By 2040, according to a new report by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, the Spanish are expected to have an average lifespan of 85.8 years, outliving even the Japanese, who have long headed the global longevity tables. And outliving those of us in the UK by almost 2.5 years.
Does anyone have a suggestion why this might be in a population noted for its consumption of alcohol and tobacco?
Stress is a killer. We should all learn from the Spanish, especially in light of Anastas' reply. Red wine (in moderation of course) is a good step.
I'm spanish. I think the reasons for olive oil and fish are fundamental. In general the Mediterranean diet. As for wine maybe too, but the high alcohol consumption I think is largely due to the large number of tourists we receive. I think that Spanish consumes less alcohol than the countries of central and northern Europe.
Dear , Dr. Anastas Ivanov Ivanov... Olive oil and fish may be reasons of long life , but the red wine as I think is not a raeson of long life, versa, it may be a reason of short life.
With my greetings.
Consumption of fish, olive, vinegar, grapes, may be the strengthing factors to defend against stress, diseases, moderate industrial harm.
I was in Spain last summer and noticed that people walk more. Their food is typically unprocessed and healthy. They appear active and enjoy the outdoors. They seem to be more fit and less obese. They generally seem happy. Needless to say, they have no wars nor much social unrest.
I also agree with Dr. Anastas Ivanov Ivanov and Dr.Amir W.Al-Khafaji
Their food and life.
Not only eating habits but also habits of co-existence, as most of the cities of Spain did not get the disadvantages and pressures of major cities in the world, some customs of food prevalent in most countries of the Mediterranean, but different health care
It would be necessary to add to all the factors that my distinguished colleagues have mentioned the following:
Spanish is of a happy nature.
In many parts of Spain the siesta is respected, but when the Spaniards return to work after having slept, they are much more productive and a little more healthy.
The time we spend asleep, we do not take it away from life, on the contrary, life returns it in the form of health and, therefore, in the greater prolongation of one's life. I have known of Chinese companies that have established a mandatory nap for their workers, for something that will be.
"Hong Kong, the former British colony, replaced Japan in terms of the average age of its people, with the average age of men at 79.5 years and women at 85.6 years, the Sunday Morning Post reported.
Women's figures put Hong Kong at the forefront of countries in terms of average age, slightly behind Japan, where the average age of women is 85.5 years and Spain (83.8 years).
Hong Kong also ranked first in the average age of men, ahead of Iceland (78.9 years), Switzerland (78.6 years) and Japan (78.56 years)."
The question lies in man himself, and his way of dealing with situations. These peoples - Hong Kong, Spain, Iceland, and Japan - believe in the Chinese saying: "If you do not find happiness within you, you will not find it anywhere else." People who love sports: Yoga, which depends on breathing, energy discharge, and oxygen saturation, the majority of their food is concentrated in fish, vegetables, and fruits, most of them share the love of music .....
Eating habits are important and perhaps also the character, but do not forget that there are many countries in similar situations (Mediterranean), but an important thing in Spain is its universal and public health system, one of the best in the world. This is a good reason to raise life expectancy
My friend and colleague has some interesting views on the Mediterranean diet.
Ahmad Alkhatib
Barry, whatever our reputation, alcohol consumption seems to be lower in Spain than in the UK:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_alcohol_consumption_per_capita
Your observation suggests that, whatever the impact of smoking and drinking on life expectancy, there must be other factors that are at least as important, even if not so clearly identified. And that is all I can say, I am only an engineer.
People walk more. They often walk to work, to shop for groceries, and to get around the neighborhood. They are far less dependent on their cars.
Their food is typically unprocessed.
Dear Dr. Anastas Ivanov Ivanov.
Thank you for explanation.
I am sorry , I appreciate your ideas and opinions.
Good luck and all the best...
Dr Y. A. Salih
In my opnion the spanish can not live longer than others but depend on the nature and style of life as well as the nature of healthy statment and the good environment .
It would be necessary to add to all the factors that my distinguished colleagues have mentioned the following:
Spanish is of a happy nature.
In many parts of Spain the siesta is respected, but when the Spaniards return to work after having slept, they are much more productive and a little more healthy.
The time we spend asleep, we do not take it away from life, on the contrary, life returns it in the form of health and, therefore, in the greater prolongation of one's life. I have known of Chinese companies that have established a mandatory nap for their workers, for something that will be.
Sun, energy, laughter, love. If you have reasons to live long, you will.
I think that it is siesta to be "blamed" for the longer life of Spanish population. It is very important to have a break in the middle of the working day. Spanish people are less individualistic nation and are more connected to family and friends spending more time with them. This provides a person with a valuable emotional and social support.
