In article 000D59D3 at deakin.edu.au, drierac at deakin.edu.au (Chris Driver) writes:
> It is my perception that marital violence plays a big role in shortening the
> women's lifespan. This is not easily tested quantitatively because death that
> is brought on by violence may actually be listed under a number of other
> headings.
Perhaps anxiety from the (constant) fear of violence contributes to
speeded ageing.
> Sorry to be so pessimistic about my own sex!
Luckily it's only statistical; some women do very bad things and some men don't.
> Also the role of food in determining longevity is grossly overstated. The main
> determinants of longevity appear to be social class and genetics.
I challenge this. How do you know? And perhaps one of the (main) reasons
social class affects lifespan is that the rich have access to better
(and more varied) food. For example, a rich person wouldn't have to think
twice before dumping day-old bread in the garbage and buying fresh stuff.
Of course, in some ways, the rich may eat unhealthy food (too much meat,
for example) but on the whole I think they do better.
And I vaguely remember reading about types of people who take on North
American disease rates when they move to North America and start eating our
diet. Certainly genetics plays a role in ageing, but the tendency of
particular racial groups to share cultural eating habits within the groups
makes the genetic differences seem larger than they are.
I think food (and nutritional supplements) is extremely important in determining
lifespan.
Cathy
Creative problem-solving can replace power struggles.
