Daily Archives: February 21, 2022

The Myth of Aging Gracefully – transhumanist-party.org

Posted: February 21, 2022 at 6:27 pm

Arin Vahanian

Its something nearly all of us have heard (or have even said) at some point in our lives: Doesnt he look great for his age? Or how about, Its hard to believe that she is 85! At first glance, it may seem like an act of kindness to say such things. Indeed, I am all for making people feel better about themselves and encouraging people to be better and to do better, in life. However, if we observe the thought process behind such statements, we may find that it is dishonest to say such things. No matter how good someone may look in their advanced age, the facts remain that a 20-year-old will always look better than an 80-year-old. It is also true that a 20-year-old will be healthier than an 80-year-old.

But why am I stating the obvious? After all, isnt aging inevitable? Also, shouldnt we have some compassion for the elderly? While admitting the reality of the current situation in regard to aging and aging-related diseases and having compassion for others is very important, we need to take a deep look at how our views, beliefs, and actions may actually be preventing us from helping many millions of people avoid needless pain and suffering. These very same views, beliefs, and actions may be condemning those same people to years or decades of poor health and may also be preventing us from achieving improvement and mastery in life.

Please dont get me wrong. I am not saying that we should destroy peoples self-esteem or make the already difficult situation of aging even worse by being insensitive and cruel. However, I am saying that our current beliefs about aging may be preventing us from getting people the help they need so that they can live more productive, healthier, and happier lives. Ultimately, that is what it is all about: helping people to be better and to live better.

It is not shallow to want humans to live longer, healthier lives, and to look, feel, and actually be younger and healthier. It comes from a deep caring for the human condition. I can completely understand why we would say that someone looks great for their age. It is because we find it very difficult to come to terms with the absolute horror of aging, so we try to devise ways to deal with it without actually dealing with it, while making others, and ourselves, feel better about our current plight.

Anyone who has been to a nursing home or retirement home can attest to this. Anyone who thinks that aging can be graceful should visit a nursing home and take a look at all the people unable to move around, feed themselves, or think coherently. Needing assistance with performing basic bodily functions is anything but graceful.

Even though we know deep down inside that it is wrong to insinuate that losing basic bodily functions can be graceful or inspirational, we continue to perpetuate the lie. Why? Because on some level, we need to try to make sense of the cruelty of biology, and we need some way to deal with the horrible prospect of aging and death.

However, no great challenge plaguing humanity was resolved through flowery prose, euphemisms, or by hope alone. Indeed, the entire scientific community joined forces to come up with vaccines for COVID-19 in a matter of months. Sure, it wasnt perfect, and the road was anything but a smooth one, but humanity is capable of great things when we have many people working together on a common goal. Recently, that goal has been the eradication of COVID-19. Why couldnt the next goal be eradicating aging-related diseases?

Now, I understand that the problems of aging-related diseases and aging are infinitely more complex and difficult to tackle than a virus. However, just because something is difficult or complex does not mean we should give up, especially when the stakes are so high. In fact, one could argue that the stakes have never been greater. We could easily perform a thought experiment and visualize the benefits to society in terms of reducing pain and dramatically increasing the quality of life, not to mention ensuring that our economies and societies are healthier and more robust as a result of not having to expend enormous amounts of money, time, and resources to treat people suffering from aging-related illnesses.

Critics of life extension, the prospect of reversing aging, or even Transhumanism itself, may lash out with criticisms such as, If there werent enough problems on Earth, now theyre going after the one thing we cant solve! I have discussed and dispelled the numerous objections to longevity and longevity research in my previous articles, so I wont bring them up here again. However, I will say that while I respect each persons opinions about life extension and longevity, no one has the right to choose how long human beings get to live. Certainly no one has the right to prevent humanity from living happier, healthier lives.

Despite what ones opinion may be about spending time, money, and resources on fighting aging and aging-related diseases, the fact remains that biology does not care how wealthy or poor you are. Dementia does not care if you have been a generous andkind person in life. Aging and aging-related illnesses can and do affect everyone who is lucky enough to become old enough to experience them.

The proper response to the criticisms is to stand tall and to maintain, with scientific data and evidence (of which there is an abundance), the many benefits that society would receive if we were to reverse or eliminate aging and aging-related illnesses. Or, even better, to actually do something about it! We need every available man and woman in the fight against aging-related diseases.

If we are honest with ourselves, the reality of the situation is that we have concocted this myth of aging gracefully so that we can help ourselves deal with the tragedy of aging-related diseases and offer some dignity to those who are suffering from aging-related diseases. In fact, I would go so far as to say that is entirely understandable why we would do this; when faced with something we cannot currently cure, or resolve (the problems of aging, deterioration, and death), it would be downright foolish to deny the problem or to pretend there is a resolution for it, when there isnt. However, we are doing no one any favors by throwing in the towel and resigning ourselves to a state of affairs in which the final years (and in some cases, the final decades) of life are full of pain and decay.

No one should have to succumb to aging-related diseases the way our elderly are currently doing. Understandably, there is much outrage when a young person is killed by a random act of violence, or when war causes a massive loss of life. However, where is the outrage when our loved ones suffer for years, only to shrivel and die, lost in their own loneliness and hopelessness?

A world in which we have vanquished the specter of aging-related illnesses means a world without many millions experiencing massive agonyand pain at the hands of aging, a world where we need not watch our loved ones deteriorate and then perish, and a world without thedespondency and dread that often accompany old age.

The most logical way to approach the subject of aging and aging-related illnesses is not to say that one should approach aging with dignity. There is no dignity in being fed through a tube or in wasting away in a hospital bed, only to later be buried in a wooden box or be burnt to ashes. The most logical way to approach the subject of aging and aging-related diseases is to treat it as we would treat poverty, crime, or any other problem that plagues humanity. We must define the problem and then work on a solution. But if we delude ourselves and somehow try to manipulate society into thinking that suffering and then dying from aging-related illnesses is graceful, we will never solve the problem. We will keep dancing around the problem. We may make ourselves feel better about it temporarily, but the biggest problem is that while we avoid the issue, we ourselves face extinction by the hands of time. Instead of arguing that one can age gracefully, we should be arguing that watching our loved ones suffer and die from aging-related illness is undignified and unacceptable, and that we as a society will do something about it.

Even if we never completely solve the problem of aging and death, if we could at least reduce the massive suffering inflicted upon humanityby the biological process of aging, we will have done humanity a great service. And that would hopefully be a stepping stone to eventually eliminating aging-related illnesses for good. Indeed, there are many millions of elderly languishing in nursing homes or hospitals today, who are hoping and praying for a cure to what ails them. It would truly be a noble cause to offer the elderly some real hope through scientific breakthroughs that promise to cure their suffering and pain. This is the promise of Transhumanism that humanity can be better, and do better. One of the ways we can do better and be better is to banish aging-related diseases to the dustbin of history, thus allowing human beings more time and more opportunities to do great things in life.

Arin Vahanian is the Vice-Chairman of the U.S. Transhumanist Party.

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Guardians of the Galaxy launch sales "undershot expectations" – Gamesradar

Posted: at 6:27 pm

Guardians of the Galaxy didnt sell as well as Square Enix expected upon its launch last year.

The publisher shared its disappointment in a financial results briefing earlier this month, but pledged to make up for the slow start through further sales in 2022. Its a shame for Guardians of the Galaxy, which GamesRadar+ rated four stars and deemed to be up there with the best the Marvel movies have to offer. But if developer Eidos Montreal is freed up from making a sequel, that could spell good news for fans of the studios other series, Deus Ex.

Despite strong reviews, the games sales on launch undershot our initial expectations, said Square Enix president Yosuke Matsuda. However, sales initiatives that we kicked off in November 2021 and continued into the new year have resulted in sales growth, and we intend to work to continue to expand sales to make up for the titles slow start.