I think "Mediterranean diet" is the main secret behind longer life of Spanish people. Mediterranean dietary pattern increases life expectancy by reducing the risks of cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes, oxidative stress, dyslipidemia, blood pressure, obesity and neurodegenerative diseases. Please have a look at these useful RG links.
Article Adherence to the Mediterranean diet reduces mortality in the...
Article The Mediterranean diet in Spain: Adherence trends during the...
Article Association Between the Mediterranean Diet and Cancer Risk: ...
Article Spanish Mediterranean diet and other dietary patterns and br...
Article Adherence to Mediterranean Diet Pattern among Spanish Adults...
Article Mediterranean diet and life expectancy; beyond olive oil, fr...
Article Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet and Risk of Coronary Hea...
Article Importance of functional foods in the Mediterranean diet
.Chapter The Mediterranean Diet in the Prevention of Degenerative Chr...
I agree with many of my colleagues view that Mediterranean food (mostly fruits, vegetables, fish) including red wine which is rich in antioxidants due to presence of polyphenolic compounds makes the Spaniards more life expectancy than others. Even their healthy family bondings is also another important reason.
Climate, sea, beach, 320 sunny days, sea food what else you need.
I agree with Mediterranean diet, however it does not explain it all. What about other Mediterranen countries like Italy, Greece? Why Spain has longer life span?
Most probably because of the Mediterranean dietary program they use. However, I believe that they are light hearted and benign, personality traits that are important to longevity.
@ Dr. Meltem İdiğ-Çamuroğlu
Italians also have a longer life span. Please have a look at the following links.
https://theculturetrip.com/europe/italy/articles/italy-has-europes-oldest-population-why-the-longevity/
https://www.today.com/health/italy-s-oldest-people-shed-light-longevity-psychology-t120001
https://www.bbc.com/news/health-21690003
https://www.quora.com/Why-is-life-expectancy-so-high-in-Italy-compared-to-the-rest-of-the-EU
https://www.quora.com/Why-do-Italians-live-longer-than-Germans
Thanks!
Healthcare, sea food and sports are all factors that make them live longer.
For the new participants, I would like to insist on what I said earlier: along with the Mediterranean diet and environmental factors there is also a great health system. Did you know that Spain is the first country in the world in organ transplants by number of inhabitants?
I should follow the different answers of another colleagues to learn more information about this interesting topic.
Interesting discussion and revealing contributions by respected colleagues.
This is not so in developing countries with life expectancies less or little above 50years.
Thank you so much dear Dr. Anastas Ivanov Ivanov , for kind comment. So, I am so sorry for delay the response. Yes, (( anyone can becomes a Mediterranean, no matter where he lives. He has to keep the same diet as the Mediterranean people.)).
Best greetings.
A while back Barry Turner suggested increased longevity around the world was a function of the electricity and energy system which focus on centralized use of fossil fuel resources. Spain has over 37% of the its electrical system in solar wind hydroelectrical and renewables. Maybe longevity and health is not that linked to the dependence on fossil fuels at all. I think diet health care and exercise regimes probably are better explanations. Olive oil and red wine are noted as healthy when used in moderation. Spain also has an advantage as their food system has not be overcome by genetically modified technologies and increased exploitation of pesticides.
I agree that olive oil, fish and red wine are important component of the longevity of southern Europeans. Red wine is rich in polyphenols (among other nutrients) which are beneficial to the functioning of the cardiovascular system. Fish and olive oil possess Omega-3 and polyunsaturated fats, and tocopherols (Vit. E), which is a powerful anti oxidant. However, being Italian myself I would say that Spanish, Italians Greeks and southern Europeans in general have a strong sense of community, family and friendship. These concepts play a high value among a large segments of these populations giving people a strong sense of belonging, overall happiness and low stress levels. Chronic stress is becoming a more dangerous expect of human life and it can kill, eventually, if not reduced. Southern Europeans live more communally, thus the individual who is part of a community develops strong relationships that become extremely valuable to cope and overcome the challenges of life. Finally, food quality of products that are locally grown as I mentioned above and walking around to work, to the market, to the piazzas/plazas for events are part of a life style that promotes longevity.
Four countries in the EU grew commercial genetically modified (GM) maize in 2016, with Spain adopting the largest area.
According to the latest figures from the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA), Spain planted 129,081ha of Monsanto’s pest-resistant maize (Bt maize) variety MON810 – a year-on-year increase of 20%.
Three other countries – Portugal (7,069ha), Slovakia (138ha) and the Czech Republic (75ha) grew the same variety.
