Methuselite Messages: On Passion for Change in Life Extension & A Take on Krill Oil
Hi guys,
Hope you are well.
My quick opinion (based on talking to numerous people, all who are angry and saddened by the world these days and all the obvious problems with war, crime, etc.):
People really don't know about life extension, the stopping the diseases of aging stuff (and I say stuff, because that's how humans think in their head, not in neat words, as we all know). I'm upset because in this country, people are scared of everything, which is both good and bad. So when I tell smart people, about organ regeneration, SENS, MF, Sierra Sciences, etc. they all ask about overpopulation, they bring up the haves and have nots, that only the elite will get it... The problem is simple but no one really knows what is going on. Someone needs to write an article that hits a big newspaper that simply gives people hope that:
1) Diseases of old age are being worked on
2) Hopefully soon we will be able to live a lot longer
3) That they can live the same, or similar quality of life that they have been able to, and perhaps even better.
This is my take on things, based on talking to friends, people who are interested, and family. And most do relish the thought of living a healthy, extended life. People deserve some hope. When we hit our 70's, 80's we lose all hope, because the end IS near, bluntly put. This stuff is as real as anything else in Darwinian existence.
Again, I'm not upset at anyone in the Life Extension community, nor would I ever be. I'm upset at the fact that good people, are dying, and getting older without ANY hope of a future.
Thank you,
Devon
Hello D,
It is the curse we bear that we feel deeply and viscerally the imperative nature of our quest each and every minute. This makes it very hard on us since it will take years to get where we need to go. In order to sustain our efforts, we must surmount any despair we feel in any particular one of these millions of minutes or it will overwhelm and exhaust us emotionally and deplete our momentum.
I respectfully suggest that instead, you actively rejoice that we live in a time where such things are even conceivably possible, and that it WILL happen. Aubrey and SENS are doing a fabulous job of getting the messaging out, and I hope MF is doing its part, but it takes real time and effort to turn this Leviathon of public inattention around. There simply are no short cuts. It took society 70 years for birth control to travel from being a felony crime to a non-issue. Compared to that time scale, we are going at light speed.
Remember that before the Mprize and Aubrey got started, most if not all biogerontologists would either not admit they wanted to fix aging, thought it was impossible, morally wrong or just incredibly silly. Now, in just these few short years, the zeitgeist has turned. We are now seeing with episodic regularity the broadcasting of documentaries touting the nearness of real therapies that will extend the healthy human lifespan. We're winning. It's working.
But minute by minute, we feel your agonized impatience and share it.
Cheers,
Dave
Hello,
May I ask you a question? Is there any evidence that GHB or Resveratrol can retard the aging process? If not, is there anything that shows promise?
Thanks,
Richard
Hi Richard,
My answer will be based on my personal experience and is not to be taken as medical advice or recommendation. Having said that, here's my take:
I tried taking resveratrol from a highly reputable source and it made my gums bleed after two weeks, using the recommended dosage. I then lowered my intake and two weeks later, my gums were bleeding again. Naturally, I stopped. Now I don't take it, and the science behind it is still based on mice which is perhaps indicative but certainly not conclusive. We can expect that this question will be better answered when and if GlaxoSmithKlein release trial data on their more powerful SIRT activator candidates. Until then, I think it is vastly better to do the following:
- Eat as low on the food chain as you can, making certain that you get sufficient protein and micronutrients.
- Strictly limit fast glucose rich foods (corn syrups, honey, fruit juices, most pasta, most breads, most potatoes)
- Keep calories to as low as you can, but definitely make sure that you don't feel unhappy as you go
- Try eating once a day in the evening around 7 - 10 pm - this simulates fasting. This is what I do!!
- Find and nurture a spiritual component in life and have stable loving friendships that will last for a long lifetime (I've been married for 36 years :-)
- Do not seek greatness - seek goodness.
- Carefully consider risks and their potential current and future impact. Learn longevity based risk management. One of the key risk management strategies I'm following now is of course to incent, invent, inspire, induce, incite and invest in methods to extend the healthy human lifespan for all.
- I take 3 grams of Krill oil each day. Depending on your age 40 yrs and up, you will likely feel actual benefits from this in the form of reduced joint pain (and most importantly lower inflammation), clearer - faster thinking, generally better moods and just possibly minor reversal of stiffness of the lens (this is not supposed to be possible).
I used to take fish oil, but felt no positive benefits. It's tantalizingly interesting that the mammal with the greatest longevity by far is the bowhead whale. This whale has been documented to be able to live (perhaps much) longer than 200 years. It swims exclusively in the arctic, and feeds almost exclusively on Krill which are just above plants on the food chain, and their bodies must still be able to operate at temperatures that would freeze us solid. The phospholipids in Krill oil seem to be able to survive digestion and actually deliver phospholipids to the cells. If I could only take ONE supplement it would be Krill oil.
- Note that the most effective ways to hold aging back are what you AVOID rather than what you take. Avoid tobacco, avoid drugs, avoid unfixable frustrations (death, taxes, politics, polemics, fools). Avoid fast glucose/sugar, avoid processed foods, avoid too many calories, avoid sitting on your can all day, avoid watching commercials that make you feel constantly dissatisfied, avoid complexity and unproductive/painful entanglements in your life...stuff like that is crucially important.
Out of all of the above, the key is to learn self control. Without self control, our lives are like buildings without reliable foundations. We're like the leaning tower of Pisa...interesting to look at, but constantly having to prop up, rejigger, invest never ending funds, never being able to say - ok I can trust that I can let this go for awhile without having to fret about it.
I hope some of this helps, and it's not too vague!
Thank you,
Dave Gobel