Eidos Montreal was asked to apply its talent to Guardians of the Galaxy after 2016s Deus Ex: Mankind Divided. The game had been the first major product in an intended Deus Ex Universe - an ongoing, expanding and connected world that would span several Deus Ex games. But as Square Enix redirected the efforts of its top Western studios towards the Marvel license, Deus Ex fell by the wayside.

Its fair to say that Square Enixs Marvel initiative hasnt been the immediate pop-cultural slam dunk it had hoped for - but the publisher isnt struggling. While net sales in the HD Games segment that included Guardians of the Galaxy and Outriders were lower than during the same period in the previous fiscal year, the company benefitted from the sharp growth in Final Fantasy 14 subscribers that surrounded Endwalker.

Perhaps now, with Guardians of the Galaxy in the rear view mirror, the publisher might look to revive its Deus Ex Universe. The series enjoyed a resurgence in popularity in the wake of Cyberpunk 2077, which sold players on a similar kind of non-linear transhuman fantasy.

The Guardians of the Galaxy find their way towards the top of our list of the best superhero games.

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Hybrid Humans by Harry Parker review man and machine in harmony – The Guardian

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It is now 13 years since Harry Parker stepped on an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan, creating a blast that would result in the loss of both legs. Alongside the physical pain of the subsequent weeks, months and years, he also had to cope with a profound change in his sense of self. He compares the experience to that of Gregor Samsa, the subject of Franz Kafkas The Metamorphosis the strangeness of not being who you used to be, turned into something that sets you apart from those around you.

Equipped with two hi-tech prosthetic limbs, Parker can now walk holding hands with his wife and carry his children on his shoulders. From the outside, it would be easy to conclude that he has adapted extraordinarily well to the event and he says that being an amputee feels normal. But he still considers himself to be a different person a new body with a new identity who is 12% machine.

It is this transformation that forms the emotional and intellectual heart of Parkers fascinating new book, Hybrid Humans, which examines the cutting edge of medical technology and the implications of these developments for our identities. The term hybrid human is personal: it sits more comfortably than other potential descriptions for his experience, Parker says compared with disabled at the one extreme or cyborg at the other.

The term may have the ring of futurism for many readers, but hybrid humans have been around since antiquity. Just consider Tabaketenmut, the daughter of an Egyptian priest who lived about 3,000 years ago. She seems to have lost her big toe to gangrene, which would have been a huge impediment to walking. (The big toe carries 40% of our body weight as we propel ourselves forward.) To solve this problem, she was equipped with an articulated prosthesis, made from wood and leather, with holes that could have laced the artificial toe to the foot. Ancient Romans, meanwhile, created prosthetic limbs from bronze and wood.

Parkers writing is elegant and often lyrical. He is particularly eloquent when describing the psychology of hybridity how the mind melds with the machine. The brain, we hear, can quickly enlarge its body map to encompass a tool, creating the sense that it is a physical part of us. It is the reason that drivers duck when their car passes under a low barrier in some sense, we have become the vehicle. Even an object such as a smartphone can become an extension of our mind as we come to rely on it for memory storage and communication.

This neural flexibility is common to all human beings. We are set up for plug and play, Parker says. But the emotional connection between an amputee such as Parker and the prostheses they wear is necessarily much more profound than most peoples experiences of technology. His legs may not be made of flesh, but they are critical for his humanity. When I am without them, I feel less alive, he writes.

Awe-inspiring innovations have made Parkers current life possible. His right knee, for example, is controlled by a microprocessor, with sophisticated sensors that can gauge the forces on the leg and guide its movements. It is, he says, like having another brain within his limb. And Parker gives us a taste of even more astonishing developments from the technological frontier, describing technologies such as exoskeletons fitted over the body that could allow people who are paralysed to walk again, and robotic skin, fitted with sensors, that could restore a sense of touch to people with spinal cord injuries.

Such successes are often overhyped by the media, but Parker avoids this trap. Newspapers and websites may breathlessly celebrate the use of bionic eyes that can allow people with visual impairments to see again, for instance, but Parker points out that the resolution is very low. At best, someone using these devices can make out a few shapes that may help with navigation. And there are risks. Bionic eyes use metal electrodes implanted in the brain to communicate their signals. The electrical discharge can damage neural tissue, rendering them less effective over time. Scientists may find solutions to these problems such as electrodes coated with stem cells that may sprout roots into the living tissue but progress is made of small steps rather than giant leaps.

Unlike many technology writers, Parker also recognises the social inequalities that are inherent in these innovations. Organisations such as the NHS cannot invest in the most up-to-date prostheses, meaning that the latest technology must be bought with private riches. For some, the necessary funds may come through insurance or compensation but if you are born poor, with a congenital disorder, you may never make use of any of these technological developments within your lifetime. (My mother, an amputee, is still using the same basic design of prosthetic leg that she was given more than four decades ago.) Parker points out that it is often the very people who are most likely to suffer disability who are the least able to afford the best treatment which, of course, makes it harder to find a way out of the poverty trap.

His scepticism is particularly welcome when he meets some transhumanists, the followers of a philosophical movement that advocates the use of technology to overcome the limitations of our evolved brains and bodies. Among their many plans, they suggest that we all be fitted with brain implants that could give us instant access to vast stores of knowledge or link us up to other brains to create telepathic communication. Some transhumanists even hope that technology will allow us to beat death by, for example, uploading our consciousness to an artificial intelligence, so that we are no longer reliant on our ageing and fragile wetware.

For now, these are far-fetched dreams, and its not just the practical challenges of creating this technology that bothers Parker; the goals themselves seem undesirable. I cant imagine the pain, anxiety and frustrations of being a sentient being uploaded to a hard drive what it would be like never again to feel rain on my face, or the visceral feeling of my family when we all bundle together on the sofa for a hug. And doesnt the possibility of death add meaning to our lives that would be lost with technological immortality?

As someone who has lived as a hybrid for more than a decade, Parker never forgets the realities of everyday life, which encompass both pain and beauty. This may be a tour of the scientific avant garde, but the focus is always on the human heart and mind.

David Robson is a science writer and author of The Expectation Effect: How Your Mindset Can Transform Your Life (Canongate)

Hybrid Humans: Dispatches from the Frontiers of Man and Machine by Harry Parker is published by Profile Books and Wellcome Collection (14.99). To support the Guardian and Observer order your copy at guardianbookshop.com. Delivery charges may apply

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10 of the most outrageous things that have ever happened at CPAC – indy100

Posted: at 6:27 pm

CPAC the Conservative Political Action Conference runs at the beginning of every year and its always an interesting event, to say the least.

Its often attended by Republicans, right-wing commentators, prominent media personalities and other right-wing activists. The event began in 1974, but has really picked up steam in the last decade, even more so after Trumps election. This year, its in - person at The Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando, Florida. Speakers include former U.S. President Donald Trump, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, and Sean Hannity

On that note here are the top 10 of the most outrageous things which have ever happened at CPAC.

1. Member of Happy Science cult talks at CPAC 2021

Hiroaki Jay Aeba, a prominent Japanese conservative, will be speaking at CPAC 2021 he first spoke at the event in 2011. Aeba is the chairman of the Japanese Conservative Union, a right-wing political organization, and he helped found CPAC Japan, which has been running for the last four years in Tokyo. Seems above board - but Aeba is also a prominent member of the Happy Science cult, a Japanese cult who claims to be the incarnation of multiple gods.

2. Trump Jr makes #MeToo a CPAC joke, CPAC 2019

In 2019, Donald Trump Jr took part in a panel at CPAC, with other prominent right-wing commentators, including Charlie Kirk, who founded Turning Point, a right wing organisation catering to students and young people. Don Trump JR then suggested that Jerry Falwell Jr, one of the other panellists, should have been called Trump, (she was named Reagan). He then bizarrely said hashtag me too, which is almost unsurprising for Don Jr.

