Cancer is completely misunderstood by most people these days. The general view seems to be that no one has cancer until something "gives" it to them, like a virus giving you a cold. Then, once you have it, there are a few medical interventions that may or may not help.

In reality, everyone has cancer (or at the very least micro-tumors). Whether those tumors are held in check by the immune system or allowed to grow and invade other tissue is largely an effect of the condition of the person's body, which in most cases is very much controlled by that person.

Inflammation drives many of the processes that feed cancer, including the creation of the additional blood vessels around it. Things that significantly increase inflammation include tobacco, alcohol, excess fat (especially abdominal fat), lack of exercise, foods high in omega-6, and any foods that increase insulin levels abruptly (ie- sugar and refined carbs).

So yes, Hitchens' lifestyle is a large part of the problem. Thin people who exercise and eat plenty of vegetables do get cancer, but at much lower rates than those who eat a typical western diet and don't exercise regularly.

If you want to reduce your personal risk of cancer then don't smoke, don't drink, get lots of omega-3, eat lots of veggies (variety is the most important thing), and get plenty of exercise (length of exercise is more important than the intensity).

Eventually we'll have the medical knowledge to prevent and cure virtually all cancer, but currently you are the only one who can control whether you live long enough to see those advances. You can't currently drop your chances of cancer to 0%, but you can get very close.

>> ^Ryjkyj:

>> ^chilaxe:
Hitchens, as intellectual as he is, basically killed himself. Smoking, drinking, overweight, no exercise, probably terrible diet.
If there were a "next time," he should clean up his act within a rational time frame, and advocate increased science funding above the miniscule current amounts. We'd feel really dumb if we died of a curable disease.
However, there isn't a next time...

Right, because skinny people who exercise, and don't smoke or drink never get cancer.
Give me a fucking break.

I can't say for certain, but I'm think this video will change my life. I've been trying to lose weight for ages, not drinking any coke, doing exercise etc., but I've never realized the prevalence of high fructose corn syrup in all foods. I wrote down those 4 tips that he suggested to losing weight, and I'll repeat them here for those who missed it. I'll certainly stick to it and see if it works.

1. Get rid of all sugared liquids: only water and milk. Fruits are fine, because it contains all the fibers.

2. Eat carbs with fiber, because fibers are awesome. Fibers: Lowers total and LDL cholesterol, reduces risk of heart disease
regulates blood sugar, and speeds the passage of foods through the digestive system

3. Wait 20 mins for second portions, so your satiety response can kick in.

4. Buy your screen time minute-for-minute with physical activity.

Some other points:

-a calorie is not a calorie: you don't do exercise to burn calories, but to increase metabolism

-fructose IS NOT glucose. A large amount of glucose is used by the rest of the body, meaning it burns much quicker. Fructose can only be metabolized in the liver, and it's a volume issue. It means a lot gets turned into fat, and in that process, blocks receptors to generate certain chemicals which tell your body to stop eating, causing a vicious cycle.

-be a fattie or fart a lot (from the fiber). Make your choice.

06' Blast-It's my boss' who is way too big for it-He's gotta Ducati Monster in the garage that's sitting there collecting dust-His fuckn' cousin collects bikes, has 6, includind that rippin' fast fuckn' Hayabusa GSX1300R
...he just stores them and polishes em-

In reply to this comment by therealblankman:
That completely sucks. Lots of reasons to hate Harley. The way they handled the whold Buell fiasco was ridiculous- they shuttered the company out of pure spite. They had to swallow $125 million in shutdown costs, while turning down 2 separate offers to purchase Buell, including from Bombardier who make made the engine for the Buell 1125s. Pisses me off no end- Buell made some really interesting bikes. I might have even bought one someday, but will never buy a Harley.

Anyhow, I hope you get your bike fixed soon, and I hope it's not too painful a bill. You come up my way any time and we'll hit the road- got some of the best cycling roads in the world up here.

BTW, I've probably asked before, but what model Buell you riding?

