Death is Obsolete

Shorter men live two years longer than taller men: Study

Shorter people live longer than tall people: findings from 12 studies

A new study has found that shorter men live about 2 years longer than taller men. It supports 12 other studies that shorter people live longer than taller people.

Professor Poulain, University of Louvain (Belgium) and Dr. Salaris, University of Cagliari (Italy), led a study to find out whether there’s a relationship between height and longevity among almost 500 males born between 1866 and 1915 in Sardinia, where people shorter than in the rest of Europe and tend to live longer.

In Sardinia, there are 14 municipalities that exhibit higher longevity compared to the rest of the island. In addition, as height declines in these municipalities, longevity increases.

The Sardinian research is consistent with a Spanish study, which tracked 1.3 million men through a 70-year period. It showed longevity increased with reduced height.

Similar results were found in an Ohio study by Professor Dennis Miller based on about 1700 men and women.

Samaras, a longevity researcher, found similar results based on baseball players, California veterans, football players, basketball players and famous people. Professor Krakauer also found that shorter elderly Swedish men and women live longer.

The researchers of this study noted that women are shorter than men and live longer in virtually all populations. However, Professor Miller found that when he compared men and women of the same height, their longevity was about the same. Contrary to what was expected, Poulain and Salaris found that men live as long as women in Villagrande.

A number of scientists have observed that within a species, the smaller individual tends to live longer than the bigger one. This is illustrated by smaller dogs who live longer than medium and large size dogs. Smaller mice, rats, ponies and monkeys generally live longer as well. The Asian elephant also lives longer than the larger African elephant.

The study also provides a number of biological mechanisms that explain why smaller bodies tend to live longer. These include lower DNA damage, greater cell replacement potential, higher heart pumping efficiency, decreased C-reactive protein and higher sex hormone binding globulin.

Salaris and Poulain reported that height is only one factor in how long anyone will live. It probably constitutes less than 10% of anyone’s longevity profile. Regardless of height, anyone can extend his or her longevity by healthful nutrition, low body weight, exercise, good medical care, a positive and happy spirit, and good social relations. Therefore, tall people have the potential to reach 100 years under the right conditions.

Read more: MedicalXpress.com

Eat your flavonoid-rich berries, save your mind

ScienceDaily (Apr. 26, 2012) — Blueberries and strawberries, which are high in flavonoids, appear to reduce cognitive decline in older adults according to a new study recently published inAnnals of Neurology, a journal of the American Neurological Association and Child Neurology Society. The study results suggest that cognitive aging could be delayed by up to 2.5 years in elderly people who consume greater amounts of the flavonoid-rich berries.

Flavonoids are compounds found in plants that generally have powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Experts believe that stress and inflammation contribute to cognitive impairment and that increasing consumption of flavonoids could mitigate the harmful effects. Previous studies of the positive effects of flavonoids, particularly anthocyanidins, are limited to animal models or very small trials in older persons, but have shown greater consumption of foods with these compounds improve cognitive function.

Read the rest of this article here.

Play games, eat right and don’t lose your head

by Cheryl Poirer

I was having lunch with a friend the other day and as we were going our separate ways we loosely started organizing a party. We spoke about where it should be held and I said “Yes! We’ll have it as his place because he’s got that great balcony and he has a…”

I was thinking “ barbecue” but I couldn’t find the word. I started gesturing with my hands saying, “You know a..a..,” what came out was this: “One of those box things with fire in it. You know, for cooking stuff.”

“You mean a barbecue?” We started laughing.

Memory loss is common and can begin as early as our 20s. We start to lose our noggin, so to speak. Meaning our bodies are losing brain cells faster than we replace them.

New York-Presbyterian outlines signs, symptoms of memory loss and what to do about them.

One thing we can do is eat right. Antioxidants found in certain foods have been proven to fight memory loss, as well as some foods have been known to increase memory retention!  Read more about this here.

With both of these resources in hand I’m off to the grocery store to buy things to fill my cooling box, play mind challenging amusing matches and call my friend on my small, communication device and ask if we can have a party at that large, container where he sleeps that has a great balcony and a barbecue.

Targeted Ultrasound Promising Treatment for Prostate Cancer

A new technique to treat early prostate cancer may have far fewer side-effects than existing therapies, say experts.

A 41-patient study in the journal Lancet Oncology suggests targeted ultrasound treatment could reduce the risk of impotence and incontinence.

Researchers say it could transform future treatment if the findings are repeated in larger studies.

The Medical Research Council (MRC), which funded the study, welcomed the results, which it said were promising.

Each year 37,000 men in the UK are diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Many face a difficult dilemma: the disease kills about 10,000 men every year, but for some it may not get worse if left untreated.

Standard treatment with surgery or radiotherapy involves treating the whole prostate gland, and can harm surrounding tissue, with a serious risk of side-effects, including urinary incontinence and impotence.

Targeted treatment

Doctors at University College Hospital in London have carried out the first trial using high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) aimed at small patches of cancer cells on the prostate.

This was a “proof of concept” study involving 41 patients.

Read the full article here

World’s oldest supermodel shares her secrets

Daphne Selfe
83 year old supermodel Daphne Selfe

At 83, Daphne Selfe appears in fashion magazines (Vogue) and walks the Paris catwalks. Her secrets: Long hair, no Botox and a little Boots face cream She related her longevity and beauty secrets to the Daily Mail:

On staying positive: “The drops I have to put in my eyes (for glaucoma) have made my lashes grow! So there is always a plus side.”

On staying passionate: “It’s important to remain passionate about things. I’m going to a meeting later about saving our local church, and I’m off to France next week to see the village that is twinned with the one where I live in Hertfordshire. I garden, I walk a lot and I do yoga — my version of yoga, I don’t have time for classes.”

On women and work: “It’s dreadful women today have to work and can’t look after their families.”

On aging:  “It’s going to happen, so why worry? My generation got on with it.”

What she’s afraid of: “Falling ill. I want to just keel over one day and, if not, I want someone to knock me over the head. I don’t ever want to be a nuisance.”

On staying fit and lively: “I think it’s partly down to good genes. My mother was a livewire, she lived until she was 95. I’ve never really bothered with skin cream or anything like that. I might use a bit of Boots (face cream).”

Read the whole piece in the Daily Mail:  World’s oldest super model

World’s oldest supermodel shares her secrets

Targeted Ultrasound Promising Treatment for Prostate Cancer

A new technique to treat early prostate cancer may have far fewer side-effects than existing therapies, say experts. A 41-patient study in the journal Lancet Oncology suggests targeted ultrasound treatment could reduce the risk of impotence and incontinence. Researchers say it could transform future treatment if the findings are repeated in larger studies. The Medical Research Council …

Continue reading “Targeted Ultrasound Promising Treatment for Prostate Cancer”