3. Diamond and Silk notice the last four letters of Democrats spells rats, CPAC 2020

Who could forget Diamond and Silk, two entertainers or right-wing commentators (its unclear what exactly they do), who have been Trump stalwarts since Day One. Theyre frequent guests on Fox News and InfoWars, and in 2020, they made a bizarre speech at CPAC where they pointed out that the last four letters of Democrats spelled rats, which is technically true but not really that noteworthy. They also pointed out that the last four letters of Republican spell out I can, which also just doesnt feel that special.

4. Trump admits that he isnt concerned at all about Covid-19, CPAC 2020

In 2020, CPAC was held just before the coronavirus pandemic caused states to lockdown. During that time, people were worried about potential superspreader events and even after people who had been at CPAC tested positive for Covid-19, Trump said that he wasnt concerned at all about the spread of the pandemic, which seems to have been an omen for darker times ahead.

5. Trump kisses a flagpole and mocks Greta Thunberg, CPAC 2020

In 2020, Trump kissed a flagpole and mocked Greta Thunberg during his speech, during which he also called prominent Republican senator Mitt Romney a low life. He also complimented Joe Bidens wife, while insulting now president Joe Biden, and then delved back into insulting the media. Pretty standard stuff for Trump, but it was still pretty bizarre to watch it altogether.

6. Trump admits he is balding, CPAC 2018

In 2018, Trump admitted during a keynote address that he was balding and that he does try a lot to hide a certain bald spot.

7. Ann Coulter upsets everyone, CPAC 2007 and 2008

Ann Coulter, the right-wing media personality, made several offensive remarks during her appearances at CPAC in 2008, but potentially one of the strangest was saying that the best thing that had ever happened to the campaign of Barack Hussein Obama was when he was born half black. The year before, she also called another media personality a homophobic slur.

8. Republican governor says he would rather go Waterboarding than listen to 70 political speeches, CPAC 2013.

While CPAC has been running for several years, media coverage of the event really started to pick up after Trump was elected. But previous years also had their fair share of controversy see Salons roundup of the most offensive remarks made on stage at CPAC 2013. The most outrageous of which might have come from Bobby Jindal, the former governor of Louisiana, who said that he would rather be waterboarded a controversial and common torture technique - than listen to 70 political speeches at CPAC, an event that he had chosen to both go to and actively participate in.

9. Nigel Farage and Marion Marechal-Le-Pen appear, CPAC 2018

Nigel Farage of UKIP and Marion Marechal-Le-Pen both spoke at CPAC in 2018 Marechal-Le-Pen warned attendees of the dangers of transhumanism, which is commonly used to refer to a movement of people who want to live forever with the aid of technology and science, but obviously wasnt what Le Pen was referring to. Farage took the opportunity to attack George Soros and praised Viktor Orban, the far-right prime minister of Hungary, for having the courage to stand up to him.

10. Organisers booed for asking attendees to wear masks, CPAC 2021

On the first day of CPAC 2021, when organisers told conference-goers to wear masks as they should at a primarily indoor event, they were booed off the stage. This is despite the fact that it is against the law to not wear a mask indoors in Florida at the moment, particularly in a gathering of the size of CPAC.

More: Marjorie Taylor Greenes despicable transphobic display proves she has no understanding of the Equality Act

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Man says aliens showed him WW3 and it will involve grim ‘skin-melting’ weapons – Daily Star

Posted: at 6:24 pm

A bloke who claims he was abducted by aliens from outer space says the extra-terrestrial creatures showed him visions of the future including a terrifying preview of a grim global war with peoples skin melting off.

Calvin Parker, who was just 19 when he was fishing in Mississippi and was allegedly grabbed into a UFO with lobster-like claws, says his alien encounter also predicted the Covid outbreak.

He told The Sun: "I had a near death experience while on board this craft. This was when my blood was drained out of me and then replaced with what I still dont know.

"Then things were shown to me, things from the past, present and future. I guess one could call it a curse.

Brave Calvin decided to keep his visions a secret for almost half a century but he is now terrified they are beginning to become true and has decided to speak out.

In light of Vladimir Putin preparing troops for an invasion that could see the 44-tonne Father Of All Bombs dropped on Ukraine, Calvins predictions are even more concerning.

He continued: There is going to be a great war that one side blames the other. In my vision I have seen peoples skin melt off their body.

"I dont know if its a nuclear war or not but it puts nation against nation. There will not be a nation on Earth that is not touched by this war.

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After the war, the land will be so bad it cant grow anything so people will starve. There will be no water supply either.

But its not all bad news, and the extra-terrestrial expert does say the human race will rise above the conflict.

"After a while the people will start healing and everyone will come together and realize the mistakes they made," he said.

"Things will get better, slowly but surely.

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Fashion Week AW22: All The Best Beauty Looks – MSN UK

Posted: at 6:24 pm

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Fashion week is back, people. And frankly, the sartorial relief has never been more welcome: our newsfeeds have been dominated with partygate, and god, why does WW3 suddenly feel disgustingly imminent?

Praise the fashion gods for delivering excellent shows so far. We've seen Euphoria-esque, cool girl co-ords from Coach; tulles on tulles from Carolina Herrera, and a full latex ensemble from Christian Siriano. The fashion has - inevitably - been a delicious spectacle.

The eyes of Grazia's beauty team though, naturally, are on the make-up. The beauty looks to come from fashion week are something to marvel at, and forecast trends to know for the year ahead. Graphic eyeliner? Neon eyeshadow? Bare, glossy lips? You'll see it at fashion week first.

Strap yourself in and scroll on down for some serious fashion week make-up inspo. Take notes: we anticipate you'll be seeing a whole lot more of them in the weeks to come.

Christian Cowan opted for glossy, smudgy eyes and clear glossy lips to accompany. Chic, but don't wear this one outside in the wind.

The theme here? Well placed gloss, apparently. Marrisa Wilson applied it strategically in the places you'd naturally get a little perspiration (the nasolabial folds) - but actually, it doesn't look sweaty. A few larger specks of glitter placed above the crease of the eye and underneath accompanied it.

XXL wings are in vogue, according to LaQuan. Eyeshadow is matched at equal length with the wing, and elongates the eye.

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Neon, blocky, cobalt eyeshadow works particularly well against untouched skin in Dion Lee's show.

There was one common theme on the catwalks of Carolina Herrera: long, straight eyeliner. Surprisingly, it works - and doesn't drag the eye downward.

NARS were behind the looks at Tory Burch at NYFW. Make-up artist Diane Kendal says they wanted to highlight 'healthy skin, and they achieved the lit-from-within look using the new NARS Light Reflecting Foundation.'

Behind another NARS look, Diane Kendal combines a lightweight, luminous foundation with a strong, matte lip for 'the perfect play on textures.'

Stylist's at Dyson created this sleek braid-meets-bun. The key to a pristine parting? The Dyson Supersonic (with the Professional Styling Concentrator attachment) to direct airflow down the hair shafts at each side.

Zimmerman opted for blue liner that closely hugged the lashline.

Sofia Tilbury at Charlotte Tilbury was the artist behind the looks at David Koma. Her inspiration? 'A sporty, post-gym glow. We wanted the models to look like they'd just been for a run, with a healthy-looking, dewy radiance.'

bareMinerals matched their make-up to the feel of Rixo's 1930's inspired collection. 'Classic, feminine and fun' was their brief: it was interpreted with a glowy skin, balmy cheeks and smudged eyes.

READ MORE: New York Fashion Week Is In Full Swing - Here's Everything You Need To Know

READ MORE: The 19 Lip Mask That Has Kendall Jenner's Approval

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Mark Petchey reacts to Novak Djokovic willing to skip tournaments over vaccine – Tennis World USA

Posted: at 6:24 pm

Mark Petchey says now that everyone knows the clear position of Novak Djokovic and tournaments it's time to switch focus to other more important things. On Tuesday, the BBC released an interview they conducted with Djokovic.

In his interview with the BBC, Djokovic confirmed that he is still unvaccinated and said that he is ready to skip tournaments over the vaccine. Djokovic has made it clear he doesn't plan to take the vaccine just for the sake of being allowed to compete in all events.

