Death is Obsolete

Eating processed meat linked to pancreatic cancer

A study by the British Journal of Cancer has found eating processed meats such as bacon or sausage may increase a person’s risk of developing pancreatic cancer.

The study, which pooled together 11 other studies involving 6,643 people with pancreatic cancer, suggests eating two strips of bacon a day, one hot dog, or a few slices of sausage or salami, increases pancreatic cancer risk by 19 per cent.

The reason is that most processed meats (but not all) contain nitrites and possibly N-nitroso compounds which can induce pancreatic cancer in animals. Sodium nitrite is the most common of the nitrite family and is found in almost all brands of hot dogs, sausages, bologna, salami and similar processed meats. Hams and some bacons are not treated with nitrates.

If you do eat processed meat, it is important to buy meats that are naturally cured or made from real ingredients, not chemicals.

Previous research has linked consumption of both red and processed meat with colorectal cancer.

 

Secrets of the world’s healthiest women

It seems like every year another country’s lifestyle is touted as the new magic bullet to cure us of obesity, heart disease, and premature death: For an unclogged heart, herd goats and down olive oil like a Mediterranean. Avoid breast cancer and live to 100 by dining on tofu Japanese-style. Stay as happy as Norwegians by hunting elk and foraging for cowberries.

The places we’re usually told to emulate are known as Blue Zones or Cold Spots. Blue Zones were pinpointed by explorer Dan Buettner and a team of longevity researchers and are described in his book “The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer from the People Who’ve Lived the Longest.” They’re areas in Italy, Japan, Greece, California, and Costa Rica where the people have traditionally stayed healthy and active to age 100 or older.

Similarly, Cold Spots, as identified by integrative medicine physician Daphne Miller, M.D., author of “The Jungle Effect,” are five areas in Mexico, Iceland, Japan, Greece, and Cameroon with low rates of “Western” ailments like heart disease, depression, and certain cancers.

To read the rest of this article, click here

Getting people to live a healthier life style

Dan Buettner is an amazing person. In 1987, he rode his bicycle 15,500 miles from Alaska to  Argentina, the first of three world records for endurance bicycling. The last of these became the subject of an Emmy-winning PBS documentary co-produced by Buettner and a book he authored, Afratrek: A Journey by Bicycle through Africa.

More recently, Buettner is known for his exploration and study of “blue zones,” a term he coined for areas of the world where people live extraordinary long and healthy lives. In April 2008, Buettner released a book on his findings, The Blue Zone: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who’ve Lived the Longest, through National Geographic Books.

In the above video, Buettner discusses why most people are unable to maintain healthy lifestyle changes such as diet and exercise. And he talks about a program he initiated in  the small town of Albert Lea, Minnesota, that resulted in lasting changes that actually increased the life expectancy of its citizens by 3.2 years.

Well worth watching if you are at all interested in living a longer life!

–DB

Stephen Hawking’s speech slowing down: Intel wants to help

Intel Corp. is looking for ways to help famed British physicist Stephen Hawking reverse the slowing of his speech, according to a senior executive with the American chipmaker.

Hawking was 21 when he was diagnosed Lou Gehrig’s disease, an incurable degenerative disorder that has left him almost completely paralyzed. While an infrared sensor attached to his glasses translates the pulses in his right cheek into words spoken by a voice synthesizer, the nerves in his face have deteriorated and those close to him say his rate of speech has slowed to about a word a minute.

Speaking late Sunday on the sidelines of a conference celebrating Hawking’s 70th birthday in the English city of Cambridge, Intel Chief Technology Officer Justin Rattner said his company had a team in England to explore ways to help the celebrity scientist communicate more quickly.

“This is a research project,” Rattner told The Associated Press, saying the team’s task was to gather data for further study.

To read more of this article, click here. To learn more about Stephen Hawing, visit his website.

 

Stephen Hawking’s speech slowing down: Intel wants to help

Stephen Hawking’s speech slowing down: Intel wants to help

Intel Corp. is looking for ways to help famed British physicist Stephen Hawking reverse the slowing of his speech, according to a senior executive with the American chipmaker. Hawking was 21 when he was diagnosed Lou Gehrig’s disease, an incurable degenerative disorder that has left him almost completely paralyzed. While an infrared sensor attached to …

Continue reading “Stephen Hawking’s speech slowing down: Intel wants to help”