Overall, it meant 19,493ha – an increase of 17% – of biotech maize was planted across the EU in 2016.
https://ourworld.unu.edu/en/why-and-how-spain-became-the-eus-top-grower-of-gmos
Genetically modified maize is a life saver. The pest resistant strain is rejected by the corn borer beetle larvae, which in the developing world can destroy over 20% of crop yield.
GMO's are the future of food and will be very much needed as the population expands to 11.3 billion by the end of the century.
Lets correct the record.
Genetically modified foods are related to serious issues which are dismissed by their purveyors for their own special interest.
There are a range of digestive and neurological conditions which have risen in incidence and severity with the GMO crops and the massive applications of glyphosate herbicide which is not used at rates of more than a billion pounds per year over the globe.
United Nations have reviewed the health information and considers glyphosate a probable carcinogen.
The idea that before the massive gmo experiment we could not supply for our feed needs and without them we will not continue to feed our people has no support at all.
Most of vegetable and fruits are wasted and the Hobbsian no choice that we need to continue the insane use of GMO is an experiment which did not quite work out as planned.
The first graph shows the increasing Parkinson disease as the increase of glyphosate herbicide in Washingon state.
The second graph shows the increasing of autism related with the increase use of glyphosate herbicide.
The mechanism of the glyphosate disruption has been linked to the interference with critical Manganese which is need for both nervous and digestive system.
Fourth graph shows the pernicious violation of the human body as glyphosate has invaded all our tissues and fluids.
The fifth graph shows the increase in digestive related fatalities following the increased glyphosate use related to GMO technology.
The final graph shows the tumors that rats developed when feed GMO feed sources in controlled replicated studies.
Its a hereditary. May be ageing factor development is slow. so life span wide. its genetic.
Dear Suparna Roy,
In my life investigating agriculture many researchers were keen on researching the ability of either environment or genetics as determinants to crop performance.
In their studies agronomic practices that influence the crop performance could be found contributing to about one half of crop performance potential and genetics determining the other half. I am pretty sure you are right about the significance influence of genetic factors related to longevity.
However, I am also pretty sure that Bruno in observation of the value of social network is also significant. The take home for me on a personal level is my genetics is not under more personal control currently however my life choices which are basically personal are potentially controllable once I would have full knowledge of the actions and their repercussions.
In this regard it makes our consciousness of extreme importance. From a spiritual perspective our populations can be perishing for lack of knowledge. Knowledge can be more than the technical for the life choices can be governed by an inner and outer knowledge which might go beyond the widgets of a physical system and probably more ethereal.
Some research is available that people with belief in prayer and a practice of it have benefits related to this relationship.
Some thoughts, PRH
Looking at this chart of health care costs against longevity according to national statistics.
We have national over achiever nations and under achievers.
First in relation to over achievers for longevity per health care investments are Japan, Singapore, and Cuba.
Second, notable under achievers are the United States, South Africa and Botswana.
In the case of Cuba they have developed a food system which is local and without use of imported synthetic pesticides, fertilizers or genetically modified organisms.
In this case they achieve longevity at about one tenth the investment as the United States and with longevity which is equal or greater.
Maybe a more natural and local sustained food system has intrinsic economic and health advantages compared to a centralized industrialized food model based monopoly controlled input which have inherent toxicities related to them might have real issues related to its effects.
I am not supporting totalarritarian regimes but capitalistic monopolistic regimes can have their own problems and issues.
This may be a good indication of better solutions when a best of all world approach is selected.
When GMO products are not labelled and disinformation is promoted in the marketplace it will be difficult for consumers to make prudent choices which would favor better health outcomes.
Ignorance can be a killer.
It is interesting to see from the graph that Paul shared here above the life expectancy of Cubans is higher than life expectancy in the U.S. and the per capita health care spending in international dollars is minimal (200-300 $$). Lots to learn from Cuba health system to insure quality care at a reasonable cost.
Yehya, au contraire, red wine is one good antioxidant, which helps with longevity. Within certain limits, generally described as one glass per day per adult female, two glasses per day per adult male. There has been quite a bit written on this, in the past few years.
https://www.verywellhealth.com/red-wine-and-longevity-2224017
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-193723/Red-wine-holds-secret-long-life.html
http://www.nbcnews.com/id/15511128/ns/health-health_care/t/big-doses-red-wine-could-promote-long-life/#.XEfezExFzIU
(You can find many other sources of this info. Either more than that dosage, or less than that dosage, can actually shorten your life. Amazing, but perhaps not all that amazing. After all, red wine, or wine in general, has been in the human experience, and fully accepted, for millennia. Not even the Bible has anything bad to say about it, other than if consumed in excess! There's usually a good reason for such very long traditions.)