"@DjokerNole has made his views very clear. The rules of each country are now very clear on what you need to be to compete. Nothing else to say. So lets now perhaps focus on WW3 not happening because none of us need worry about Covid anymore if that starts," Petchey wrote on Twitter.

"I was never against vaccination, but I've always supported the freedom to choose what you put in your body," Djokovic told the BBC.

Djokovic says his health and well-being is more important than the all-time Grand Slam record. "Because the principles of decision making on my body are more important than any title or anything else. I'm trying to be in tune with my body as much as I possibly can," Djokovic explained.

Djokovic insists he is not against vaccination but he just wants to have the freedom of choice. "I was never against vaccination. I understand that globally, everyone is trying to put a big effort into handling this virus and seeing, hopefully, an end soon to this virus," Djokovic insisted.

Also, Djokovic recalled being detained and interrogated by the Australian Border Force. "It was very, very hard. While I was still at the airport, I couldn't use my phone for three, four hours. I was lost, really, I didn't know what was happening," Djokovic admitted.

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Meat intake is associated with life expectancy | IJGM – Dove Medical Press

Posted: at 6:23 pm

Introduction

Life expectancy at birth is the measure synthetically describing mortality in a population. It is estimated that 2030% of human life expectancy is determined by genetic factors, and 7080% is determined by environmental factors.1 Life expectancy at 5 years of age is similarly influenced by genetic factors, while it excludes neonatal, infant and early childhood mortality that depends heavily on environmental factors, especially hygiene and infection controls. These percentages, however, have not received a general scientific consensus. What is clearer is the genetic/environmental interplay that informs human health. Nutrition offers the means to improve health and well-being and acts as a significant predictive factor of healthy aging, so it appears as one of the major determinants of life expectancy.2

Extensive studies regarding the role of conventional meat containing diets and vegetarian diet (excluding meat3) in increasing our life expectancy have been controversial and circumstantial.2 Since the early Paleolithic period, meat consumption (understood as intake of parts of any animal bodies) has constituted a proportion of the hominin diet.4 It has been argued that consumption of meat, as a high-quality component of the hominin diet, allowed increases in body and brain sizes while at the same time permitting reduction of the size of the gastrointestinal tract producing typically human increased brain weight/body weight ratios.57

The effects of meat eating on human health have been debated in nutrition and diet research for a long time. Over the last 50 years, although the associations between meat eating and illness are circumstantial and controversial811 to some extent, they have prompted the spread of vegetarianism and veganism, based on the assumption that non-meat diets provide more health benefits than diets that include meat.1214 Moreover, it has been argued that vegetarianism and veganism form a part of trendy Western consumerist lifestyles only accessible to privileged white people.15 Vegetarianism that has been prevalent in Western countries has been subject to prejudice,15 low self-esteem, and low psychological adjustment.16

To date, there has been prevailing research stating that vegetarians tend to have greater life expectancy compared with non-vegetarians in some populations, particularly among Seventh-day Adventists.14,17 However, lack of population representativeness and failure to remove the influence of lifestyle in these studies have been heavily criticised.18 Thus, the suggestion that vegetarian diet improves longevity is questionable. For example, several studies with large sample sizes conducted in Australia18 and the United Kingdom19,20 did not show that meat eating correlated negatively with life expectancy after controlling for health-related elements of lifestyles.

Meat intake has been associated with adverse health issues, but the evidence in support of this hypothesis is limited and reliant on epidemiologic associations as opposed to clinical trials, which are supposed to reveal a cause-and-effect relation.2125 For instance, epidemiological studies in humans could not reveal a direct relationship between nitrite and/or nitrate, which has been assumed as the major carcinogenic factor derived from meat consumption, and cancer development.25

Before agriculture was introduced (circa 119000 years ago), human ancestors could not grow, harvest and store the majority of plant-based products as the staple food. Plant foods are mostly accessible only in particular seasons of the year.26 Contrariwise, animals, including large game, small animal, fish and some insects, could constantly provide humans with meat as the staple food.5,2630

Although modern agriculture diversifies our diet components and offers us many food choices, meat is still one of the significant food components worldwide.31 Modern nutritional science has revealed that meat provides complete nutrition. Modern food technology is capable of producing artificially all meat components, so that in special situations complete meat contents can be introduced into a diet without including actual muscle tissue of animals. This, however, does not argue against the benefits of eating meat. On the contrary, it supports that meat contents are necessary for good human nutrition. Availability of artificially produced meat may provide a solution for people who are ethically opposed to killing animals.

This population-based study, using data collected by the United Nations and its agencies, tests the hypothesis that, worldwide, populations with more meat consumption have greater life expectancies.

The data for this study were selected in consideration of the following criteria:

a) Listed all the countries/territories of the world (research subjects) with data on meat intake, and then collected other variables that were matched with this list. A set of data consisting of 175 populations with all required information available was obtained for this study. This covers approximately 90% of the world.

b) Considered the 3 years delayed presentation of effects of meat intake on metabolic/physical changes possibly affecting health adversely.

c) Included the major potential confounding factors, such as total calories consumed, wealth measured by the gross domestic product (GDP PPP), urbanization, obesity and education levels.

A whole set of data is attached to this article (Appendix 1).

1) The independent variables are the cross-population food supply data32 on food groups of total meats (flesh of animals used for food, The FAO 201833), cereals, starchy roots, sugar and sweeteners (sugars). These variables are expressed in grams per person per day in each population. In order to avoid random errors occurring during the data collection and integration, each variable was averaged for the years 20112013. These most up-to-date data were captured from the Food Balance Sheet published by the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO).

Cereals, starchy roots and sugars are primarily energy sources that do not provide a large nutrient range. They have been clustered and new variable carbohydrate crops was created as the independent contrast variable to meat. Another reason for clustering is that meat used to provide over 50% energy needs before the introduction of agriculture circa 119000 years ago,26 while carbohydrate foods eventually became a source of over 50% of current human energy needs.32

Additionally, we extracted the world meat intake data (g/day/capita) for all the years with the available FAO data (19612013) as the independent variable to correlate with the worldwide longitudinal life expectancy for the same years.

In terms of meat source included in this study, it is necessary to highlight that, in order to reflect the real meat consumption in human diet, we included total meat intake, instead of a particular animal meat or a particular group of animal meat as the predicting variable. As per the FAO, meat is defined as flesh of animals used for food, and total meat includes beef and veal, buffalo meat, pig meat, mutton and lamb, goat meat, horse meat, chicken meat, goose meat, duck meat, turkey meat, rabbit meat, game meat and offal.33

2) The dependent variables in the analysis were the population level life expectancy at birth (e(0)), and at 5 years (e(5)) for both sexes calculated for the period of 20102015 by region, subregion and country published by the United Nations.34 The child mortality rate before age 5 years (average of years 20112013) was also extracted from the World Bank data35 as another dependent variable.

3) The potential confounding variables are population-specific data on:

i) Total calories intake (kcal/capita/day) which was the average for the 3 years (201113) as per FAO Food Balance Sheet32

The relationship between total energy intake, rather than that of particular nutrients in the diet, and life span has been debated in animal and human models3638 so it needed to be controlled for.

ii) GDP PPP, purchasing power parity in 2011 US dollars for comparability among countries as per the World Bank data39

Income and wealth, as a measure of socioeconomic status, have been less frequently used but are an important variable along with education and occupation in affecting human health and life span.40,41

iii) Urbanization, the percentage of the population living in urban areas as determined by the United Nations (UN) Population Divisions World Urbanization Prospects42

Urbanization implies considerable changes in the living habits of extant humans, easy access to health care,43 how they earn their livelihoods, dietary regimes, and the wide range of environmental factors to which humans are exposed.4346 Consequently, some researchers have assumed that urban populations are healthier than their rural counterparts.43

iv) Obesity levels as measured by the prevalence of adult individuals with the body mass index (BMI) equal to or exceeding 30 kg/m2 were obtained from WHO.47 Obesity is a result of metabolic imbalances and is considered as a risk factor for a number of non-communicable diseases.

