limits of lifespan

[Brian Atkins]

Karl Anderson wrote:
> 
> Brian Atkins <brian@posthuman.com> writes:
> 
> > P.S. You can also already increase your max lifespan through caloric
> > restriction.
> 
> Yeah, by eating something like 50% of your usual intake.  With big
> drawbacks, too.  The animals that this experiment is being tried on
> all have personal trainers, effectively - I presume that malnutrition
> is pretty close.  Would suck to have a doubled lifespan with
> Korsakoff's syndrome.

I know people who are on CRAN (caloric restriction with adequate
nutrtition) and they are definitely not suffering malnutrition. They
in fact are much more aware of nutrition and are probably better off
in that area than myself...

> 
> I saw a guy actually trying this on the news or PBS or something.  He
> was amazingly weak.  I doubt he could ride a bike.

Depends on how far you take it. Muscle loss is a factor in the more
extreme practitioners.

> 
> Short answer, most of us could probably increase my lifespan more
> easily by quitting smoking and drinking, getting PMA from a shrink,
> and trading my IT profession for an active one.  Not as futuristic an
> idea to sell, though.

Those things will increase your average lifespan, but the whole point
here is the idea of increasing your max lifespan. So for instance with
smoking and normal eating pattern your lifespan might be 75 out of 85
max possible years for your genetic makeup. With CRAN and smoking it
might be something like 90 out of 105. Of course for best results with
CRAN you should start young...
-- 
Brian Atkins
Director, Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence
http://www.singinst.org/