Okay, having put in a good word for wine, more specifically red wine, I would like to reject the premise. Spain is not number one. The top 10, longest longevity listed first, according to this article from 2013, are as follows:
https://247wallst.com/special-report/2013/12/02/ten-countries-where-people-live-longest/3/
1. Switzerland - 82.8 years (all averages)
2. Italy - 82.7 years
3. Japan - also 82.7 years
4. Iceland - 82.4 years
5. Spain, finally, also 82.4 years
6. France - 82.2 years
7. Australia - 82.0 years
8. Sweden - 81.9 years
9. Israel - 81.8 years
10. Norway - 81.4 years
Much of this has been due to the rapid drop in smoking habits, by the way. If you read the article, you pick up nuances, such as, French men don't do all that well. Their high score is thanks to women.
The US is down at 78.7 years avg, in 2011. But, not so fast! The longest living people in the entire world are Asian Americans, living in the US state of New Jersey. Average, 89.37 years! Go figure. And in fact, Asians living in the US, in general, have longer life expectancies than anyone else in the world, including Asians living in Asia.
https://www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/worlds-longest-living-people
Starvation and famine are related to some very serious issues too. Those who live in comfortable and rich countries can afford the pious positions adopted by environmentalists because if they want to eat they just go to the fridge.
GMO crops offer reliable sources of food to huge numbers of people who do not have the option of going to the organic shelf when they are looking for lunch.
Over the next few decades GMO crops will have displaced others meaning higher yield, less waste and more people fed. Cross polination will see to that.
The patents are running out so the only real problem with GMO's will soon be past. Once generic strains are available the developing world will have all the access it needs.
There is of course an alternative as there always is. Drive the wildlife off the pristine land and cultivate it with organics. Once the indigenous herbivorous species have been eradicated (we can always keep a few in zoos) all that land can be used to grow food for people. That is sustainability.
Barry Turner as asserted that Roundup Ready GMO technology has resulted in higher yield of crops leading to less acreage being cultivated for the future.
Yet in the case of the first successful introduction was Roundup Ready GMO soybeans in 1994. Indeed while the trait gave farmers a higher seed bill and more convenient way to control weeds the yield trend line from 1994 was not different than that before the trait introduction. The data tells the story and its reality.
One of huge results is massive expansion of roundup ready herbicide which is invading the bodies of virtually all populations in North America.
In addition you will also see the dips in yield are more prominent after the introduction a function of the proven ability of GMO technology to reduce root vigor and nodulation. This makes the soybean plants more susceptible to drought the single most limiting crop factor.
Since 1994 the under performance of Roundup Ready Soybean were evident in 1995, 1997, 2003 2008 and 2012 so in the last 20 years or so the 25% in drought years when production is most needed the GMO underperformed in all of them. Coincidence probably not.
Indeed the green revolution cropping technologies based on monocultures have led to soil organic matter depletion which also accentuate the vulnerability of food crop system.
Thirdly there is a real threat of GMO reducing biodiversity endangered the diversity needed for natural balance. As the 1970 corn leaf blight epidemic and potato blight famine has proven out that the monolithic structure of the cropping system makes more vulnerability to catastrophic events not just drought but also disease and pest attack. The intended reduction of the weeds is also effective reducing beneficial effects of these as reservoirs for pollinators such as honey bees and biocontrol insects for pests.
The first introduction of GMO was Flavor Saver tomato which failed completely. The hype of golden rice is another one which has a lot of hype and little pay back. The control of the intellectual property of GMO technology has made difficult from farmers to save seeds as they traditionally have done. Farmers become captives of the seed industry and the chemical inputs which are packaged together to exclude competition in the marketplace.
The motivation of large international seed companies has little to do with feeding the world as they like to portray. Rather it is motivated in efforts d to lock farmers into a monopolistic practice.
The golden vision of GMO technology is not such a success to success story but at its best it is a checkered past by the one and only Monsanto who gave Vietnam and United the legacy of Agent Orange.
Presumably Roundup Ready GMO constitutes all current genetically modified foods.
Genetic modification of foods is now well established and spans a large range of foodstuffs. The prices charged represents the cost of patents and as they expire the seed will become cheaper and more widely used, especially in the developing world where crops are easily compromised and their loss far more damaging than in the fat wealthy 'west'.
GMO is here to stay, it is the future, it will feed the worlds rapidly growing population. The wealthy fat cats in the 'developed' world will still have their choice of buying organic if they want. They of course know absolutely nothing about what it means to go without food.