In reply to this comment by choggie:
man, I just douched the carb on the Buell and got it back on the road, registered it..and yesterday, the fucking upper frame mounting bracket snapped loose from the block, shearing all four bolts clean the fuck off.....i was belly-dragging' and had to have the bitch towed.....I am fucking hating Harley about now....my motorbike days are beginnig to look FUCKED for the springtime here...which roght now is about to be perfect for riding in Texas....sonofamotherfuckingbitch I'd say...wish i had that fucking Suzuki!

That completely sucks. Lots of reasons to hate Harley. The way they handled the whold Buell fiasco was ridiculous- they shuttered the company out of pure spite. They had to swallow $125 million in shutdown costs, while turning down 2 separate offers to purchase Buell, including from Bombardier who make made the engine for the Buell 1125s. Pisses me off no end- Buell made some really interesting bikes. I might have even bought one someday, but will never buy a Harley.

Anyhow, I hope you get your bike fixed soon, and I hope it's not too painful a bill. You come up my way any time and we'll hit the road- got some of the best cycling roads in the world up here.

BTW, I've probably asked before, but what model Buell you riding?

In reply to this comment by choggie:
man, I just douched the carb on the Buell and got it back on the road, registered it..and yesterday, the fucking upper frame mounting bracket snapped loose from the block, shearing all four bolts clean the fuck off.....i was belly-dragging' and had to have the bitch towed.....I am fucking hating Harley about now....my motorbike days are beginnig to look FUCKED for the springtime here...which roght now is about to be perfect for riding in Texas....sonofamotherfuckingbitch I'd say...wish i had that fucking Suzuki!

man, I just douched the carb on the Buell and got it back on the road, registered it..and yesterday, the fucking upper frame mounting bracket snapped loose from the block, shearing all four bolts clean the fuck off.....i was belly-dragging' and had to have the bitch towed.....I am fucking hating Harley about now....my motorbike days are beginnig to look FUCKED for the springtime here...which roght now is about to be perfect for riding in Texas....sonofamotherfuckingbitch I'd say...wish i had that fucking Suzuki!

>> ^deathcow:
> I just need to learn the 1 weird old tip for losing stomach fat.
1) eat right, balance your carbs/protein/fat properly every day
2) exercise hard every day, do ashtanga yoga with your wife twice a week


3) drink 4 glasses of gravy every day.

> I just need to learn the 1 weird old tip for losing stomach fat.

1) eat right, balance your carbs/protein/fat properly every day
2) exercise hard every day, do ashtanga yoga with your wife twice a week

I am the fifth meatball of the apocalypse. You must repent of your low-carb ways, for dinner is nigh. His Noodliness will descend to the table and offer himself to each of you.

Now let us all join hands in prayer...

Our Pasta, who art in a colander, draining be your noodles. Thy noodle come, thy sauce be yum, on top some grated Parmesan. Give us this day our garlic bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trample on our lawns. And lead us not into vegetarianism, but deliver us some pizza, for thine is the meatball, the noodle, and the sauce, forever and ever, Ramen.

The hardest part is eating right.

For a boxer the diet is 45% high Fiber carbs, 40%protein and 15% fat.

According to the site, any one doing anaerobic exercise needs to eat about 6 small meals a day to keep insulin up.

Something about High Fiber Carbohydrates and slower expenditure of energy, it keeps the metabolism going. So that fat is being converted into energy even when the body is at rest.

No soda, no fast food, and finally no "bad days".

I'm still feeling the effects of my fatigue so I went back to this blog post and started to read your dietary analysis. I started to get excited until a certain point I realized that the diet you've planned for me is typical to what I eat now. Other than I enjoy sandwiches, so I like to use bread at lunch and I enjoy eggs at breakfast. I'm going to try this a little more closely. Maybe cut out anything I have with "a nutrition label". We'll see how that goes.

In reply to this comment by imstellar28:
>> ^blankfist
Second, you need to eat less carbs. A low carb diet will slow you down for the first week or so as your body goes through keitosis.

