Dean Pomerleau Posted October 22, 2015 Report Share Posted October 22, 2015 Michael Rae says: (Sorry to be inelegant, but I'm not sure how else to do this bit... This is a new thread for discussing possible speakers for the Ninth CR Society International Conference in Tucson, Arizona. Please weigh in — and do so quickly, as we need to make decisions and get invitations out before potential presenters' schedules get filled up. -Michael Terrific! I've always wanted to visit Tucson. I'll definitely be going - it will be my first CR Conference since 2003! It would be great if we could get Luigi Fontana to present & participate. Update: I had another speaker idea: How about getting your colleague/boss Aubrey de Grey to participate and present? I'd love to hear firsthand his "overwintering" argument for (at most) modest CR benefits. It would be fun to hear you and he debate :-). Plus getting an update on SENS research directly from both of you would be great! Thanks to all the organizers! --Dean Link to comment
Dean Pomerleau Posted October 23, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 23, 2015 Here are a couple other ideas for presenters at the conference: - Max More, Transhumanist and director of Alcor cryonics. Alcor is located in Scottsdale AZ, about two hours from Tucson so it might not be too hard for him to participate. * Longo or Mattson on the benefits of Intermittent Fasting vs. continuous CR --Dean Link to comment
James Cain Posted October 25, 2015 Report Share Posted October 25, 2015 Excellent! I think it would be valuable to have discussions of CR as it fits into a larger framework of healthy food behaviors, and focusing heavily on the ON/lifestyle half of things rather than CR per se, in addition to lifestyle behaviors and impact. Circadian rhythms, effect of diet on them and their effect on metabolic regulation. The role of macronutrients, especially plant vs. animal, protein intake, and micronutrient sources The interaction of fiber, gut bacteria, CR and modified fasting regimes. Psychology of dieting and healthy eating. Circadian functions and meal schedules. Diet/lifestyle flexibility and mild vs. more severe CR, considering biological and personal impacts. This seems very appropriate given recent human CR data and the general popular shift in perception and interest in CR. This would basically be information that new (and established!) CR practicioners/afficionados could use to balance the most practical and sustainable practice for their personal long-term health, well-being, and psychological and social capacities. This could make a great panel discussion too! Link to comment
Saul Posted October 25, 2015 Report Share Posted October 25, 2015 I'd also like to suggest Prof. James Whitfield (emeritus) of the CNRC, Ottawa; he's one of world's leading experts on osteoporosis, and author of the book, "growing bone". (He has recently turned his interests to studying Alzheimer's disease; perhaps also of interest, considering the many posts on that topic). Link to comment
Saul Posted October 25, 2015 Report Share Posted October 25, 2015 Of course, I'll be attending the Conference (I haven't missed any except the first, which I regret missing). Dean, I'm delighted that you'll be attending a CR Conference again! And thanks for become such a prolific, and useful, contributor! -- Saul Link to comment
Saul Posted October 26, 2015 Report Share Posted October 26, 2015 I'd also suggest inviting Matt Kaeberlein -- it's been a long time since we had him deliver a presentation, and he's a major CR researcher, and is also, I believe, a CR practitioner -- and also, a great guy! -- Saul Link to comment
Saul Posted October 26, 2015 Report Share Posted October 26, 2015 Here are a couple other ideas for presenters at the conference: - Max More, Transhumanist and director of Alcor cryonics. Alcor is located in Scottsdale AZ, about two hours from Tucson so it might not be too hard for him to participate. * Longo or Mattson on the benefits of Intermittent Fasting vs. continuous CR --Dean I would suggest otherwise; at one of the previous CR Conferences, we had a presentation by a Cryonics peson -- he was in the business, selling cryonics to CRONnies. I think that's as appropriate as having an Evangelist, asking for contributions so that we'll go to heaven. -- Saul Link to comment
Saul Posted October 26, 2015 Report Share Posted October 26, 2015 Here are a couple other ideas for presenters at the conference: * Longo or Mattson on the benefits of Intermittent Fasting vs. continuous CR --Dean Both great ideas! Considering his recent research, I vote for Longo if I had to choose. -- Saul Link to comment