Dear Barry
I am glad you acknowledge that people with means will have organic food available. That is good at least some will have choice.
Congratulation since you are 1% person yourself and you will have means to eat sanely if you want to. It would more healthful for you and you will not have to worry so much.
Try it you will like it just does not have all synthetics and pesticides you seem so fond off. Not so much of billions of pounds of glysphosate GMO system. Yes there is also BT which has also shown the same old issues in clinical animal trials.
Hugh Grant the former Monsanto Chief said when journalist said they had heard his family was eating all certified organic he quipped that was fine as He could afford it. When asked about labelling He quipped why would anyone want to know what is in their food.
See no evil hear no evil and speak no evil now that is strategy just pretend everything is hunky dory. Proving again denial is more than a River in Africa it is corporate strategy.
guess it going exactly as planned for vested interest but truth should win out no matter how industrial propaganda temporarily is flourishing. For now it is looking good for the Empire this is but the beginning of the first period.
The game is just beginning and time will tell. The legal action is just starting so this is just the first period do not celebrate too much yet.
Paul Reed Hepperly
I am in agreement with you Sir that the
As the farmers are not well educated so, the masses of them easily got influenced and easily manipulated by the agents of these chemical and GMO industries like Bayer, Monsanto India Ltd, Dhanuka Agritech Ltd. etc.
I do know the people working at such companies, who have just to sell their product to the farmers as they have to meet their targets, and their higher incentives involved with the sales of such herbicides and pesticides, inspite of the fact that, whether their crop really need it or not.
Currently, India is the fourth largest global producer of pesticides after United States, Japan and China.
Earlier
Cotton used to be the crop with highest pesticide input requirement in India. But, Since the commercialization of transgenic Bt cotton seeds in 2002, Bt cotton has almost entirely replaced conventional seeds across the country, and nothing much has really changed with the total cost of cultivation as the share of seed costs in the cost of cultivation has increased over the same period, primarily because of the near universal adoption of Bt cotton with considerably higher seed costs per hectare of production.
However, since long monocropping span of around 17 years, issues of resistance to Bt toxins have grown along with the incidence of secondary pests such as whiteflies and jassids, Farmer have reached again the nearly same level of pesticide application what it was earlier in case of conventional varieties.
Although India’s pesticides consumption is one of the lowest in the world with per hectare consumption of just 0.6 Kg compared to US (5-7 Kg/ha) and Japan (11-12 Kg/ha).
But, paddy has surpassed (26%-28%) the shares of pesticide consumption of cotton (18% -20%) in India from past few years, which has become a serious issue, as rice being the staple food grain, letting these harmful chemicals to enter the food chain directly.
GMO technologies have been around for about 40 years yet the promises of feeding the world and reducing the use of agrichemicals in agriculture that proponents of genetic engineering were heralding have not been maintained. Actually, the aggressive expansions of GMO agriculture in the developing world has been catastrophic for the local people and local family farmers. The massive migrations from central and south America to the US is also a direct consequence of forcing industrial agriculture in developing countries and stripping millions of people from the chance to feed themselves, preserving their germplasm and maintaining at least a respectable way of life. I have lived and worked in remote areas of Sierra Leone and CAR in the 1980s and early 90s. Most recently, I lived in the Arco Seco Region of Panama. Life expectancy in these and more poor countries may be shorter because physical labor in the fields begins at an early age yet, in these countries every month, every season had foods available (from weedy herbs to unknown tubers and fruits, bugs and more). The extirpation of these native species to establish gigantic monocultures of GMOs has jeopardized a variety of nutritious foods that for millennia supported populations in these countries. GMO agriculture (together with the corrupted governments and politicians) who allowed its arrival and expansion in the developing world should be accountable for the environmental and socioeconomic crises that have been affecting many countries in Latin America, Africa and southeast Asia. This makes me conclude that if GMO are here to stay its NOT certainly for the will of the people, but rather for the lucrative opportunities of a handful of powerful corporations that at present, run the agribusiness world.
One of the promises of GMO companies was that the use of pesticides would subside based on their revolutionary technology and yet the same companies have used this to lock farmers into pesticide programs and why would they not do this being chemical companies.
I would advise judging not on what is said but rather what is done. They have a story and then there is the true which is found in following the actions and where the money goes.
To think that they had a serious plan to make the environment and health better is just not supported by their actions there is no company in history who has sued farmers more than Monsanto. With this corporate face a window dressing of publicity campaign is just a part of the cost of business.
Anyone who thinks Monsanto had altruistic motives just do not know that corporation.
