4 ms·

If this idea is true, people who appear/feel younger in their old age should be more prone to get cancer. A testable proposition.

abduhl 15y ago
Asian Pacific Islanders (API) (who appear younger than they are in general, in my opinion) have the lowest incidence rates of cancer out of all races (for adults). http://seer.cancer.gov/report_to_nation/ http://seer.cancer.gov/report_to_nation/
oligophagy 15y ago
Or maybe those who look younger haven't needed the protection of aging because they've accumulated much less DNA damage in their lifetime (because of low sugar diet, slow basal metabolic rate, etc.), and less DNA damage = lower incidence of cancer.
michaelpinto 15y ago
My understanding is that we all have cancer cells in our body — the problem becomes when they get triggered. There may be something in the immune system that has something to do with this. What depresses me with this subject is that it seems like the more we know about it the more we understand how much more we really need to learn. Also as I get older I keep coming across more members of my peer group (and people I know who are older) who get some form of cancer. It seems like we've made some progress in my lifetime, but it's too slow for my tastes. In my dream of dreams someone would come up with a silver bullet.
- deleted 15y ago
  [deleted]
- Read_the_Genes 15y ago
  We all have tumors in our bodies, not cancer. Cancer is when the tumor metastasizes, and begins to grow out of control. Perhaps instead of hoping for a silver bullet to cure cancer, determine when/if your body is full of tumors, and do everything you can to prevent them from accumulating any more DNA damage.
  - nitrogen 15y ago
    I think one of us may be confused about the definition of metastasis. From (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/metastasis http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/metastasis) it appears that metastasis typically happens after a cancerous tumor has been around for a while, when some cancerous cells escape the tumor and start dividing elsewhere.

abduhl 15y ago

Asian Pacific Islanders (API) (who appear younger than they are in general, in my opinion) have the lowest incidence rates of cancer out of all races (for adults). http://seer.cancer.gov/report_to_nation/ http://seer.cancer.gov/report_to_nation/

oligophagy 15y ago

Or maybe those who look younger haven't needed the protection of aging because they've accumulated much less DNA damage in their lifetime (because of low sugar diet, slow basal metabolic rate, etc.), and less DNA damage = lower incidence of cancer.

michaelpinto 15y ago

My understanding is that we all have cancer cells in our body — the problem becomes when they get triggered. There may be something in the immune system that has something to do with this. What depresses me with this subject is that it seems like the more we know about it the more we understand how much more we really need to learn. Also as I get older I keep coming across more members of my peer group (and people I know who are older) who get some form of cancer. It seems like we've made some progress in my lifetime, but it's too slow for my tastes. In my dream of dreams someone would come up with a silver bullet.

deleted 15y ago
[deleted]
Read_the_Genes 15y ago
We all have tumors in our bodies, not cancer. Cancer is when the tumor metastasizes, and begins to grow out of control. Perhaps instead of hoping for a silver bullet to cure cancer, determine when/if your body is full of tumors, and do everything you can to prevent them from accumulating any more DNA damage.
- nitrogen 15y ago
  I think one of us may be confused about the definition of metastasis. From (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/metastasis http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/metastasis) it appears that metastasis typically happens after a cancerous tumor has been around for a while, when some cancerous cells escape the tumor and start dividing elsewhere.