Greedily at the same time that I bought the excellent Clever Guts I also bought ‘The Mind Span Diet’ – (Estep, Director of Gerontology at Harvard). I am about half way through and I wondered if anyone else had come across this? He seems, so far, much more focused on iron-enriched food, especially in the US but also the UK. Otherwise there are strong crossovers. Mosley makes clear references to the need to personalise – mainly on genetics, environment and circumstances.
Estep is a geneticist by background. He raises this, to my mind entirely logical and fascinating, suggestion that one of the ways to understand changes is to realise that genes evolve with a focus on reproduction. Once the possibility of reproduction is over other genes may become more dominant, the reproductive drive fades. He refers to this as”antagonistic pleiotropy” – the AP rule. In so far as I understand, which is not a lot, one of the underlying points here is that genes are not designed for life efficacy, just for reproduction (or rather not designed at all). Many genes are harmful to life efficacy, most are generally redundant.
Members of this forum cover all ages as I understand it, from pregnancy to old age. I think that is great. I like the notion of Mind Span as opposed to Life Span, no doubt it will be controversial. It needs a lot of work. On the other hand how many of us have not at some point heard (or said) ‘No Grandad that’s not good for you, that’s for Alice [granddaughter]?’ Science is mapping new understandings, but much has been there for millennia.