Saul Posted October 26, 2015 Report Share Posted October 26, 2015 It would be great if we could get Luigi Fontana to present & participate. Update: I had another speaker idea: How about getting your colleague/boss Aubrey de Grey to participate and present? I'd love to hear firsthand his "overwintering" argument for (at most) modest CR benefits. It would be fun to hear you and he debate :-). Plus getting an update on SENS research directly from both of you would be great! Thanks to all the organizers! --Dean Agree completely! Maybe also Prof. Holoszy. -- Saul Link to comment
James Cain Posted October 27, 2015 Report Share Posted October 27, 2015 Eric Ravussin might be up for it, to talk about the CALERIE research and CR in general. https://www.crsociety.org/topic/11347-interview-with-dr-eric-ravussin-about-the-calerie-study-and-cr/ Link to comment
BrianMDelaney Posted October 27, 2015 Report Share Posted October 27, 2015 Great suggestions, everyone! I've mentioned this elsewhere to the conference organizers, but I'll bring it up here in case anyone has any concrete suggestions about speakers. I don't -- though I haven't dug too deeply. An important direction in which much research is now turning is the modification of the effects of lifestyle interventions by genes. This is likely highly relevant to CR practitioners in at least two ways: 1) Are there SNPs (or allelic variations) that might modify how one practices CR? (More dietary fat? Periodic fasting more or less likely to reap benefits??) 2) Are there SNPs that might modify whether one will benefit much from CR? (Are people who are "naturally thin" because of particular allelic variants likely to benefit less from CR?) See, for example, the threads here Usefulness of personal genomics, and Genetics of Obesity. - Brian Link to comment
Saul Posted October 27, 2015 Report Share Posted October 27, 2015 The role of macronutrients, especially plant vs. animal, protein intake, and micronutrient sources The interaction of fiber, gut bacteria, CR and modified fasting regimes. <snipped> I agree completely! Especially interesting, perhaps, is item 2, about the gut microbiota. There was some very interesting correspondence, towards the end of the CR mailing list, about saturated fats: The negative of consuming saturated fats was greater than one would expect, on the basis of nutritional data alone. The tentative conclusion was, that there was a significant negative effect on the gut microbiota, especially when consuming saturated fats from animal sources: recent developments in this line of research should be very interesting. Link to comment
Alex K Chen Posted October 29, 2015 Report Share Posted October 29, 2015 I'd also suggest inviting Matt Kaeberlein -- it's been a long time since we had him deliver a presentation, and he's a major CR researcher, and is also, I believe, a CR practitioner -- and also, a great guy! -- Saul Matt is definitely a great guy - though he doesn't practice CR. :) He is on the pro-CR side when it comes to whether or not CR increases lifespan though. === I'm VERY interested in coming, but I wonder what the cost of the conference is... I'm also not a big fan of talks/presentations in general - I find that most of the value comes from the networking. Link to comment
Michael R Posted October 29, 2015 Report Share Posted October 29, 2015 I'd also suggest inviting Matt Kaeberlein -- it's been a long time since we had him deliver a presentation, and he's a major CR researcher, and is also, I believe, a CR practitioner Matt is definitely a great guy - though he doesn't practice CR. :) Saul, I think you were thinking of Mark Mattson ;) . I'm VERY interested in coming, but I wonder what the cost of the conference is... I'm also not a big fan of talks/presentations in general - I find that most of the value comes from the networking. From the third Conference onward, the mix has consistently been very good: plenty of excellent, stimulating science, with a lot of time to hang out with fellow CR folk. It's a real privilege to hear about unpublished research, and quiz the researchers themselves. Link to comment
timc Posted October 29, 2015 Report Share Posted October 29, 2015 I enjoyed the partly contrarian Gary Taubes from CR VIII (2013) (Gary Taubes, Berkeley CA, Insulin and adiposity: An alternative hypothesis of weight regulation and health). So not him again per se, but someone like him (not necessarily a contrarian, not necessarily a popular author but outside the box, somewhat entertaining). Link to comment
