4 ms·

And yet we live longer, healthier lives than humans ever have.

by jrmg 6y ago

rriepe 6y ago
Most of the chemicals are preservatives.
- colordrops 6y ago
  Preservatives extend lifespan?
  - craftinator 6y ago
    Yes; SCIENCE!
    - monetus 6y ago
      "Science!" - Buzz Aldrin https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BpRgY9GXLO0 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BpRgY9GXLO0
saiya-jin 6y ago
Not because we eat more of these chemicals, rather due to progress in healthcare and nutrition (not the 'chemical' one obviously). Plus nations with obese epidemics like US is seeing overall health of the population and life expectancy decreasing
fps_doug 6y ago
Longer yes, healthier... Hard to judge. We weeded out a dozen nasty things, but got others in return, for which "chemicals" might be an explanation. Parkinson's and Alzheimer's come to mind here. We were smart enough to add lead to fuel, so I absolutely wouldn't be surprised if something we mindlessly use today is actually super unhealthy too. People often seem to suffer "End of History" syndrome when judging these things. "Yeah we were stupid back then but today's scientists are smart." If people try to avoid processed food, products containing a lot of suspicious "chemicals", use the washer's program that does an extra rinse-run and whatnot I don't think that's entirely unjustified.
lm28469 6y ago
Life expectancy is going down in the US, obesity is skyrocketing, &c. The foundations are collapsing while we're maintained alive by machines and pills. You can live healthier than ever if you consciously chose to, most people don't make that choice. https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/chart-collection/u-s-life-expectancy-compare-countries/#item-le_life-expectancy-at-birth-in-years-2017_dec-2019-update https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/chart-collection/u-s-lif... https://www.cdc.gov/DIABETES/statistics/slides/long_term_trends.pdf https://www.cdc.gov/DIABETES/statistics/slides/long_term_tre... https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html
- permo-w 6y ago
  Average IQ (or at the very least growth in it) is dropping among young people in Northern Europe
Amezarak 6y ago
> And yet we live longer, healthier lives than humans ever have. Do we? > Analysis of the mid-Victorian period in the U.K. reveals that life expectancy at age 5 was as good or better than exists today, and the incidence of degenerative disease was 10% of ours. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2672390/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2672390/ The major medical advances have been sanitation, antibiotics, and vaccination, which have saved the lives of millions of children. We are otherwise much unhealthier than most people in the past, unless they were unlucky enough to grow up in times of famine, which was not common - though, in all fairness to the modern world, famine has been essentially eradicated altogether in advanced countries.

And yet we live longer, healthier lives than humans ever have.

by jrmg 6y ago

And yet we live longer, healthier lives than humans ever have.

rriepe 6y ago

Most of the chemicals are preservatives.

colordrops 6y ago
Preservatives extend lifespan?
- craftinator 6y ago
  Yes; SCIENCE!
  - monetus 6y ago
    "Science!" - Buzz Aldrin https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BpRgY9GXLO0 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BpRgY9GXLO0

saiya-jin 6y ago

Not because we eat more of these chemicals, rather due to progress in healthcare and nutrition (not the 'chemical' one obviously). Plus nations with obese epidemics like US is seeing overall health of the population and life expectancy decreasing

fps_doug 6y ago

Longer yes, healthier... Hard to judge. We weeded out a dozen nasty things, but got others in return, for which "chemicals" might be an explanation. Parkinson's and Alzheimer's come to mind here. We were smart enough to add lead to fuel, so I absolutely wouldn't be surprised if something we mindlessly use today is actually super unhealthy too. People often seem to suffer "End of History" syndrome when judging these things. "Yeah we were stupid back then but today's scientists are smart." If people try to avoid processed food, products containing a lot of suspicious "chemicals", use the washer's program that does an extra rinse-run and whatnot I don't think that's entirely unjustified.

lm28469 6y ago

Life expectancy is going down in the US, obesity is skyrocketing, &c. The foundations are collapsing while we're maintained alive by machines and pills. You can live healthier than ever if you consciously chose to, most people don't make that choice. https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/chart-collection/u-s-life-expectancy-compare-countries/#item-le_life-expectancy-at-birth-in-years-2017_dec-2019-update https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/chart-collection/u-s-lif... https://www.cdc.gov/DIABETES/statistics/slides/long_term_trends.pdf https://www.cdc.gov/DIABETES/statistics/slides/long_term_tre... https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html

permo-w 6y ago
Average IQ (or at the very least growth in it) is dropping among young people in Northern Europe

Amezarak 6y ago

> And yet we live longer, healthier lives than humans ever have. Do we? > Analysis of the mid-Victorian period in the U.K. reveals that life expectancy at age 5 was as good or better than exists today, and the incidence of degenerative disease was 10% of ours. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2672390/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2672390/ The major medical advances have been sanitation, antibiotics, and vaccination, which have saved the lives of millions of children. We are otherwise much unhealthier than most people in the past, unless they were unlucky enough to grow up in times of famine, which was not common - though, in all fairness to the modern world, famine has been essentially eradicated altogether in advanced countries.