I find it quite interesting that we have not only the same (correct ) views on political systems, economic systems, and human rights...but we have the same view on nutritional science. If I had to guess, I would say it must be the personality trait of "intellectual curiosity."

I digress...

rottenseed - take it from me, your friendly libertarian free-market economist nutritional scientist,

You are tired because you are
1. Not sleeping well
2. Not eating well
3. Overexerting yourself
4. Chemically/Biologically flawed

I'm going to take a guess and say 3 and 4 aren't the case, so heres my advice:

To improve sleep:
- Double check the sleep apnea (do you breath through your nose or mouth when sleeping?)
- Do you wake up throughout the night? Even if you are in bed for 8 hours, if you keep waking up you aren't getting good sleep. Try sleeping in a pitch black room - it will help you sleep soundly throughout the night.

To improve nutrition:
- I'm guessing you are on the typical American diet, 70/20/10 Carbs/Protein/Fat aka the fast track to diabetes, heart disease and cancer. While the long term side effect of this diet are quite fatal, the short term side effects aren't so great either: lethargy and lack of energy.
- Food is the most powerful drug known to man. The advice I'm about to give you will not only extent your life, it will increase your energy and happiness while you are alive. Heed this advice for even a single week and you will literally feel better than you ever have in your life:

1. Try not to buy anything with a nutritional label - so avoid flour, sugar, bread, rice, cereal, baked goods any thing which has a "Daily recommended value" listed on it.
2. Shop only on the outside walls of the supermarket. This means fresh fruit, vegetables, nuts, beef, poultry, pork, and seafood.
3. Eat these foods 3-4 times a day in approximately the following ratios:

Meat: One serving the size and thickness of your palm
Vegetables/Fruits: One serving equal to what you can hold on both hands
Nuts/Fat: One serving equal to the size of your thumb

These are helpful guidelines, what you are aiming for is increase your dietary intake of protein to induce ketosis with sources such as fresh meat and poultry, increase your intake of monounsaturated fats with sources like olive oil, avocados, and nuts, and replace the glucose-spiking refined carbohydrates prevalent in an American diet with high-vitamin, low GI carbohydrates such as fresh fruits and vegetables.

Try this for even 3 days, and you'll see a massive difference.

Breakfast
Bacon
Fresh cantaloupe and watermelon
Smoked Almonds

Lunch
Black Forest Ham
Mixed fruit (blueberries, strawberries, kiwi, pineapple, grapes)
Avocado
Feta cheese

Dinner
16 oz grilled rib-eye steak
Asparagus
Green beans
Brazil nuts

>> ^blankfist
Second, you need to eat less carbs. A low carb diet will slow you down for the first week or so as your body goes through keitosis.

I find it quite interesting that we have not only the same (correct ) views on political systems, economic systems, and human rights...but we have the same view on nutritional science. If I had to guess, I would say it must be the personality trait of "intellectual curiosity."

I digress...

rottenseed - take it from me, your friendly libertarian free-market economist nutritional scientist,

You are tired because you are
1. Not sleeping well
2. Not eating well
3. Overexerting yourself
4. Chemically/Biologically flawed

I'm going to take a guess and say 3 and 4 aren't the case, so heres my advice:

To improve sleep:
- Double check the sleep apnea (do you breath through your nose or mouth when sleeping?)
- Do you wake up throughout the night? Even if you are in bed for 8 hours, if you keep waking up you aren't getting good sleep. Try sleeping in a pitch black room - it will help you sleep soundly throughout the night.

