Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with longevity

How do I optimize bio-availability and absorption of nutritional supplements?

jerwilkins — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 18:06:22 -0800

How do I optimize bio-availability and absorption of nutritional supplements? [(figure I'll cross-post this at ImmInst, but you guys are rather sharp so couldn't hurt to break in the new MetaFilter account :)] Question regarding bioavailability and absorption of supplements across a multi-factor spread Factors:
* Fasted state
* Positive nutrient interaction (e.g., take with fats, take with other compounds, take alone)
* Negative nutrient interaction (i.e., Don't take with X)
* Before/after weight training

Longevity supplement regimen:
* 500mg trans-resveratrol
* 3g EPA/DHA fish oil
* 1g Krill oil
* 4000 IU Vitamin D3
* Multivitamin (Biolife)

Fitness supplement regimen:
* Stinging Nettle Root
* Zinc Magnesium Calcium Complex
* Creatine monohydrate
* BCAAs

Anything off the top? Would love if there were a good wiki recommendation on nutraceutical optimization and interactions, but so far haven't found anything.

Health Benefits of Sex?

taramosalata — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 15:39:24 -0800

Sex is often touted as beneficial for one's health. Is this supposed to be true for both men and women, and how much evidence is there for the claim (apart from calorie expenditure, which is still negligible compared to actual aerobic exercise)? And is it primarily the orgasm that's supposedly healthful, or even sex sans orgasm?

How can I pick a plain picture frame that will never go out of production?

jeffderek — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 09:49:46 -0800

How can I pick a plain picture frame that will never go out of production? I'm in the process of taking pictures of every baseball stadium in the country. This will be a several year, if not decade, undertaking. I'm printing them all out, black and white, in 8x10 size and hanging them on my wall in frames with white matting and a plain black frame.

I started with just two pictures, and when I took two more and was ready to have 4 up, the frame I had selected was no longer being made. I bought 6 at the time and put 4 up, so I have 2 more for my next two stadiums (both of which will happen in the next month).

How best to go about doing this long term, so that I dont have to keep replacing my older frames? I'm currently paying about $10 per frame, and I'd like to avoid paying more than $20. This is an absurdly plain black frame with white matting, I don't want something high end, and I worry that I'll spend more than I want at a custom frame shop. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong on that.

In a perfectly ideal world, I'd love to find a set of frames, so I don't have to stick with 8x10 all the time, and I could do some panoramic shots or some larger sizes for stadiums more important to me (like my team's home stadium). However, thats not strictly necessary

Thanks!

What ever happened to this guy?

Mr.Me — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 12:08:31 -0800

Early seventies talk show filter: I remember, as a kid of less than ten years old, watching a particular guest on either the Mike Douglas Show or Merv Griffin and I wonder if anyone here knows his name. He was a scientist or researcher (possibly from M.I.T.?) who would come on and talk about diet-brain chemicals-changes in life expectancy-vitamins and other things related to longevity. He was a young white guy, tall, kind of pasty, with long, stringy/curly dark hair and a thin/angular nose. Does anyone remember this guy and know his name?

Help me build a device to last the ages... and still work!

-harlequin- — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 10:47:11 -0800

Help me build a device to last the ages - and still function! For a hobby/art project, I'm building a pocket-sized gadget comprised of electronics, gears, metal, glass, wood, plastic, etc. Is there any particular book or other source that stands out as the bible on issues of long-lasting methods and materials? Ie covers questions like how transparent and strong various plastics remain after X years/decades of sun and UV? Which material/method of lubrication for gears will best last decades under X conditions? Which soldier alloy? If it's relevant, I am prepared to use exotic materials and techniques where useful for longevity (for example gold plating, or hermetic sealing, inert gases, etc).

The problem is that each of the example questions I mention above are subjects on which tomes and tomes of research and detailed engineering analysis have been written. And I have hundreds of questions like these spanning many fields. I do not have the lifetimes to become an engineering specialist in a hundred fields, yet I would still like to have a decent shot and building things that are seriously reliable for seriously long time (compared to modern consumer standards). I want something that systematically just gets to the point for a wide range of materials and techniques.

Is there any particular book, or reference that stands out on the subject? A Pocket Ref of long-lasting methods and materials?
Or a few key books (2-4) that together cover nearly everything?
Or some other way to learn a lot about the tricks of building electronics and devices to last?

For most of the example questions I mentioned (best solder alloy, etc) I already have a pretty good idea of the answer - they're just examples of the kind of questions I have, so don't worry about trying to directly answer them here - I'm much more interested in finding a book or something on this stuff, especially to learn about my "unknown unknowns" - the longevity problems that haven't even occurred to me, familiar materials with long-term properties I had no idea about, etc.)

I actually have a range of things I'd like to build, and for all of them I basically want to learn how to go the extra mile (or six) to make them really long-lasting.

