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Why We Age: What Science is Discovering About the Body's Journey Through Life (Paperback)

by Steven N. Austad (Author) "In Westminster Abbey, where England buries with solemn honor its greatest poets, painters, scientists, and statesmen, lie the bones of one rather ordinary man-Thomas Parr..." (more)

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Product details

Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons; New edition edition (22 April 1999)
Language English
ISBN-10: 0471296465
ISBN-13: 978-0471296461
Product Dimensions: 23 x 15.1 x 1.7 cm

Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 801,565 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)
Popular in this category:
#54 in Books > Science & Nature > Biological Sciences > Human Biology > Reproduction

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Product Description

Review

"Austad′s book can be read with pleasure and profit by any intelligent person with a smattering of biological knowledge."––Science

"In this clear, engrossing overview, Austad takes the sting out of a subject that will ultimately capture us all."––Publishers Weekly

"Why We Age is remarkably rigorous in its analysis and thorough in scope . . . a comprehensive examination of its topic."––Science Expert Editors, Amazon.com

Publishers Weekly

"In this clear, engrossing overview, Austad takes the sting out of a subject that will ultimately capture us all."--Publishers Weekly

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Inside This Book (Learn More)

First Sentence
In Westminster Abbey, where England buries with solemn honor its greatest poets, painters, scientists, and statesmen, lie the bones of one rather ordinary man-Thomas Parr. Read the first page

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Customer Reviews

4 Reviews

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4 star:		(1)
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4.0 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read this book!, 8 Aug 2000

By A Customer

This is a truly excellent book for anyone interested in what science is telling us about the process of aging. Well-written and yet written at a level open to a layperson such as myself. I found it fascinating. Opossums from the Venezuelan savanna and elsewhere, it appears, have a greatly accelerated rate of aging, rarely surviving beyond two years of age even if not caught by predators due to cataracts, arthritus, and others manifestations of advanced aging. Austad hypothesised at the time that this was due to the hostility of the enviroment that the opossums had to face in terms of predators, and other factors (such as automobiles). He reasoned that the degree of enviromental hostility was reducing the degree to which natural selection was acting on the genes of the longer-lived opossums relative to the population at large because they were less likely to have survived to reproduce - other genes such as those for copious reproduction were thus able to predominate. He tested this theory by looking at an island on which no similar pressures existed - Sapelo Island - and found that as predicted the opossums there aged at a slower rate. He also discusses in the book how this theory helps to explain the longevity of other animals from small mammals to turtles.

"Austad provides good critical analysis of historical theories of aging, but pokes too hard at researchers of the past who had few tools to work with. Though he has no criticism for Darwin. Austad's book is quite confusing at times. Austad assumes evolution is a fact, but presents no facts in support of the theory of evolution."

The last part of the above is correct in that Austad does not go into detail about the array of evidence which science has gathered over the years in support of evolution. However, this is hardly surprising since (as its title indicates) this is primarily a work about aging - if every discussion of mathematics had to start with a derivation of the calculus we would never get anywhere. There are currently a multitude of books available for those interested in the facts which support evolution - I suggest if the author below is looking for such facts he should read them first and then return to this book.

Having hopefully corrected some of the grosser injuries done to this work I would like to conclude that in spite of its subject matter I found it most enjoyable, and I heartily commend it.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good introduction to the subject of aging., 17 Mar 2000

By A Customer

This book provides a good overview of aging, in particular the theories as to why aging occurs. The book is an easy read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. However researchers in the field should be aware that the book is pitched to be accessible to all, therefore you will find it lacking in detail. As an introduction to the subject of aging I would not hesitate to recommend it.

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1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars You are not likley to live longer having read this book., 27 Jul 1999

By A Customer

Steven N. Austad admits he spent a great deal of time studying opossums. How that research relates to why we age, one wonders. (?) Austad provides good critical analysis of historical theories of aging, but pokes too hard at researchers of the past who had few tools to work with. Though he has no criticism for Darwin. Austad's book is quite confusing at times. Austad assumes evolution is a fact, but presents no facts in support of the theory of evolution. What damages the genes that leads to accelated aging and disease? Austad notes the mitochondria in the cell exhibit abnormalities, but never points to the mitochondrial antioxidants that may protect genes from oxidative damage, such as ubiquitin (coenzyme Q10). In the end, you could read a good book about the free radical theory of disease and learn more about aging. A bevy of biologists have observed that animals and humans deprived of food live longer. Like them, Austad ends up advocating "food restriction," yet says "no one, repeat no one, knows why food restriction has this effect or how it works." But he can't connect the dots to his own research, which talks about iron and its all important role in the destructive process of oxidation. Now those humans and animals who restrict food consumption would be limiting their iron intake, right? Maybe we do know why food restriction works. Why does the body have so many intricate mechanisms to control iron (antioxidants, melanin, iron-binding proteins like hemoglobin, albumin, ferritin, lactoferrin), and organs that store iron, like the liver? Austad needs to go back to school and stay out of the sun. Beware of opossum fever! --

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Dr.Austad concisely answers life's most persistent question.
If you're looking for fairy tales or fads, look elsewhere. If, however, you want rational input on what will and what will not effect your longevity, read on.

Dr. Read more

Published on 29 Jul 1999

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