We have also used information on the percentage of vegetarians in countries (N=30) that had this information available and on the level of education as measured by the percentage of adults (>25 years old) with completed primary school education (World Development Indicators).48 These latter data were available only for 103 countries, and the rationale for exploring the relationship between the level of education and e(0) is that education may affect eating habits and domestic food preparation.

Our data analysis proceeded in five steps to examine the association between meat intake and life expectancies and child mortality at the population level:

1. Scatter plots were produced with the cross-population data (not transformed) in Microsoft Excel to explore and visualize the strength, shape and direction of worldwide cross-sectional association between meat intake and life expectancy and mortality variables.

To highlight the hypothesis and facilitate the readership to understand the meaning of this study, the correlation between total meat intake and e(0) was explored in each WHO region with the scatterplots.

2. Bivariate (Pearsons r and Spearmans rho) correlations were performed to evaluate the direction and strength of the correlations between all the variables across all countries. Log transformed data were used to improve homoscedasticity of data distributions. Curve estimation function of the SPSS was used to explore shape of relationships between logarithmed data. In all cases linear relationships were better or equal to the long list of possible other relationships including logarithmic, inverse, quadratic, cubic, compound, power, growth, S-curve, exponential and logistic. Distributions of residuals around linear regression lines were close to normal (Appendix 2). Thus, linear relationships were consistently used in our analyses of log-transformed variables.

Nonparametric correlation analysis was conducted to examine whether the Pearsons correlations between logarithmed values of life expectancy/mortality and all variables differ due to potentially non-homoscedastic distributions of variables.

3. Partial correlation of Pearsons moment-product approach was performed to identify the worldwide correlations between meat intake and life expectancy/mortality independent of the potential confounding variables, energy intake, urbanization, GDP PPP and obesity.

4. Standard multiple linear regression was conducted to identify and rank the variables that had the greatest predicting effects on life expectancies and mortality.

Since life expectancies and mortality measures are strongly correlated (Table 1), most further analyses were carried out only for the life expectancy at birth.

Table 1 Pearson's r (Above the Diagonal) and Nonparametric rho (Below the Diagonal) Coefficients of Correlation Between All Variables Studied (Log-Transformed Variables)

To compare the magnitudes of contribution of meat intake and carbohydrate crops to life expectancy stepwise linear regression analysis was repeated twice when meat intake and carbohydrate crops were excluded, respectively. The decrease of R2 due to exclusions of meat intake and carbohydrate crops was respectively calculated and compared.

5. Countries grouped for the association analysis.

Human diet patterns, varying in different food components, may be affected by the food availability type in a particular region, socio-economic status and by cultural beliefs. In order to demonstrate that a correlation exists between meat availability and life expectancy regardless of these factors, countries were grouped for correlation analyses. The criteria for grouping countries were:

1) Developed and developing world defined by the United Nations;49

2) Six regions grouped by WHO:50 African Region (AFRO), Region of the Americas (AMRO), South-East Asia Region (SEARO), European Region (EURO), Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMRO), and Western Pacific Region (WPRO);

3) Countries sharing specific characteristics such as geography, culture, development role or socio-economic status,51 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD),52 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC),53 Southern African Development Community (SADC),54 the Arab World,55 Latin America (LA), and Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD).56 All the population listings were sourced from their official websites for matching, except LA which is self-classified based on the region primarily speaking romance languages.

4) In particular, two country clusters that are associated with overall health benefits are created for exploring the relationships between the level of total meat intake and e(0):

A list of countries that have the percentage of vegetarian population segment was accessed through the extensive internet search. Its summary can be accessed at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegetarianism_by_country#cite_note-2. This list was matched to the populations with the data on life expectancy.

Countries primarily on the Mediterranean diet were grouped. The Mediterranean diet is a way of eating that is based on the traditional cuisines of Greece, Italy and other countries that border the Mediterranean Sea. It includes meat but also primarily plant-based food, such as olive oil, grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts and herbs. Due to the combination of food components, the Mediterranean diet is considered a comprehensively healthy diet and has been associated with a reduction in all-cause mortality in most of observational studies.57,58 However, it is not clear if a portion of a particular food component, such as total meat can improve its health effect leading to greater life expectancy. We extracted the countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea and matched them to the list of countries with available data on e(0) for creating a country group, Mediterranean diet.

5) Countries above and below the average meat intake The FAO 2018.33

The population list was also stratified into two population groupings based on our calculated mean daily meat intake. The high meat intake group was comprised of populations with more than 138.82 g/day/capita meat consumption on daily basis; and the low meat intake group included those populations with less than 138.82 g/day/capita on daily basis. The relationships between meat eating and life expectancies were examined in these two population groups, respectively.

Bivariate correlations, partial correlation of Pearsons moment-product and multiple linear regression analysis were conducted with SPSS v. 25 on the log-transformed variables. Microsoft Excel was used for scatter plots of raw data (not log transformed). The significance of association was kept at the 0.05 level, but 0.01 and 0.001 levels were also reported. Standard multiple linear regression analysis criteria were set at probability of F to enter 0.05 and probability of F to remove 0.10.

Figure 1 shows, globally, the cross-sectional association between meat intake and life expectancies and child mortality. Life expectancies show linear positive regression on meat consumption, while child mortality is negatively exponentially related to meat intake. All regressions show strong correlations meat intake explains at least 50% of variance in life expectancy and mortality.

Figure 1 The worldwide cross-sectional association between meat intake and life expectancy at birth, at 5 years of age and child mortality below the age of 5 years.

Notes: Data sources: Meat consumption is expressed in g/capita/day and extracted from the FAO website. Life expectancy data are measured with at birth and 5 years old respectively and extracted from the United Nations. Mortality rate was extracted from the World Bank website.

The relationship trend was observed in the WHO regions except in SEARO (Figure 2).

Figure 2 The relationship between meat intake and life expectancy at birth in each WHO region.

Notes: The cross-sectional association between predicting variable (meat intake) and dependent variables (life expectancy at birth) was graphed for each WHO region in the scatterplots above, respectively. Data sources: meat consumption is expressed in g/capita/day and extracted from the FAO website. Life expectancy is measured at birth. Unit of axis: the X-axis Meat consumption (kg/person/year); the Y-axis Life expectancy at birth (year).

Table 1 presents, worldwide, that, in Pearsons r analysis, e(0) shows significant and strong correlation with meat intake (r=0.710, p<0.001) and weak and negative correlation with carbohydrate crops intake (r=0.111, p=0.150). Other measures of life expectancy and mortality show similar relationships. Nonparametric correlations indicate similar relationships between variables studied (Table 1).

Table 2 indicates that in partial correlation analysis life expectancies and child mortality correlate significantly with meat intake when controlling for carbohydrate crops intake, urbanization, GDP PPP, calories, and obesity. However, with meat intake and the same potential confounding factors being kept constant, carbohydrate crops do not correlate with life expectancy and child mortality at all. This may imply that meat intake correlates with life expectancy not because of its energy contribution, but rather due to other nutrient effects.

Table 2 Pearson's r, and Partial Correlations Between Meat Intake and Life Expectancies and Child Mortality

Table 3 shows that meat intake is identified as the one of the variables that have a significant influence on life expectancies and child mortality when all the six variables, GDP PPP, calories, meat, urban, obesity and carbohydrate crops are included as predictors in multivariate linear regression analysis.

Table 3 Results of Multiple Linear Regression Analyses to Identify Significant Predictors of Life Expectancy e(0), e(5) and Child Mortality (n=171175)

When meat is excluded as one of the predicting variables respectively in linear regression, adjusted R2 decreases by about 0.03. Carbohydrate crops are not a significant predictor of life expectancies/mortality in either model regardless of whether meat is included as one of the predicting variables or not. Statistically, this means that carbohydrate foods do not contribute to the change of life expectancy nor child mortality. This finding corresponds to the lack of correlation of carbohydrate intake with life expectancies in Pearsons r correlation, Spearmans rho and partial correlation analysis.