To improve nutrition:
- I'm guessing you are on the typical American diet, 70/20/10 Carbs/Protein/Fat aka the fast track to diabetes, heart disease and cancer. While the long term side effect of this diet are quite fatal, the short term side effects aren't so great either: lethargy and lack of energy.
- Food is the most powerful drug known to man. The advice I'm about to give you will not only extent your life, it will increase your energy and happiness while you are alive. Heed this advice for even a single week and you will literally feel better than you ever have in your life:

1. Try not to buy anything with a nutritional label - so avoid flour, sugar, bread, rice, cereal, baked goods any thing which has a "Daily recommended value" listed on it.
2. Shop only on the outside walls of the supermarket. This means fresh fruit, vegetables, nuts, beef, poultry, pork, and seafood.
3. Eat these foods 3-4 times a day in approximately the following ratios:

Meat: One serving the size and thickness of your palm
Vegetables/Fruits: One serving equal to what you can hold on both hands
Nuts/Fat: One serving equal to the size of your thumb

These are helpful guidelines, what you are aiming for is increase your dietary intake of protein to induce ketosis with sources such as fresh meat and poultry, increase your intake of monounsaturated fats with sources like olive oil, avocados, and nuts, and replace the glucose-spiking refined carbohydrates prevalent in an American diet with high-vitamin, low GI carbohydrates such as fresh fruits and vegetables.

Try this for even 3 days, and you'll see a massive difference.

Breakfast
Bacon
Fresh cantaloupe and watermelon
Smoked Almonds

Lunch
Black Forest Ham
Mixed fruit (blueberries, strawberries, kiwi, pineapple, grapes)
Avocado
Feta cheese

Dinner
16 oz grilled rib-eye steak
Asparagus
Green beans
Brazil nuts

1. I have sex and/or beat it everyday
2. I do cardio AND weightlifting
3. How can I be depressed when I'm around all of you all of the time???
4. Blankfist, I don't know if less carbs is a good thing...maybe WHEN I eat carbs is a factor. And I don't have a problem staying awake when I'm out having a good time, just during the day...at work...

Come to think of it that's it. Crappy unfulfilling job and forcing my body awake before it's ready to wake up. I need to get an actual 9 to 5, not a 630 to 330

THANKS FOR YOUR ADVICES!!!!
&hearts &hearts &hearts

It's a couple things. First, it's the humdrum of your job. You probably are an uninspired, unchallenged company man who works merely for the paycheck.

Second, you need to eat less carbs. A low carb diet will slow you down for the first week or so as your body goes through keitosis. Shortly after you'll be twice as alert as before. Today I had a Fatburger Triple King burger without the bun (which is 1 1/2 lbs of beef), and I feel great! *grips chest* Damn sodium!

Third, new studies are showing coffee is actually good for you. I'm too lazy to look up the study, but coffee and vitamin B is your friend. Take some.

Fourth, 11pm to 5:30am is a sleep schedule for grandpas. Stay out and drink more. Have some cigarettes. Fuck whores. Do something fun instead of being a bore.

There you have it. That should fix what ails ya.

If you are eating high carb snacks that might be helping you cope with not getting enough sleep (6.5 hours is pretty light in my book) but can also contribute to depression. We will have more definitive answers in 20 years when the science gets out of the stone age. Until then, maybe hang a crystal in your window or something?

>> ^rottenseed:
...you need carbs in your diet. They say about 2 grams of carbs per 1 gram of protein.


Where is that from? It may be true in a general sense, but from most of what I've read a person's ideal ratio of carbs to protein depends very strongly on how much (and what kind of) activity they are involved in. Someone who works out intensely 60+ minutes per day will have a different ratio need than someone who jogs 30 minutes three times a week.

When talking about carbs, it's also important to include their glycemic index (a measure of how fast they absorb into the body). As a matter of general health, it is much better to eat carbs that absorb slowly in order to avoid spiked insulin levels. I prefer high GI (fast absorption) foods directly after an intense workout, but otherwise I try to stay away from them.


The "food" in this video is unhealthy for many reasons, but I wouldn't include calories in that list. If someone eats more calories than they burn then they will gain weight, whether it's cheeseburgers or vegetables.

However, if you really look into how the chemicals in this type of food affects the human body then it would probably scare the hell out of you, even if you have a "healthy" body fat percentage. It may taste good, but it is basically legal poison. A more appropriate title might be "this is why you have health problems at age 40".