Why does Anti-Aging and LIfe Extension always fail ?

originally posted by: St Udio
all these flowery explanations aside....

the individual cells as coded to be replaced only 7 times...

your liver/heart/intestines/etc. are only programmed to replace the full spectrum of cells a certain number of times ( and that corresponds to the timeline of your body not regenerating itself after some 60-70 years of wear-&-tear...)

there has been some study with long-life Tortitises And certain genes are either turned on-or-off...i can't recall...
but its' not a simple task to try to mess with Human Genes/DNA to try to live long like a 300 year-old giant Turtle

yep, my wife is 60 years old and loves her wine, I keep telling her you aren`t 18 anymore your body isn't` gonna put up with that # for much longer,and when your body gives up you won`t have a chance to quit drinking,enjoy it while you can.

God apparently favors the Jellyfish en.wikipedia.org... - Immortal Jellyfish.

More than Mankind

Mitosis.....

Improvements in health care (in the developed world at least) means that diseases that would have killed us a few decades ago are now curable. Therefore, our life limiter is how long can the body keep going and the brain remain working.

We are destined to live in a body that is time limited and just dies, or a brain that fails. If the body does not die, then the mind does. With longer life comes the increased chance of things like dementia. My wife's mother is a fit 80 year old, but she has dementia and does not even know what day it is. My mother's mind is as sharp as a knife, but her body is failing her.

Life extension has to tackle the duel problems of a biological body clock that saves the body itself and the brain. What's the point of living a long life when it's all in a care home with no dignity and life-quality?

This is interesting:

There are zones around the world [Okinawa Japan for example] where people live longer - food and diet seem to have
a lot to do with it.....

But most interesting:

"In addition to food, Buettner found another big secret to living long: Having a sense of purpose: “It’s not something we generally talk about, because no one makes money off it, but a vocabulary for purpose is essential,” he says. “Studies show people who articulate purpose live eight to 10 years longer, and have half the rates of dementia.”

Quote source:
www.yahoo.com...



"The whole thrust of science and the medical profession is to try and prevent it from happening, to try to prolong life, to keep you from dying, to keep you from getting older, to rejuvenate you. I mean, that's everybody's wish. The fountain of youth is everybody's sought-after thing."
- Woody Allen



"For the majority of people , though they do not know what to do with this life , long for another that shall have no end."
- Anatole France

a reply to: AlienView

"Exercise you say?"

Actually, it's just an avatar. LoL

"My mother who hardly ever exercised just died at 95, she looked and acted old.
A woman from France who lived to 112 was a lifetime cigarette smoker."

My grandmother and grandfather both made it to the grand old age of 91. Both drank alcohol and smoked copiously, since the turn of WW-2 not to mention also consumed generous portions of fried Scottish cuisine. Longevity is probably more to do with genetics but none the less a healthy diet is obviously a good idea for most peeps.

I'm sticking with my first answer though, our numbers and resources just would not cover the bill.

a reply to: OtherSideOfTheCoin

Telomeres.

We simply cannot protect the chromosome indefinitely from deterioration.

Entropy is a cruel mistress.

It's all vanity. No one gets out alive.,

a reply to: kosmicjack

The trick i imagine is to stop and smell the roses whilst our minds still retain the ability to appreciate the world that surrounds us.

Just like with most other things through, it's location, location, location.

As the quality of life tends to vary dependant on social circumstance.

Why is there such an aversion towards something that everyone one of us goes through? If you end up dreading it, wouldn't that cheapen this existence?

Aging is fun. It ups the difficulty level in this reality. It offers new challenges that have not been available to a person with a new and energetic body. It should be viewed as a blessing and not a curse.

The glowing eyes of the elderly that have truly lived this life and sucked all marrow from the bone should be celebrated and admired. It is a sight to behold when glimpsing those who are elderly and still love this life.

a reply to: ClovenSky

"Why is there such an aversion towards something that everyone one of us goes through? "

The simple answer is fear of the unknown.

a reply to: andy06shake

If you could somehow change that fear into anticipation or at least curiosity, wouldn't that be a better way to go through life? Is the fear really necessary? I can absolutely understand why religions use the fear but that understanding will never lead to acceptance of their treachery.