Dean Pomerleau Posted October 30, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 30, 2015 I enjoyed the partly contrarian Gary Taubes from CR VIII (2013) (Gary Taubes, Berkeley CA, Insulin and adiposity: An alternative hypothesis of weight regulation and health). So not him again per se, but someone like him (not necessarily a contrarian, not necessarily a popular author but outside the box, somewhat entertaining).How about inviting Michael Greger? Given the love/hate relationship he has with several vocal CR folks, a discussion with him is bound to be entertaining! And even his critics have to admit he keeps his pulse on the latest in nutrition information, even if he does tend to 'spin' it sometimes... His perspective that it may not be CR, but protein restriction, methionine restriction or simply eating more plants that's conveys health/longevity benefits could prompt interesting discussions and debate. --Dean Link to comment
Saul Posted October 30, 2015 Report Share Posted October 30, 2015 I think it's better to not emphasize any type of diet -- vegan, vegetarian,piscotarian,high fat, low fat, or whatnot. OTOHH, it might be nice to invite a follower of Dr. Gregor -- former president Bill Clinton. (Disclaimer: I'm an Orthodox Republican :) Link to comment
Saul Posted October 30, 2015 Report Share Posted October 30, 2015 I'd like to hear a talk by Michael Rae, on whatever topics he chooses. Link to comment
BrianMDelaney Posted October 30, 2015 Report Share Posted October 30, 2015 Michael Greger would be a good choice. Denise Minger would be good as well - probably better, in terms of her draw potential. - Brian Link to comment
Dean Pomerleau Posted October 30, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 30, 2015 I think it's better to not emphasize any type of diet -- vegan, vegetarian,piscotarian,high fat, low fat, or whatnot.Why am I not surprised you that you wouldn't be interested in hearing from Dr. Greger...OTOHH, it might be nice to invite a follower of Dr. Gregor -- former president Bill Clinton. (Disclaimer: I'm an Orthodox Republican :)Why am I not surprised that you continue to spell Dr. Greger's name wrong, despite the fact that you are a university professor with a (presumably) very sharp mind & memory, and I've corrected you on this several times before... And yes, it would be nice to hear from former President Clinton about his new diet, and his views on politics (DIsclaimer: I'm an Independent/Libertarian who leans Democratic). But you are once again not thinking very clearly Saul if you think he'll come speak to an audience of 50-100 diet fanatics, unless we can pony up his $225,000 speaking fee. Finally, for the record Bill Clinton isn't a follower of Dr. Greger. He switched to a vegan diet based on the advice of Dr. Dean Ornish, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, and Dr. T Colin Campbell. https://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/bill-clintons-diet/ I'd much rather hear from any of those three directly then Clinton. --Dean Link to comment
Dean Pomerleau Posted October 30, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 30, 2015 Michael Greger would be a good choice. Denise Minger would be good as well - probably better, in terms of her draw potential. - Brian While I admire her recent dietary turnaround and she might be good for entertainment value (and easier to entice to attend than Dr. Greger), she is incredibly less qualified as a speaker about health and nutrition than Dr. Greger. You can judge for yourself from these two videos of presentations she did at the "Ancestral Health Symposium" in 2012 and 2014. In the first she advocates eating lots of meats, but doing it "from nose to tail", and to a large extent eschewing the "muscle meats" in favor of organs like liver, testicles, kidneys, and other parts of the animals, like bone (bone broth turns into a "delicious jello" once refrigerated), feet, skin, ears, eyes, nose, tails, sheep face & brain (16:36) - "seriously it's so good for you, as long as you can get around the whole 'eating a face thing'." (25:56-27:00). She says takes a very "intuitive approach" to eating, not a structured dietary approach of tracking nutrients - e.g. she eats liver only when it doesn't "make her feel like throwing up" (29:50). She's dabbled in eating raw meat (36:10), including raw goat testicles, but the latter "didn't do anything for her". At 36:45, she apologizes to the audience for not liking bacon. As of the latter, 2014 talk, she claims she's once again returned to veganism "for the last three hours, and I feel fine - seriously." In it she covers the evidence for her recent high profile switch from a high fat paleo diet, to a low fat vegan diet, which as discussed in the other thread, makes some good points. Seriously, she might be entertaining, but she's pretty flaky. Watch the videos and judge for yourself. --Dean Link to comment