Table 4 shows that, in general, meat intake is correlated with life expectancy in different population groupings regardless of cultural backgrounds, socioeconomic status, meat intake level and geographic locations of the clustered countries.

Table 4 Correlation of Meat Intake to Life Expectancy e(0) in Different Country Groupings

Meat intake correlates with life expectancy in population groupings with high meat intake (r=0.442, p<0.001, n=83), low meat intake (r=0.436, p<0.001, n=88), high socioeconomic status (r=0.555, p<0.001, n=45) and low socioeconomic status (r=0.620. p<0.001, n=126).

Based on the WHO region classifications, the correlation is observed in all regions except in SEARO. This may be due to similar diet patterns in SEARO countries with little difference in the amount of meat intake and similar life expectancies. This is statistically presented with the smallest standard deviations of meat intake (SD=13.21) and e(0) (SD=3.50) compared to other WHO Regions.

The correlations between meat intake and life expectancy are also observed in country groupings of the Arab World (geographically scattered in Asia and Africa, r=0.760, p<0.001), LA (r=0.504, p<0.05) and LAC (located in Americas only, r=0.469, p<0.001) featured with the similar cultures, respectively. The trends are also present in functional alliances, albeit some comprise developed countries only and others comprise both developing and developed countries (Table 4). Education has two possible effects on longevity and nutrition. It potentially improves health care, especially care for child health, and it may influence the food preparation in households and individual food choices that are partially informed by understanding the physiological role of nutrients. Since we could obtain uniform data for education levels for a smaller number of countries than those included in main analyses, we have conducted some analyses separately. We have chosen the percentage of adults who completed full primary education as the index of education in the country. This has been done in preference to other education indices that separate females from males or use higher levels of educational achievement because these characterise only parts of the entire population. In the partial correlation analysis keeping all other variables statistically constant, education correlates significantly (p=0.001) but weakly (r=0.334) with life expectancy and at a similar level (r=0.237, p=0.021) with meat consumption.

In the regression analysis (Table 5), education is an important contributor to life expectancy similar to caloric consumption while meat consumption has a significant effect on life expectancy at age 5 years.

Table 5 A Multiple Regression Analysis to Identify Significant Predictors of the Life Expectancy at Birth (e(0)) in a Set of 103 Countries for Which Information About the Education Level Was Available

Interestingly, among countries with available percentages of vegetarians, meat intake still has a moderately strong correlation with e(0) (r=0.667, p<0.001, n=30, Table 4). Unsurprisingly, populations with lower percentage of vegetarians have greater life expectancy, though the relationship is only marginally significant likely due to small sample size (r=0.303, p=0.0518, n=30).

In the Mediterranean diet country grouping, the strong relationship trend was observed that high total meat intake is associated with greater e(0) (r=0.860, p<0.001, n=21, Table 4). This may suggest that, regardless of suggested beneficial health effects of Mediterranean diet, more total meat intake may benefit e(0) in the populations primarily on this diet.

This ecological study examined the relationship between meat intake and life expectancy at birth e(0), at age 5 years e(5) and child mortality at a population level. Our statistical analysis results indicate that countries with the greater meat intake have greater life expectancy and lower child mortality. This relationship is independent of the effects of caloric intake, socioeconomic status (GDP PPP), obesity, urbanization (lifestyle) and education. Of course, nutritional variations among countries include many more variables than those included into this study. Diet composition, food preparation methods, cultural dietary constraints, availability of some nutrients and a number of other variables should have been considered to obtain a complete picture of meats importance in human diet. However, even with these possible analytical inadequacies, our statistical analyses indicate a significant role that meat plays in influencing variation of survival and mortality.

Meat has advantages over food of plant origin in containing complete protein with all essential amino acids, is rich in vitamins, in particular vitamin B12, and all essential minerals. It has a significant role not only for maintenance of health, development and proper growth59 but also has played an important evolutionary role in ancestral hominins for approximately 2.6 million years.60,61

Benefits of meat eating include better physical growth and development,62 optimal breastfeeding of neonates, and offspring growth.63 Human adaptation to meat eating and mechanism to digest and metabolise meat6,59,62,6467 have been supported by studies in human dietary evolution. This may also be reflected in the importance of meat eating for humans whole life span.5,60,68 Culturally, meat production and eating have also been integrated into human societies.62,6972

A study of more than 218,000 adults from over 50 countries around the world suggests that consuming unprocessed meat regularly can reduce the risk of early death and can increase human longevity.73 A recent dietary advice published by Lancet Public Health advocates an increase of dietary meat in order to benefit our heart health and longevity.74 This study also highlights that saturated fat in meat may be cardio protective, as well as, that meat contains many vitamins and the essential amino acids for human health and well-being.73,74

Recent epidemiological literature highlights that increasing meat consumption, especially in its processed forms, may have adverse health effects, such as cancer,8 cardiovascular disease,75 obesity31,7678 and diabetes.79 However, there has been no clinical trial evidence to consolidate the putative negative effects of processed meat consumption for human health.21 The aforementioned epidemiological literature is not reflected in the healthy food guidelines published by the government authorities for general public. These guidelines always include meat as a major human dietary component. One reason for their position could be a lack of evidence-based research that demonstrates negative aspects of meat consumption in the general human population.8083 Statistically, the finding of this study unequivocally indicates that meat eating benefits life expectancy independently.

Meat contains high protein with all the essential amino acids, and is a good source of minerals (iron, phosphorus, selenium and zinc) and vitamins (B12, B6, K, choline, niacin, riboflavin). Simply put a human animal consuming a body of another animal gets practically all constituent compounds of its own body. Recently, massive agricultural production and advanced food manufacturing technologies have made it possible to replace the beneficial nutrients of meat with other agricultural industry products and/or synthetic chemicals. For example, proteins are easy to obtain by incorporating nuts and beans into diet. Vitamin B12 can be absorbed adequately from cheese, eggs, milk, and artificially fortified pills, and iron can be found in legumes, grains, nuts, and a range of vegetables.84,85 Relying on meat nutrient replacements and available food products, well-planned vegetarian diets, including vegan diets, are nutritionally adequate and are appropriate for various individuals during all stages of life,84,85 but it is only because their nutritional composition adequately imitates and replaces what is commonly provided by meat. These technological developments provide an opportunity for individuals to select their dietary behaviours based on religious and ethical concerns. Traditionally, meat has been included in many human diets in order to provide humans engaged in high physical activity levels with substrate for muscle tissue synthesis and recovery support, increased bone density, and oxygen transport.84 Currently, however, dieticians are able to construct sport-specific diets for athletes based on vegetarian foods.84

Since many beneficial nutrients found in meat can now be replaced by vegetarian sources, increasing numbers of people have questioned whether meat consumption is necessary.84 Over the past decades, a number of studies have advocated that vegetarian or plant-based diets may contribute to low mortality rate, and high life expectancy. These studies have received criticism due to questionable study designs:

1) Health effects of a vegetarian diet may be only a perceived benefit. The correlation identified between vegetarianism and high life expectancy may not necessarily depend on their diets, but rather on the lifestyles that vegetarians maintain.18 It is important to acknowledge that vegetarians (especially in western countries) tend to be more health-conscious, with overall healthier lifestyle patterns than other people. Two studies conducted among British people have shown that vegetarians and non-vegetarians had very little20 and even no difference19 in life expectancy if other healthy lifestyle factors were considered. A study on the cohort consisting of 243,096 adults in Australia revealed that the protective effects of variations of vegetarian diets (semi-vegetarians or pesco-vegetarians) on life expectancy depended on multiple potential confounding factors, such as age, smoking and alcohol consumption, history of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.18 Therefore, it is apparent that the advocacy of vegetarianism to increase longevity may have been biased.15