Might be akin to letting the wolves protect the sheep the metaphoric wolf in sheep clothing. One of the issues at getting to scientific argument is that disinformation about the technologies is proliferated so freely.
The government approving these technologies is based on a revolving door of business executives being appointed to governmental regulatory agencies and the regulatory agencies being hand cuffed and bullied. All apart of the game.
Of interest is a documentary movie Atomic Homefront where the Monsanto corporation under Mackinrodt nomer was involved in St. Louis with purifying uranium for nuclear weapon generation. The truth is rarely pleasant.
The radioactive waste was hauled through Saint Louis and dumped near the airport out of town.
As the area was build over a raft of rare cancers have since developed around the urbanization build beside the hot dump site .
When state, EPA and industry sources were addressed they were blew off the victims. All the time these parties are claiming they had public issues and interests in their hearts. What hearts?
The disingenuous infrastructure of our society is at the heart of the casual attitude and anything goes business construct. To have better lives the accomplices of these travesties need to grow a Heart and not be the Grinches that Stole Christmas.
The real issue is people need to beware that authorities do not always have their interest in heart and in fact they might need to develop one. Heart that is because their special interest is always there and very visible.
Caveat emptor Let us as consumers beware of the industry agenda which is to create needs artificially and not necessarily to tell us as consumers anything close to truth but as the bible would tell us the truth can set us free.
As for me I chose freedom.
Only the hopelessly gullible would think that giant corporations, or for that matter, just about any business, would be "altruistic." That wouldn't even make sense. The more likely hope is that businesses have enlightened-enough self-interest to know what's good for them. Businesses need to compete, and the other guy might produce something resembling slightly more what people actually want. That's the only reason that they "care."
It's good for people to be skeptical. It's foolish and naïve to expect "altruism," from business.
"It's good for people to be skeptical. It's foolish and naïve to expect "altruism," from business".
Very true! Business is not about altruism it is about profit. That said creating wealth creates an environment in which altruism can thrive. Altruism needs surplus. You cannot give away what you do not have.
What happened to the great feed the world hype?
You mean the developers of agent orange actually could be lying?
You mean they also can be misleading on gmo?
But you were so confident that this was the answer and solution for our food future?
Selective amnesia?.
Let the buyers beware.
There are a lot of elements. I think the most important element is 'siesta'. Therewithal the climate of Mediterranean and its foods benefits people.
Speaking of GMOs, I've read somewhere that corn is probably an early example of a GMO. In that, corn would not have been able to perpetuate, by itself, given how well protected its seeds are. But true enough, that "genetic modification," historically, was not done by splicing genes. Still, the breeds must have been artificially developed.
https://livinghistoryfarm.org/farminginthe70s/crops_10.html
Dear Albert Manfredi,
Crossing plants that naturally mate with each other is a lot different than genetically modification where genetic constructs from various organisms are put randomly into the plant genome.
The idea that this is simply the same as classic breeding is equivalent to the false equivalency that High Fructose Corn Syrup is equivalent to cane sugar.
In the case of High Fructose Corn Syrup it has been shown experimentally to produce obesity under controlled studies and viola the American market which when from 0% High Fructose Corn Syrup to over 60 pounds per person to year and the populations showing 3 times the obesity and 7 times the diabetes.
The functional equivalency construct is a industry engineered propaganda construct to allow no inhibition of technology which they have vested interest in which exactly why their arguments should be looked at from a history of disregard for public health and environmental concerns.
The makers of better living through chemistry and feed the world have ulterior motives which are seldom unveiled. Rather than create products that people need they seem to prefer creating artificial need and dependency which based on addictive construction and market manipulation. Rather than reflect free market solutions their goal is to avoid realistic options for the consuming public.
The marketing and reality are rarely aligned.
It does not really matter whether GMO's are approved of or not. They are here to stay. We might as well all just get used to it.
Cecilia, Yes, I'm one of those who have read articles, even very recent ones, of the beneficial effects of red wine, coffee, and dark chocolate. But of course, like everything else we ingest, including clear water, by the way, all has to be within limits.
I've used the systems analogy in economics too, but it is clearly relevant to the human body. It is a system. It has its internal feedback controls. Like any system you can name, it can be abused, to operate outside its safe limits.
Humans that pay attention to their inner signals can tell when they should stop drinking alcohol, stop drinking water, stop ingesting food, put on warmer clothes, refrain from jumping down 20 foot drops, and so forth.
For red wine, the literature today is saying, on average, two glasses max, per day, for males, one glass for females. Seems reasonable enough to me, especially if those two glasses are spread apart by several hours.
