Thinking about genetics

[vito]

Next week marks the anniversary of my Dad's death. He was a non-smoker who died of lung cancer just short of his 64th birthday. As a young man he was a professional boxer and he stayed in good shape his whole life, only weighing a few pounds more than he did as a fighting middleweight in his youth. No smoking, very, very little drinking, eating right and exercising. And dead before 64. Meanwhile my mother is still going strong (physically) at 102! She smoked for over 40 years, never exercised a day in her life, and ate whatever she felt like, whenever she felt like doing so. True, she is now in late stage Alzheimer's Disease and doesn't remember anything, but her heart is strong and she still eats her three meals a day and shows no signs of approaching the end. This all makes me think about genetics, and wonder whether or not I have my mother's or my father's genes. Probably my mother's since I am already almost 74, and my brother at 79 is still going strong as well as my "baby" sister at 70.

Thinking of this reminded me of when I was the Administrator of a large military medical research laboratory. One of our researchers, a physician who had been studying what exactly happens in the body when it just gives up and shuts down (with the hope that if we knew the chemical/neurological signals being sent to various organ systems we might be able to intervene while the initial trauma is resolved), asked me if I would like to know the secret of a long life. Of course I said yes, and his answer was "pick the right parents". He said the more that science was learning about how the body works the more it was apparent how important our genetic makeup was to everything about us.

I know that my kids got their intelligent brain from me, and their good looks from their Mom, but who knows about the rest of it?

 

[gunzo]

My brother has been saying for years that general good health & toughness is all about how you were hatched. And just in case you are wondering, he is not a Dr. :wink:

 

[JFB]

Genetics is not on my side!

Father had fatal heat attack in early 40's
His Mother was diabetic

Mother had bypass in late 50's
Her Father had fatal heat attack in mid 40's

My first heart attack in late 40's but made it to 60's so far
(and Mother had Macular degeneneration in her late 60's


My Wife has been dealt the worse possible genetic hand

 

[~JM~]

Next week marks the anniversary of my Dad's death. He was a non-smoker who died of lung cancer just short of his 64th birthday....

Have you considered the type of work he performed & his working environment?

I read an article recently about a healthy, fit, non-smoker, who passed away early from some form of lung cancer. It was discovered that he spent many hours working in a basement that had excessive levels of radon gas.

 

[Critch]

My mom never smoked or drank and died at 60 years old...my dad smoked Pall Mall reds, drank whiskey, and ate what he wanted...he lived to 97..

My Dad's people lived forever it seemed..

 

[Jimbo357mag]

We have been living longer for several reasons including medicine and vitamins but I suggest that in spite of this good fortune we are poisoning ourselves even more with our diets/fast foods/additives/chemicals in our environment, pollution, etc. I expect to see the average longevity start to go back down in the future, unless they get real good at repairing the damage we do to ourselves.

 

[blume357]

I read years ago about a farmer who lived to be something like 92 and was never sick a day in his life... and so never went to a doctor... when they did an autopsy on him they discovered he had had all kinds of deceases and injury... my goal is to be that guy.

My opinion: if at all possible, stay away from doctors, their job is to find something wrong with you so they can treat it*. And what ever you do, stay out of hospitals.. more folks die in hospitals than any where else....

*Note, I said treat, I didn't say fix.

 

[wolfsong]

I read years ago about a farmer who lived to be something like 92 and was never sick a day in his life... and so never went to a doctor... when they did an autopsy on him they discovered he had had all kinds of deceases and injury... my goal is to be that guy.

My opinion: if at all possible, stay away from doctors, their job is to find something wrong with you so they can treat it*. And what ever you do, stay out of hospitals.. more folks die in hospitals than any where else....

*Note, I said treat, I didn't say fix.

The older I get, the more that I tend to agree with you. Developed skin cancer, removed it and now I stay out of direct sunlight. Got colon cancer instead. Beat that with surgery and meds. Then it was high cholesterol and high blood pressure. Changed my diet, took more meds. Got my cholesterol in line (eating cardboard, lettuce, and water, it seems like). Attacked my BP issues - more cardboard, lettuce and water. And meds. Then came diabetes. Yep, more meds, more cardboard, more lettuce and more water. Now, enlarged prostate. Either I can't pee more than a dribble or I wake up 5 times a night to pee (where's all that nighttime pee come from? Oh, that's right, all that lettuce and water). Waking up all night to pee means little to no REM sleep, hence I'm tired and lethargic all day. Did I mention meds?

Now that I'm 60 I'm about at the point that I am ready to forego doctors, eat and drink whatever my fancy craves, and live the next 10 to 20 years (I hope) in ignorant bliss. I will, however, continue to use Cialis. No shame in my game.

 

[Mobuck]

The last 3 generations of my paternal parentage(Father, Grandfather, and Great Grandfather) have died suddenly of massive coronary infarction(I think that's commonly known as a heart attack) in their mid-70's. I'm 65 so it appears I've got 10 more years but I'm not at all sure my body is going to last that much longer.
I fear that losing my mobility may become a factor in increasing the possibility of having heart related problems.

 

[Sin6Sec63451022]

How about that guy on tv, called himself the worlds toughest trainer, on one of those weight loss "reality" shows. Kegged up at the gym one day doing all he could to live forever. 51 years old. Basically dead as a mackerel. They got him going again. There ain't no guarantees, one way or the other. I'm thinking moderation in all things and let the chips fall where they may.

 

[Pat-inCO]

*Note, I said treat, I didn't say fix.