2) Vegetarianism study designs were flawed in that research subjects were not representative of the general population.86 With the exception of India and some Buddhist cultures, vegetarianism is practiced by a small percentage of world population. On this note, the Seventh-day Adventist cohort has been over researched in order to demonstrate the relationship between vegetarianism and life expectancy.1214 However, studies in non-Adventist vegetarians have shownnil or very weak correlation between vegetarian diet and longevity.86 Importantly, the Seventh-day Adventist population engages in a beneficial life-style, which includes non-smoking, marital maintenance, regular exercise and maintaining normal body weight.87,88

Furthermore, a study conducted by Singh et al. showed that vegetarians did not benefit from their meat-free diet.12 However, Singh et al. have proposed that low meat consumption increases life expectancy in humans.12 This claim does not concur with our finding, which argues that more meat eating may increase human life expectancy. This discrepancy may arise due to several biases in Singh et als study: 1) The cohorts recruited for the study were not representative of global ethnicities. All the cohorts were derived from developed countries only (the United Kingdom, Germany and the United States). A majority of individuals in these countries did not succumb to mortality due to nutritional deficiency from low meat consumption, as they had access to nutrition supplements and good-quality Medical services.8993 2) More potential confounders of the relationship between meat intake and life expectancy, such as total diet intake and urban lifestyle, could have been included for data analysis (with the exception of aging). 3) Levels of meat intake were only considered as three categories: zero, very low and low. This reduced the accuracy of the correlation due to the limited variation of meat intake quantity as the independent variable.

People on vegetarian diets may be able to maintain health because they avoid potential meat-related nutrient deficiencies through one or more of the following ways:

1) Taking meat nutrient replacements to meet essential nutrient needs.

2) Eating a vegetarian diet and identifying as vegetarian are two different things. Ruby (2012) and Rosenfeld and Burrow3,69 have concluded that the majority of self-identified vegetarians may still eat meat occasionally. This would allow them to absorb the unique nutrients from meat.69

3) Many vegetarians do not follow meat-free diets from birth. Instead, many have decided to avoid eating meat at some point during their adult lives.94 Thus, their dietary limitations missed the period of critical growth and development childhood and early adolescence.

4) Many vegetarians include dairy products in their diets (eg, Hindus). These contain animal proteins and minerals in proportions similar to meat.

Saturated fat in red meat has been associated with the onset of atherosclerosis. However, this hypothesis has been based on observational or animal studies, instead of randomised controlled trials, a standard study designed to identify the causal relationship.95 Therefore, this conclusion has been subject to debate.96,97 Studies have revealed that low-fat diets reduced serum cholesterol, but they did not reduce cardiovascular disease incidence or mortality.98 The healthy diet recommendation advises people that their diet should have less saturated fat, but more polyunsaturated fat. Interestingly, when saturated fat is replaced with polyunsaturated fat in diet, cardiovascular events or mortality are not convincingly reduced.99 We are advancing the correlation between total meat, instead of red meat, and life expectancy. This hypothesis is supported by a systematic review concluding that total meat consumption did not facilitate the onset of atherosclerosis.100

Another finding in this study is that carbohydrate crops correlate with life expectancy weakly and negatively. This finding is supported by several ethnological and archaeological studies, which concluded that the transition to cereal-based diets caused a reduction in life expectancy74,101103 because cereals tend to have lower nutritional value.

The correlation between meat and life expectancy was observed in all country groupings except in SEARO where small variation of meat consumption and life expectancies reduces covariance. It is worth noting that, in this study, countries on the Mediterranean diet have greater e(0) if there is more total meat in their diet. This finding may be sufficient to form the contrast to either beneficial or detrimental health benefit of the Mediterranean diet. Socioeconomic level is associated with mortality and e(0) due to a variety of reasons. However, the majority of countries bordering Mediterranean Sea are developing economics, and have high mortality rates for chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases and cancers. The correlation between the Mediterranean diet and low incidence or low prevalence rates of chronic diseases might be sporadic in the studies in the populations surrounding the Mediterranean Sea because their high mortality rates or low e(0) have eliminated the patients with chronic diseases.

Previous studies controversially showed the health effects of selected meat groups, in particular red meat, on human health.100 However, a series of rigorous systematic reviews which were simultaneously published, concluded that there is a lack of sufficient evidence to show that red meat and processed meat contributes to cardiovascular diseases,104106 cancer mortality and incidence104,106,107 and all-cause mortality.105 Although the red meat and processed meat have been associated with negative health outcomes, meat eating people are still determined to be omnivores due to their values and preferences.108 Therefore, dietary guidelines recommendation published in a reputable nutrition and diet journal advised that adults can maintain their current level of intake of red meat and processed meat.109

Contrary to the majority of studies that have focused on health effect of red meat, this study argues that total meat consumption, in general, benefits people health, which leads to greater longevity. This hypothesis is supported by a study conducted by Campbell advocating that total meat consumption may offset the detrimental effect of red meat on peoples health.100,110

Several strong pointsin this study need to be noted:

1) Independent variable, total meat (animal flesh), instead of different categories of meat was selected for the correlation analysis,4,111 which allows us 1) To reflect that human ancestors ate any available meat, and also various modern populations consume all sorts of meat in broad circumstances.31,112 2) To remove the potential and conflicting influence of different food cooking methods on health.113118 3) To eliminate the bias from processing aids, preservatives and additives in ready-to-eat meat, which may pose adverse health effects to humans.8,119

2) Populations across the globe (representing about 90% of extant humans) were considered in this study as units. Data included in this study were aggregated at the population level, so that they include information relevant for all people in each population. Thus, we did not study a sample but practically the whole population. This had the advantage in overcoming the common biases in studies of limited sample size.

3) Data representativeness determines who the study results are targeted at. Apparently, data representativeness must be considered for all studies in order to avoid a defect in the study design.18 The argument that vegetarians have long life spans is questionable since most of the studies supporting this statement were conducted within the specific groups of people, such as Seventh-day Adventists. This argument may also be biased due to the healthy cohort effect, which drives health conscious people to be more likely to be recruited and remain in the study cohort than non-health conscious people.15,120

4) Reporting bias in nutrition studies has been a constant issue as food intake data must be reported by volunteers accurately and truthfully. However, a number of studies have shown that people tend to underreport energy intake121 and overreport healthy food consumption.122

5) Cross-sectional data at a population level used in this study may offer more accurate estimates of e(0) and meat intake than individual-based data adopted in nutrition studies. Data on e(0) and meat intake in this study were collected by observing all the populations at the same period of time, which provides general comparability.

6) Compared to previous sample-based studies (ecological studies posited on collecting relevant data), more potential confounders have been included in this study for analysing the relationship between meat intake and e(0).

Firstly, the intrinsic limitation conceptualized as the ecological bias or ecological fallacy exists in this ecological analysis.31,123 Population level data have been applied for analysing the correlation between meat intake and e(0). Therefore, this correlation might not necessarily be valid at an individual level.76,123

Secondly, the nature of the relationship between meat intake and longevity is longitudinal. However, the method adopted in this study is cross-sectional data analysis, which may not necessarily reflect the actual longitudinal relationship in particular populations.

However, the constant and significant correlation between meat intake and e(0) may increase the possibility of the true correlation at an individual level. The relationship identified in this study may have shed light at further studies within the cohorts with large sample size, high representativeness and long life period at an individual level.76,123

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VitaDAO and Molecule AG partner with Apollo Health Ventures to build the longevity biotech & Web3 ecosystem – Microbioz India

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Feb. 21, 2022, Switzerland Life Science Newswire Molecule, a biotech IP Web3 marketplace, announces a tripartite partnership with Apollo Health Ventures, a leading longevity-focused venture capital fund, and VitaDAO, a decentralized autonomous organization funding early-stage longevity biotech (LongBio) R&D.