As to GMOs, I think the jury is still out. Some gene splicing might just be what the doctor ordered, so to speak. There are many things that end up surprising the evangelical "naturalists." Like for example, we now know that natural cotton clothes are absolutely not the best thing to wear, in extreme cold climates. Artificial fabrics are far better. Same could well prove to be the case with certain foods. Evangelism is always a risky proposition.
By the way. Bottom line. Food poisoning is a much smaller threat today, than it was 100 years ago. And, the safety of "local sources" of food, especially those from small operations, is hardly something to write home about. We have seen the reports in the press, e.g., wrt Chipotle. So, some of those practices we love to hate may not be all bad!
Paul,
The makers of better living through chemistry and feed the world have ulterior motives which are seldom unveiled. Rather than create products that people need they seem to prefer creating artificial need and dependency which based on addictive construction and market manipulation.
Yes, but you see, I can't get all bent out of shape about that either, especially the "ulterior motives" part. And the manipulation part is really only up to the consumer. People can choose to be manipulated or not to be.
All business can be said to work that way. It gives people a product that people want, and we can make our own ethical judgments on that, and then it tries to perpetuate that revenue stream. Many of these products are extremely beneficial to mankind, even when many have questionable side effects. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if the same will prove to be the case with GMOs. You focus on one product, and that's great. We have a free press that can expose such findings, so people can make their own decisions. To assume you can extrapolate from that one example, to say all GMO foods must be bad for all time, is not all that convincing.
Frigidaire makes refrigerators. They may well show off gymongous refrigerators in their ads, with nice styling to lure people in and buy a new one even if they don't need a new one, but no one can deny that refrigerators are one wonderful product. For one, they do reduce the frequency of food poisoning events, dramatically. So, ulterior motives don't automatically trump good products.
When information mounts on the use of these technologies and their ability to disrupt digestion, cause issues by promoting neurological disease, reproductive issues, and cancer not to worry and take action is akin to Nero fiddling while Rome burns.
Since GMOs are avoided by consumer selection and the dietary decisions do indeed make a difference the idea that the consumer is powerless is part and parcel of denial play book it may not be important and even if it were there nothing that can be done about it.
Just like if a person can select to drink wine or not use olive oil or not or eat fish or not these are largely personal decisions. When a person is filled with knowledgeable and have a game plan the outcomes can be a lot better that believing all is futile.
I feel sorry for anyone who just does not know or care to know, and just does not care and does not care to care. Very sad indeed.
The attached pet scan shows cocaine and sugar stimulate the same brain centers.
Could the high amounts of sugar fat and salt present in our food system dominated by the commercial interest that can insure slavery to food addiction?
Should this pre meditated food addiction strategy be condoned because the special vested interest says it is only way of producing what people want?
Should I who do not partake of these addictive ingredients have to pay in terms of public health costs for hapless selection of the consuming public?
What responsibility is on the purveyor promoter and what responsibility on the consumer?
And why would a non consumer ever have to burden those costs?
When the nature of our food system is shrouded and "bio" engineered against the consumer and public interest is the selection by the consumer valid and real?
Or is just a manipulated pseudo choice?
Opine do you want to volunteer for addiction with a let it be strategy which is bankrupting this and potentially future generations? It will be your choice when you become informed and proactive otherwise I contend you fail to even have the elements of a choice.
First is the brain PET scan showing how sugar and cocaine affect the same brain centers.
How convenient for stimulating return business.
It is well known that once someone is addicted their free will decisions are impaired. While this is convenient for the special vested interests it is a disaster for society as a whole.
In addition the peddling of the food addiction is focused on kids who have less ability to evaluate dietary decisions.
In this package of product misrepresentation is that drinking coke will make you sexy and athletic. Oh really and how is that one working?
Another big lie is the industry supposition that all product is functionally equivalent the Corn is Corn mantra.
To substantiate this misconception they use analysis which is out dated and insensitive to satisfy themselves appear to have no issues.
Technology is always innocent and cannot be proven guilty as this is inacceptable for the vested interest.
There was time when the public interest was the goal of the educational systems but this has been largely brought off by the special interests.
maybe eating healthy food I dont know whats the real reason.
people can live longer and more fruitful by fitness, eating a healthy diet, managing life stresses and eliminating the sources of activities and throughts that rob our energy and life. We have little ability to influence our genetics but our diet, fitness and how we react to stresses is all under our control. These factors may be more important than a health care system which concentrates on issues which should have been addressed by preventive practices.
As a Spanish person and without any scientific evidence my take on this, points towards two or three factors.
