Body Size and Human Longevity

Discussion of a new book Human Body Size and the Laws of Scaling: Physiological Performance, Growth, Longevity... by Thomas T. Samaras, et al.


Greetings,

Here is a new book for discussion:

Human Body Size and the Laws of Scaling:
Physiological, Performance, Growth, Longevity
and Ecological Ramifications
by Thomas T. Samaras, Andrzej Bartke and C. David Rollo


Book description:

This book provides the most comprehensive coverage available of the human body and its relation to a variety of extrinsic and intrinsic factors.
This unique book takes a systems approach to human size and its relation to various aspects of life, including changes in biochemical factors, chronic disease risk, nutrition and longevity. Other topics include the advantages and disadvantages of taller and shorter height, the causes of the obesity epidemic, and the harmful effects of catch-up and accelerated growth. The ramifications of increase levels of growth hormone are also discussed.
Other topics include the relations among birth weight, body size and intelligence, and several chapters deal with animal size and longevity and evolutionary ecology and its relation to body size and changing physical characteristics, including brain size and longevity.

The chapters are listed below and the book contains over 1000 references:


Chapter Contents:

Why the Study of Human Size is Important

Human Scaling and the Body Mass Index

Advantages of Taller Human Height

Advantages of Shorter Human Height

Body Height and its Relation to Chronic Disease and Longevity

BMI and Weight: Their Relation to Diabetes, CVD, Cancer and all-Cause Mortality

The Obesity Epidemic, Birthweight, Rapid Growth and Superior Nutrition

Long-lived Mutant, Gene Knockout and Transgenic Mice

The Evolutionary Ecology of Body Size with Special Reference to Allometry and Survivorship

Overview of Research on Giant Transgenic Mice with Emphasis on the Brain and Aging

Speculations on the Evolutionary Ecology of Homo Sapiens with Special Reference to Body Size, Allometry and Survivorship

Birthweight, Height, Brain Size and Intellectual Ability

Impact of Body Size on Resources, Pollution, the Environment and Economics

Final Remarks on Human Size, Scaling and Ecological Implications

Appendix A:
Symbols, Acronyms and Abbreviations used in text

Appendix B:
Technical review of the molecular and physiological aspects relevant to body size, free radicals and aging

Index.


Contributors:
Andrzej Bartke, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine
C. David Rollo, McMaster University, Canada
Thomas T. Samaras, Reventropy Associates, San Diego, California


To read comments on this book, and to post your own thoughts, click here


Key words:
Body size, Human Longevity, Laws of Scaling, Height, Obesity Epidemic, Catch-up growth, Body Mass Index, Human Height, Chronic Disease, Diabetes, CVD, Cancer, all-Cause Mortality, Birthweight, Rapid Growth, Nutrition, Allometry, Survivorship, Thomas T. Samaras, Andrzej Bartke, C. David Rollo

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