Why not enjoy this life instead? If you could change your views so that you no longer dreaded the unknown, but instead view it as a novel and then became eager to see how the plot develops, would that be so bad? As long as wanting to see what is on the other side of the veil didn't lessen your trip through this existence or hasten the end.

a reply to: ClovenSky

Two things. First, I think a lot of the world is horrible and, from my observation, horrible people tend to be afraid of death. Additionally, culture has been hijacked by marketing and capitalism and marketers only covet the most insecure, identity-seeking, easily-manipulated demographic, youth.

So, In some deseratate, vain and futile attempt to be relevant, everyone chases their youth.

a reply to: ClovenSky

Somehow i imagine the mystery is part of the Human condition.

Life shapes and forums our views and opinions, changing the dynamic of such to much to incorporate feelings of anticipation or curiosity towards what comes next, if anything, may somewhat retard our ability to experience life in the present moment.

Death kind of gives life meaning in a way.

Nothing wrong or abnormal with dying, everyone does it sooner or later. I do not fear death, I kind of think suffering sucks though. I hope to just drop dead some day and move on to a different reality. I tell you though, a nice long sleep will feel great, I wonder if we dream when we are dead, is our spirit or soul able to dream?

There are lots of people who try to capitalize on selling supplements, there are way too many for me to research information of. One thing I know for sure, just because a pharmaceutical company is saying it will extend your life, it is still probably not true. Their drugs are usually plagued with side effects because they avoid testing an array of possible side effects, they only test things that are legally required to test. A single bit of proven information, even if everything else is wrong, can be used to peddle a product. The FDA rarely even bothers to verify supplements. They do go after misrepresentation but misrepresentation does not include omission of other chemistry included in the product. Some things are required to be listed, but usually only if on a toxic list or if they are on the skimpy allergy list that the FDA uses.

originally posted by: ClovenSky
Why is there such an aversion towards something that everyone one of us goes through? If you end up dreading it, wouldn't that cheapen this existence?

Aging is fun. It ups the difficulty level in this reality. It offers new challenges that have not been available to a person with a new and energetic body. It should be viewed as a blessing and not a curse.

The glowing eyes of the elderly that have truly lived this life and sucked all marrow from the bone should be celebrated and admired. It is a sight to behold when glimpsing those who are elderly and still love this life.

Poetic and I see your point - BUT..................

People who were once strong and vibrant will do anything, anything to maintain that feeling of strength and vibrancy
as they age and begin to feel not as strong, not as sharp or vibrant - they will try to compensate.

I remember years ago the famous execise guru Jack LaLanne, [Francois Henri "Jack" LaLanne was an American fitness, exercise, and nutrition expert and motivational speaker who is sometimes referred to as the "Godfather of Fitness" and the "First Fitness Superhero". Wikipedia
Born: September 26, 1914, San Francisco, CA
Died: January 23, 2011, Morro Bay, CA]

..................who was 70 when he:

"To mark his 70th birthday, LaLanne towed a flotilla of 70 rowboats during a mile-long swim from Long Beach Harbor to the Queensway Bridge, both in Long Beach, Calif. The swim took around 2-1/2 hours, and several of the boats held passengers."
Source quote:
www.csmonitor.com...

Great feat for someone of 70 - true? But a lot of people maintain their strength through the 70s, 80s, even 60 Minutes occasionally shows people still working at over 100.

Nice as all this is - Most lose their powers, both physical and cognitive, as they age.

NO - there is nothing good about this - Would it not be better to achieve a peak [say bieng about 30] and be able to
hold on to it till the end?

Impossible you say - Nothing is impossible I reply.






Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.
- Arthur C. Clarke


The only way to discover the limits of the possible is to go beyond them into the impossible.
- Arthur C. Clarke

a reply to: AlienView

Your probably correct that something is only impossible until it's not, such is the technological prowess of our species.

However, changing the longevity dynamic of our race to anything other than what it already is whilst our numbers and resources remain the same and limited would lead to the demise of our species.

Immortality or life spans of 100s of years may be on the horizon, but until we manage to get our act together, move along to greener pastures and stop keeping all of our proverbial eggs in the one basket, it just not a practicality we could ever entertain.

Ever seen the movie "In Time"? Because that's humanities future with everyone being at peak physical condition and immortal until their monies(time) runs out.