VitaDAO and Molecule collaboratively source geroscience assets and finance R&D at universities, institutes, and biotech companies. VitaDAO has a worldwide network of >4,000 community members engaged in sourcing and evaluating early stage longevity biotech assets. Apollo and VitaDAO will collaborate on financing and building the LongBio ecosystem. By connecting a leading LongBio VC to the DeSci (decentralized science) movement, this partnership is a major milestone for the greater decentralized ecosystem.

There are inefficiencies in biopharma R&D and university tech transfer that new Web3 marketplace tools will address. Molecule has pioneered a new type of liquid asset class, the IP-NFT (a non fungible token that holds intellectual property) that is one such tool. With new forms of governance via DAOs, such as VitaDAO, and valuation of IP, such as IP-NFTs, moves early-stage intellectual property into Web3 to allow for greater liquidity, discoverability, and reduced legal complexity by standardizing licensing terms.

About Apollo Health VenturesApollo Health Ventures is a transatlantic venture capital firm specialized in developing and investing in data-driven biotechnology and health tech ventures. Apollo Health Ventures invests in game-changing companies at the seed or early stage and builds companies within the aging sector. Apollos team consists of entrepreneurs, seasoned biotech investors and scientists with remarkable track records in life science investments and venture creation.

About MoleculeMolecule is a decentralized biotech protocol building a web3 marketplace for research-related IP and scalable frameworks to build biotech DAOs. They enable quick and easy funding for academics and biotech companies globally, while enabling patient, researcher, and investor communities to directly fund, govern, and own research-related IP. Molecule democratizes biopharma research and development.

About VitaDAOVitaDAO is a DAO collective for community-governed, decentralized drug development. Its core mission is the acceleration of research and development (R&D) in the longevity space and the extension of human life and healthspan. To achieve this, VitaDAO funds and digitizes research and the resulting assets using IP-NFTs and other innovative financialization approaches.

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22 Ways to Be a Little Bit Happier Every Day in 2022 – Integris

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How are you? Are you happy? Would you like to be a little bit happier? Or a lot? On a scale of one to ten, what would you give your happiness level today? Nobody feels like a ray of sunshine all day every day, nor is that a realistic goal, but it is quite possible to make your days a bit brighter. All it takes is the right tips and tricks, and a commitment to use them!

One very important caveat: mood disorders are very real conditions, just like any other disease, and require medical intervention to be managed. This article in no way suggests that a mood disorder or other mental condition can be cured or managed without help. If you feel you are in crisis, call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.

Coping with anxiety, depression, a family trauma or illness can be too much to handle on your own. INTEGRIS Mental Health is committed to helping you meet these challenges by offering a variety of treatment options, and a 24/7 crisis line to get you pointed in the right direction. Learn more about our mental health services here.

Youll notice that some of the happiness-boosting tips weve assembled are also often recommended for improving overall health and wellness. Thats no accident. Some of the basics of self-care, such as eating well and getting plenty of sleep, help us in a variety of ways, physical and mental.

Help someone else. Turns out the human brain is wired for altruism. Were taught from childhood that it is better to give than to receive, and theres lots of evidence to suggest its true. We can now see, thanks to MRI technology, that the act of giving to others lights up the same parts of our brains as do food or sex.

Experiences are more important than possessions. New shoes may make us smile initially, but the happiness they bring fades quickly. The joy we feel when we focus on experiences is longer-lived in part because they foster in us a greater sense of vitality. We also often share experiences with others, which generates happiness.

Practice gratitude. Try this: each day for ten weeks, keep a gratitude journal. Write down three things you are grateful for each day. In an experiment at the University of California, Davis, three groups of volunteers kept journals. One group wrote about life events, another wrote about hassles in their lives and the third wrote about what they were grateful for. At the end, the gratitude group reported feeling more optimistic and satisfied with their lives.

Learn. Conquering new concepts or ideas helps build confidence and pride. US NEWS tells us that education has been widely documented by researchers as the single variable tied most directly to improved health and longevity. And when people are intensely engaged in doing and learning new things, their well-being and happiness can blossom.

Get more sleep. Seven to nine hours a night is the gold standard. Good sleep is crucial to having active, happy days. If youre having trouble falling or staying asleep, its worth talking to your doctor.

Get older. One of the biggest perks of having a few decades in the rear-view mirror is that our happiness tends to increase as we age. Multiple studies indicate that as we age, we become happier and more satisfied with life. It may be a matter of having more perspective, but whatever it is, well take it.

Smile. We know. Being told to smile can be annoying, so we are merely making a suggestion. BECAUSE practicing real smiles, AKA smiles that include your eyes, is a proven way to feel less distress in a distressing situation. In the word of psychology, this is called the facial feedback hypothesis, which suggests that our emotional experience is partly influenced by our facial movements. Its a mind-body connection.

Dark chocolate. The darker the better. Its science! Chocolate is a mood booster because eating it causes the release of endorphins in the brain. It also contains chemicals known to lift our mood such as phenylethylamine (a natural antidepressant) and tryptophan, which is linked to the production of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that produces feeling of happiness.

Wake up earlier. First, make sure youre sleeping seven to nine hours a night. Next, build a pleasant morning buffer into your day. You should enjoy your mornings, which is hard to do if youre running around trying to get out the door. An extra half an hour (or even 15 minutes) will give you some space and youll notice a shift in attitude right away.

Manage your stress. Get better at time management if youve got too much on your plate. Something as simple as a to-do list can give you a sense of control and order, and lets face it, it feels so good to cross things off the list.

Tidy up. When we think of self-care, cleaning house doesnt often make the list but it should. In 2016, a study out of the University of New Mexico found that clutter directly interfered with folks ability to feel pleasure in a room. On the flip side, a clean, organized space can increase productivity, boost confidence and imbue its occupants with a sense of control, accomplishment and clarity.

Start a meditation practice. Its easier than you think. Mindful.org suggests getting started this way:

Put down your phone. Unless youre keeping an online gratitude journal, that is. If you find yourself scrolling through social media, stop. A 2017 article in Forbes (and many subsequent studies) indicate that the more we use social media, the less happy we are. In fact, social media is known to increase anxiety, loneliness and depression.

Take a walk. A walk is good for your mood, your mind and your body. Tie your laces and go!

Avoid gossip. Fact: gossip may feel good in the moment, but really it causes stress. Its not helpful and it immerses both the teller and the listener in negativity.

Dont drink too much. When its been a rough day, an alcoholic beverage of choice can sound like just the ticket. Alcohol blunts our feelings, so if we feel bad it will make us feel less bad - BUT - it can also crank up feelings of anger and depression or make you feel aggressive.

Look at the stars. Researchers have found that there is a link between experiencing a sense of awe with feeling greater satisfaction and less stress.

Dont believe everything you think. In other words, challenge negative thoughts. Heres a technique: write down your negative thought. Maybe its something like I am having problems at school/work. I dont think Im very smart. Next, challenge that thought. Is there any evidence behind it? Am I misinterpreting the situation? What would someone else think if I told them my thoughts?

Read a story of adventure. Turns out you can reap the benefits of an awe-inspiring experience, like stargazing, by reading about one. Pick up a copy of Moby Dick, by Herman Melville; The Call of the Wild, by Jack London; or Wild, by Cheryl Strayed.

Hang out with happy people. Motivational coaches will tell you that you are an amalgam of the top five percent of the people you spend the most time with. Makes sense to hang with the happy crowd, then, doesnt it?

Be your own best friend. Treat yourself like you would a dear friend. When youre feeling sad or negative, ask yourself what advice youd give a friend feeling the same way.

Breathe. Controlled breathing is an ancient practice and science is beginning to understand that its benefits are real. Do it any time you need or want to: take a deep breath. Pause. Exhale slowly as you count to five. Repeat four more times. This low-key practice can help reduce feelings of anxiety, depression and more.

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22 Ways to Be a Little Bit Happier Every Day in 2022 - Integris

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