Dean Pomerleau Posted October 31, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 31, 2015 How about Elizabeth Parrish from BioViva? Here is a Humanity+ interview with her. http://hplusmagazine.com/2015/05/06/bioviva-gene-therapy-to-treat-aging-and-beyond/ Their specific gene therapy techniques to treat the diseases of aging are very controversial and certainly unproven, but I admire her and her company for taking a stand against aging, and for being willing to engage in self-experimentation. Having watched a talk by her: https://youtu.be/87OUb8TBwX0 she's a pretty good speaker, and it could make for some interesting, controversial discussion, I suspect. --Dean Link to comment
BrianMDelaney Posted October 31, 2015 Report Share Posted October 31, 2015 Dean, I think you're being a little harsh on Denise M. -- until very recently she was on the steep part of her learning curve. That said, if we only have space for one non-academic speaker, I would much rather have Elizabeth Parrish. Brilliant suggestion, for all the reasons you cite! - Brian Link to comment
Dean Pomerleau Posted October 31, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 31, 2015 Dean, I think you're being a little harsh on Denise M. -- until very recently she was on the steep part of her learning curve. Perhaps I was a bit harsh. Her recent acknowledgement of the benefits of a low-fat, plant-based diet is definitely a step in the right direction, so I'm willing to give her the benefit of the doubt and discount her previous advocacy of a bizarre, meat-centric diet as most healthy. She certainly does seem to be willing to follow the evidence, but I'm far from certain she's any more educated on health/nutrition than many of us CR practitioners. Certainly I'd trust dietary advice from Michael Rae a heck of a lot more than Denise Minger, and he'll (presumably) be attending the conference without enticement . That said, if we only have space for one non-academic speaker, I would much rather have Elizabeth Parrish. Brilliant suggestion, for all the reasons you cite! Yes - Ms. Parrish will have interesting stuff to say on a topic that virtually all of us (with the possible exception of Michael) have much less expertise / experience than she does - gene therapy. She might be able to give us an update on results of the longevity-targeted gene manipulation experiment that she's conducting on herself. This seems like the kind of biohacking that some of us might one day consider. --Dean Link to comment
Saul Posted November 1, 2015 Report Share Posted November 1, 2015 I think it's better to not emphasize any type of diet -- vegan, vegetarian,piscotarian,high fat, low fat, or whatnot.Why am I not surprised you that you wouldn't be interested in hearing from Dr. Greger...OTOHH, it might be nice to invite a follower of Dr. Gregor -- former president Bill Clinton. (Disclaimer: I'm an Orthodox Republican :)Why am I not surprised that you continue to spell Dr. Greger's name wrong, despite the fact that you are a university professor with a (presumably) very sharp mind & memory, and I've corrected you on this several times before... And yes, it would be nice to hear from former President Clinton about his new diet, and his views on politics (DIsclaimer: I'm an Independent/Libertarian who leans Democratic). But you are once again not thinking very clearly Saul if you think he'll come speak to an audience of 50-100 diet fanatics, unless we can pony up his $225,000 speaking fee. Finally, for the record Bill Clinton isn't a follower of Dr. Greger. He switched to a vegan diet based on the advice of Dr. Dean Ornish, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, and Dr. T Colin Campbell. https://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/bill-clintons-diet/ I'd much rather hear from any of those three directly then Clinton. --Dean Hi Dean! Sorry for offending you by misspelling Dr. Greger's name. Concerning my (half in jest) suggestion of inviting former President Bill Clinton: Clinton is someone who greatly improved his health through adopting a vastly improved diet. He may be sympathetic to the messages delivered by our Society, and might be willing to speak at our Conference for a much more modest fee, on principle. (If not, then of course we would be unable to make the invitation). If Bill Clinton were to deliver a talk at our Conference, it would greatly increase interest in the Conference, and attendance. I think that it's a possible opportunity that should perhaps be considered. -- Saul Link to comment
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