Because if I live to 100 I win a bet...

Ziggurat — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 10:02:08 -0800

What are the, say, 10 most important things I must do to maintain my physical health? There are innumberable things one can and should do for their physical health. However, what I'm interested in are the 10 most important. These would be the 10 things that, if you're not doing them, a doctor would just want to shake you and tell you to grow up. And I know there are hundreds of things that one could be doing for one's health...but I'm not interested in the little ones. I'm looking for the big guns.
I'll start:
1) Quit smoking (if appropriate)
2) Get at least 20 minutes of cardio 3x per week (much more, ideally)
3-10) ????

Rich people buying better health?

cgc373 — Sun, 29 Apr 2007 08:53:26 -0800

Zillions of billionaire characters in fiction try to buy their way out of dying by funding crazy research efforts or moving into orbit or whatever—think of John Hurt in Contact or Lionel Luthor in Smallville. Are there any examples of such figures in reality, in history? Howard Hughes types with nothing to lose?

Is it safe?

anonaccount — Fri, 08 Dec 2006 02:35:14 -0800

Pizza purchased hot on Wednesday night and kept in the fridge till Friday....Good to eat? Chicken, green peppers, onion and mushroom. Help me hive mind before I implode with hunger!

How Long Will A Mylar Mirror Last?

Ken McE — Sat, 20 May 2006 10:38:45 -0800

Under indoor conditions, what is the life expectancy of metalized Mylar? The Mylar itself looks like it should be good for decades under the right circumstances. When they metalize the Mylar to get that reflective finish they put it through a variety of processes. I am having trouble getting a life expectancy for the mirror finish.

It will be used indoors as a reflectors in four foot flourescent light fixtures. Humidity should range from zero to one hundred percent, depending on the season. It will never receive direct sunlight, mechanical flexing, or serious vibration. Their should be no corrosive gases or abrasive dusts present. Temperatures should always stay in the sixty to ninety degree fahrenheit range. When the fixtures are operating some parts get warm, but not too warm to hold your hand against. I am aware that the finish is mechanically delicate and that people changing bulbs may scratch it.

The current fixtures are about 40 years old, and I would like to install reflectors that have a fair chance of lasting another 40 years or more. Traditional glass mirrors would cause trouble if the glue failed and they fell on the bulbs. Plexiglass mirrors are around nine dollars per square foot, a bit much for the project. I am aware that the finish is conductive and is being installed inside an electrically active unit.

what's up with my knees?

amtho — Wed, 04 May 2005 21:47:08 -0800

In the past couple of years, whenever I go to certain movie theaters, after the show my knees hurt a little afterward. They also feel a little precarious, like the ligaments are stretched out and they might just decide to bend backwards. What do I need to do to ensure that I continue walking on my own for the next 50-60 years? The pain is not severe and goes away within a few minutes. For now. It seems to be just a little more scary each time. I am flat-footed. I usually try to wear arch supports. I'm not a runner, but I do enjoy dancing a bit.

A little googling has yielded information on pre-patellar bursitis (apparently caused by kneeling and/or the front of the knee being rubbed wrong, and I have been kneeling lately) and patellofemoral syndrome (PFS - kneecap sliding slightly to the side, caused by the way one's knees/legs/feet are put together). They seem to be vaguely related (descriptions of both refer to "housemaid's knee"), so please forgive if I've got them confused below.

The information I've been able to find about the bursitis -- also known as housemaid's knee -- seems mainly about acute flare-ups, mentions taking ibuprofen etc., and says it should go away soon. It always does, and that's great, but it's still alarming. What if it's worse in 25 years and I forget to pay attention when standing up after a show - will I fall and break a hip or something?

Info about the second condition, PFS, specifically mentions the syndrome's "theater sign" and says it may be noticed after getting up from a theater seat or by secretaries. It also refers to itself as "housemaid's knee" or "secretaries' knee", so maybe it's related to the other.

Treatment for PFS seems to consist of "Selective strengthening of the inner portion of the quadriceps muscle" . Does anyone know if this actually works? What about over the long term?

I'm in a show right now where I do a fair amount of kneeling, but I've been pretty careful about always using knee pads. Is this not good enough? And I was having the "theater sign" even before I was doing much kneeling.

I know if (probably when) I go to a doctor, I'll get sent for physical therapy and told a lot of vague stuff. Does anyone here have experience with a problem like this?

One more thing - my grandmother had both knees replaced, but I associated her problems with the fact that she was a bit overweight. I'm not (well, maybe five pounds, but not really).

roses before valentine's day?

kyle — Mon, 24 Jan 2005 08:18:07 -0800

How long before Valentine's Day can I buy roses and hope for them to still be decent? Are all the flower vendors hip to this tactic?