1. Healthy diet. Yes there is a culture of drinking and smoking but there is also a culture of fruit and vegetables (among other food). Recently has been suggested that is not so bad the intake of unhealthy products but more important the lack of healthy products in our diets.
2. A highly social life either between family member or local friends. A strong family bonding and interaction is deeply rooted in Spanish society. Also, the 'kind' weather in the peninsula allows and invite for outdoors social encounters.
3. Siesta/nap. I don't think anyone would be surprise, by now, IF having or giving a 20-40mins break to our brains could be beneficial in the long run.
I don't think a single factor could be the reason for living longer (unless we talk about a magical pill) but rather the interaction between multiple elements.
Many think about fish, olive oil, family live, cause those things are perhaps different in their own countries. I'm Spanish, and I haven't got the exact reason, but I have one idea, that could also have an impact on life expectancy. What I'm talking about is how we manage problems and anxiety. Here the murder and crime statistics are ridiculous. We don't argue o claim a lot. If something is wrong, or someone wants to create a problem, we simply look the other side. There are two regions in Spain that could be an explanation to this argument. Basque country and Catalonia. Both have higher gdp and income than the average in Spain, also the health system is a little bit better than in other regions, but paradoxically, their live expectancy is lower. I suspect this is linked with their political problems. We use to call the people who insist In independece arguments, hyperventilated. Cause they fatigue the rest with their absurd and exaggerated arguments. So apart from this, how the average Spanish manage problems and anxiety I think could be the main factor that can explain a higher life expectancy together with our health system. Cause we eat red meat, fried food, and other toxic food. We drink a lot, we smoke slot, so should be a different thing.
Is it possible that health services in many western countries create a preoccupation with health and an insistence on the regular use of its services? In fact, keeping healthy may indeed be more a matter of fruit, fish, oils and wine. The Ancient Greeks lived, it seems, until 80 at a time when lifespans were indeed short.
Could you show us the source for this claim? I only find Spain around the top 5 now, so it looks like an estimation at 2040.
Many thanks.
Yes, I'm with Shin on this. As I've pointed out, buried way back somewhere in the long thread, I too dispute the basic premise.
Still, generically, the Mediterranean diet is a good bet. Low in animal fats, plenty of veggies and fruits, not too much red meat, and some vino in moderation.
https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/mediterranean-style-the-healthy-fats-and-healthy-carbs-diet
Just as there are "good carbs" and "bad carbs," there are good fats and bad fats. Mediterranean-style diets emphasize healthy fats and healthy carbs.
Saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol are the bad guys. Good fats are monounsaturated (found in olive oil, for example) and polyunsaturated (found in such foods as fish, canola oil, and walnuts). The Mediterranean diet advocated by Mollie Katzen and Harvard professor Walter Willett in Eat, Drink, & Weigh Less has a moderate amount of fat, but much of it comes from healthful monounsaturated fats and unsaturated omega-3 fats. It is high in carbohydrates, but most of the carbs come from unrefined, fiber-rich foods. It is also high in fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds, and fish, with only modest amounts of meat and cheese.
People living in Mediterranean countries have a lower-than-expected rate of heart disease. But the traditional lifestyle in the region also includes lots of physical activity, regular meal patterns, wine, and good social support. It's hard to know what relative role these different factors play — but there is growing evidence that in and of itself, the Mediterranean diet can reduce cardiovascular risk and the development of diabetes.
And yet, the longest-lived people are actually Asian women, living in the US state of New Jersey. Followed by other states in the US. Life expectancy 90.6 years. Go figure.
https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2018/08/asian-americans-men-in-new-jersey-live-longer-than-high-life-expectancy-hong-kong-women.html
Thank you for some resources. If any study shows that in 2040 people in Spain would have the longest lifespan, I would like to learn what assumptions are made. The assumptions will be the key to address the original question. I just cannot confirm the claim, so I asked.
As to the Mediterranean diet, I would agree with the health benefits as one factor of increasing health spans. The easiest assumption to make people live longer is to reduce the major causes of death. The Mediterranean diet is rich in omega-3 and 6, or more generally eicosanoids that can tame cardiovascular or other so-called age-related comorbidities. The study on life extension has been an interesting topic, we still are in the middle of finding out genetic, epigenetic and environmental factors, that goes to multifactorial. Perhaps that topic is good to write up another review in the near future.
With many factors that may reduce the major causes of death, we investigated age-related comorbidities, just recently published the mortality risk assessment with COVID-19. If you are interested, the link is:
Article Unusually High Risks of COVID-19 Mortality with Age-Related ...