Why do you think they call it practice? :wink:

 

[bogus bill]

I will be 76 in a couple days. I have been fat since birth. Some Jocks I went to school with have been dead a long time. I have had my problems, two heart stents this Christmas, and had my nose removed due to skin cancer years ago. Dad made 90, mom 79. I had a few aunts hit a 100, have one uncle still living that is about 99.
I had a brother in law that was a big fitness nut, jogged, worked out, vegetarian and worked in a heart hospital as a lab tech. He had a perfect build. My sister dropped him off at work, he got a heart attack in the lab of the hospital and died! He was 45 years old! Go figure.

 

[toysoldier]

My father drank a lot and smoked a lot. He died of heart failure at 73. His older brother never smoked or drank, and kept his faculties until he faded away at 93. I figure Dad cut 20 good years from his life.

 

[Rancher Will]

Members of my family ancestors and my living relative, (cousins, etc) usually live into their late 90's. I am 87 and I have cousins older than me. My mother and father died in an accident and I have other relatives who died in wars, accidents etc., but most lived to old age. One of my cousins, who is now 93, has a theory that I tend to agree.

That cousin, on my mother's side, American Indian, believes that our diet does have a lot to due with life span. He believes that humans have lived for hundreds of thousands of years, mostly before modern times on foods that were available in their natural state, in the location where the people lived. He contends that since our family were Native Americans for thousands of years, our lives, generation by generation, lived on the foods available in America, naturally found growing, such as native plants, nuts, seeds, berries, and wild animals. Since animals were abundant and primitive people were skilled in killing them, a major portion of our diets for hundreds of generations evolved with meat, with as much fat as possible, as a major portion, berries, fruit, nuts, some roots, some native grains such as corn, other wild plants, roots, etc.

He believes, and I tend to support it, that humans in other parts of the world also evolved with the diet available to those groups where their metabolism evolved over their generations.

Now, in modern times, people have scattered away from the traditional foods that their metabolism evolved to be natural to them, especially with modern transportation, food modification, and the many types available that were never available to each primitive group for thousands of years. He believes, and I tend to think he may be right, that those of us who live long lives are those whose diets are closest to the diets their ancestors evolved from.

I know that I and my relatives who have lived the longest, do not follow the common recommended modern diets recommendation. We all have lived with meat as a main portion of our diets, as much fat meat ass possible, very little vegetables except some fruits, whole grain such as corn but little European or other grains, very little "green vegetables". For Example a typical meal that I eat includes meat at every meal as the main portion, well over 2/3 of the meal. I eat eggs at most breakfasts, always with meat as the main portion, an apple or other fruit or berries, sometimes with whole grain oatmeal with cream, always with meat. At other meals always mainly meat with perhaps some corn, beans, peas, carrots, or some cabbage once in a while, some potatoes, usually fried or boiled, always fruit such as apple, peach, pear, or berries, with each meal, almost never greens such as salads, and also cornbread or sourdough bread with some meals.

Many times I make a meal of only a slab of fat beef, with some beans, and fruit. My wife always cooks meat and eggs, fried potatoes, etc., with animal fat, lard and/or butter, and never uses any oils for cooking. We also like cornbread, or fried corn dodger with butter and honey or molasses with the meal. I can't remember the last time I ate any salad made with greens.

 

[Mobuck]

There may be some truth to what Rancher Will has said. Mostly, it seems to me that people have simply become too lazy or don't have enough work(I mean REAL work) to burn calories and work their heart and muscles when they're young. They expect technology and/or mechanics to "do the work" rather than get off the seat and grab a shovel.
I've always worked hard and long hours. Still work as hard as my body will allow and then some but it's time I start passing wisdom along rather than doing the hard physical work. I keep telling Tom there's only so much you can do from the seat and then you've got to sweat.

 

[Jimbo357mag]

There may be some truth to what Rancher Will has said. Mostly, it seems to me that people have simply become too lazy or don't have enough work(I mean REAL work) to burn calories and work their heart and muscles when they're young. They expect technology and/or mechanics to "do the work" rather than get off the seat and grab a shovel.
I've always worked hard and long hours. Still work as hard as my body will allow and then some but it's time I start passing wisdom along rather than doing the hard physical work. I keep telling Tom there's only so much you can do from the seat and then you've got to sweat.

How do you explain the fact that women live longer than men and generally don't do as much physical work?

 

[Mobuck]

"How do you explain the fact that women live longer than men and generally don't do as much physical work?"

I dunno. There's a LOT of things about women I can't explain and if I tried, it would likely insult a large portion of the populace.

 

[~JM~]

How do you explain the fact that women live longer than men and generally don't do as much physical work?

Because they don't have a wife... Usually.

 

[Mobuck]

At least I didn't say it.

 

[BearBio]

As a biologist, I'd say good genetics is at least 1/2 of it!

Women are catching up with men as to death rates. Traditionally, men worked (with stress, etc) and women didn't (not the long term stress) which killed them off faster.

BTW: There are more male babies born than female (male sperm are lighter and faster)=more men die off growing up ("Hold my beer while I explain that").

 

[Bob Wright]

There may be some truth to what Rancher Will has said. Mostly, it seems to me that people have simply become too lazy or don't have enough work(I mean REAL work) to burn calories and work their heart and muscles when they're young. They expect technology and/or mechanics to "do the work" rather than get off the seat and grab a shovel.
I've always worked hard and long hours. Still work as hard as my body will allow and then some but it's time I start passing wisdom along rather than doing the hard physical work. I keep telling Tom there's only so much you can do from the seat and then you've got to sweat.

How do you explain the fact that women live longer than men and generally don't do as much physical work?

Homicide?

Bob Wright

 

[bogus bill]

The good die young. You cant kill the bad ones. Years ago we were talking about this at work. One guy is telling me being fat is going to kill me. I said cancer get`s the skinny ones. I know none of us get out alive. (Unless the Lord returns first)