Leon Kass: Freedom deemed harmful; and resveratrol

[drscott]

Having read some more on the topic since my original post, and having so far noticed no side-effects, I'll be upping the dose of Reseveratrol to 200 mg daily (eqv. to c. 400 glasses of red wine!) from the current 20. One other known route to life extension, extreme caloric restriction, seems impractical unless I want to lose 40 lbs. of muscle and shiver constantly.

Scary authoritarian bioethicist Leon Kass still wants to preserve your dignity by taking away your freedom: speech review here.

Comments

Resveratrol

[allanh.livejournal.com]

Are you still using beyond-a-century.com, and if so, which of their two resveratrol powders are you using?

Re: Resveratrol

[dr-scott.livejournal.com]

I've been using their original, #862, but if I keep up the higher dose, would switch to the new higher-purity version...

[squalidbear.livejournal.com]

I like the concept of Iain M Banks's "Civilization" where the inhabitants change sex at whim, gland drugs to suit their moods and seem generally post-hangup.

[squalidbear.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry, it's called The Culture. Duh!

[dr-scott.livejournal.com]

I enjoy his work a lot. "The Culture" is only a minor leap from how the most enlightened segments of Western society think today, with the element of material need removed. Great wealth means you're free to concentrate of the top of Maslow's pyramid. His work is about as adult as SF can be.

[cubdaddy.livejournal.com]

I'd also read (don't recall the source, think it may have been Men's Health?) that extreme caloric restriction also reduced cancer risks.

[dr-scott.livejournal.com]

The thinking there is lowered energy throughput means fewer free radicals, less damage to cellular DNA over time, and thus less cancer. For animals it's been demonstrated...

[furfairy.livejournal.com]

There's a relevant article in Slate about very low calorie diets.

http://www.slate.com/id/2158975

[dr-scott.livejournal.com]

Thanks, that was interesting, and confirms my feeling that the subjective experienceo f extreme caloric restriction is unpleasant enough to not be worth the benefit. Less extreme versions, OTOH, don't sacrifice quality of life and offer some of the benefits.

[furfairy.livejournal.com]

Maybe mild portion/calorie restriction with am emphasis on quality and enjoyment is more sensible.

I've managed to get my weight to 395 (from a high of 420) over the last three months by being more selective and mindful. This has meant more produce, protein at every meal, almost eliminating high fructose corn syrup, industrial non-nutritional baked goods, and asking myself whether I'm really hungry before and during mealtime, and also asking myself why I want to eat when I'm not hungry.

[ex-juandave.livejournal.com]

I like the way you talk.