[Graeme]

Meat may be the reason humans outlive apes

Genetic changes that apparently allow humans to live longer than any other primate may be rooted in a more carnivorous diet.

These changes may also promote brain development and make us less vulnerable to diseases of aging, such as cancer, heart disease and dementia.

Chimpanzees and great apes are genetically similar to humans, yet they rarely live for more than 50 years. Although the average human lifespan has doubled in the last 200 years — due largely to decreased infant mortality related to advances in diet, environment and medicine — even without these improvements, people living in high mortality hunter-forager lifestyles still have twice the life expectancy at birth as wild chimpanzees do.

These key differences in lifespan may be due to genes that humans evolved to adjust better to meat-rich diets, biologist Caleb Finch at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles suggested.

msnbc

[Serial_Worrier]

So if apes ate Triple Baconators they would become smarter and kill us?

[Graeme]

Here are some test results for mice that offer support for the above theory.

Protein cocktail is 'elixir of life'

A cocktail of amino acids - the building blocks of proteins - is the latest contender in the age-old search for the elixir of life.

Scientists gave mice drinking water laced with three amino acids. They said the rodents lived significantly longer than other mice fed a normal diet.

The research, reported in a scientific journal, has yet to be tried in people.

The study leader said a large patient trial was needed to provide evidence to convince doctors.

In experiments, middle-aged healthy male mice were given drinking water containing the amino acids leucine, isoleucine and valine.

BBC

[dinopello]

But prehistoric man, before various life-elongation artifacts like heating, medicine, protection from predators etc had about the same lifespan as the other primates 30-40 years on average. Or at least that's what my googlesearch says.

[Serial_Worrier]

But prehistoric man, before various life-elongation artifacts like heating, medicine, protection from predators etc had about the same lifespan as the other primates 30-40 years on average. Or at least that's what my googlesearch says.

That's nonsense. People started living 6000 years ago in the Garden of Eden and had lifespans in the 100s of years before original sin happened. I know this because that's what Pastor Dan said at Holy Church of Christ last Sunday.

[Ayoob]

Any reason to eat meat is a good reason. There's just nothing better.

Walking birds roasted over pecan wood... Lord have mercy.

[dinopello]

It's "Bacon Week" at one of our local restaurants ! I think I may just live forever !

A bacon martini. Maple bacon ice cream. Bacon on a stick. Pork wrapped in bacon.

Today is the beginning of Bacon Week at 3 Restaurant in Clarendon, and the eatery has a ramped up the creativity to generate a three-course bacon menu. There’s also a bacon happy hour from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., and a bacon-making class at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 16.

[Serial_Worrier]

We all know that meat is the reason apes are going to be outliving humans. We eat too many mcTriples w/bacon!

[KingM]

Except that chimpanzees are omnivores like we are. They regularly hunt and eat monkeys and other small to medium sized forest animals. Do they live longer than orangutans, gorillas, or bonobos?

[FairMaiden]

KingM, meat (including termites which wouldn't have the amino acids in the article) account for only 5% of the chimps diet. See: http://www.honoluluzoo.org/chimpanzee.htm

Longevity of chimps: 50 years
orangutan: 40 years
gorilla: 35 years
bonobos: 50 years

So yes, they do live longer...the bonobos also eat a very small portion of meat like flying squirrels...so I guess the theory holds.

I have tried vegetarian twice with very poor results. I've recently upped my meat intake for health reasons (very low iron in my hemoglobin) and I feel GREAT. Plus, I've lost 12 lbs

[ralfy]

I'm not sure, but I think the ave. human lifespan throughout human history was around 26 years, with a few living much longer because they were royalty, and others living much shorter lives because of environmental difficulties.

However, during the latter half of the nineteenth century, when oil was used for commercial purposes, manufacturing and mechanized agriculture grew, together with benefits from various technologies, from sanitation to vaccines. The result was that life spans increased to around 45 years for some countries by the start of the twentieth century, and by the end of World War II, 60 years for several. Some countries, like Japan, had a life span of less than 50 years, but that increased rapidly, with China gaining the most from the '70s onwards.

[Pretorian]

lifespams were 25-50 because of high infant and child mortality, thats it. If you survived childhood and didnt die in war/childbirth you might as well live your 80-90s just like people do now, lacking any kind medical care whatsoever (or perhaps, because of )

[ralfy]

Multiple factors may be involved. The wiki entry has many links to consider:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_expectancy