with some patchy spots mid-late 2007. Lets hope that 2008 brings much better things. I'll have all my normal blood tests taken between March and April now because it will then be 12 months. I don't want to get them done every six months now, not because I can't, but because I think it seems a bit too much to my doctor since there isn't really anything significantly wrong with my health.
I haven't experienced any SAD symptoms lately, I don't know why this is because I've not seen any daylight for ages now, so I'm quite surprised! I am having a bit of trouble trying to get my sleeping pattern back to normal hours though. I think I'm going to need to try something so that I can sleep and wake at normal times. Being awake at night while everyone else is asleep can become very annoying at times. I just find myself watching T.V. Way too much. if there is one thing I have to do in 2008 is get my sleeping habits sorted out.
The insomnia I had from taking 3 small doses of cipro (then UTI result came back negative and I quit) is starting to go away slowly. It initially caused me to not be able to sleep AT ALL. Then I kept waking up every 2 hours, and had non restful sleep. That continued well into November on and off. Though from start of December sleep has become more normal. The reason that Ciprofloxacin caused the insomnia was likely because it is able to inhibit GABA binding to the GABAa Receptor... Usually for most people this doesn't happen, but for me it did and there is no real fix other than time itself. I know one thing is certain, Since starting CR and taking up all these healthy foods my reaction to common drugs has increased. For certain antibiotics and other medications I seem to get the 'very rare' side effects for most. I don't know whether it is the CR or the foods (specific compounds) that are somehow altering the metabolizing of the drugs. Probably via the P450 enzyme system. So me and my usual doctor agreed that it's best to take medication only when 'absolutely' necessary because of my track record. And I agree! It would be interesting if other CRers have noticed that they react to medications more strongly now.
The end of 2006 to the first quarter of 2007 was terrible, with some patchy spots mid-late 2007. Lets hope that 2008 brings much better things. I'll have all my normal blood tests taken between March and April now because it will then be 12 months. I don't want to get them done every six months now, not because I can't, but because I think it seems a bit too much to my doctor since there isn't really anything significantly wrong with my health.
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So is this guy for real, he claims he has been doing Calorie Restriction since his 20s and is now 52 years old in that photo. I think one pe...
