Comment by rsync | Hacker News Reader

Comment by rsync | Hacker News Reader

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"If the immune system has finite resources, would reducing the lifetime drain on those resources by infectious diseases delay the age at which we can expect get cancer?"

I would wager the opposite is true. Body systems maintain themselves and their fitness and function through use.

The obvious examples are bone and muscle tissue that become stronger through stress but are you aware that breast cancer incidence is strongly, negatively correlated to frequency and duration of breastfeeding ?

The immune system is also a bodily system and I would be surprised if it did not, also, strengthen itself and maintain its function through stresses and use.

"For example, curing the common cold and/or developing a universal flu vaccine."

Be careful what you wish for ...

We "cured" hard physical labor and traditional life patterns with lots of walking and standing. How's that working out for us ?

> We "cured" hard physical labor and traditional life patterns with lots of walking and standing. How's that working out for us ?

I'll bite -- terribly. Many of the millennial generation and younger are actively starting to revolt against these sedentary lifestyles. It's why fitness and fitness culture is so marketable these days, much more than I remember. I think the studies that came out showing the millennial were the first generation since the industrial revolution to have a decreased life expectancy versus the prior generation was a real wakeup call.

Yes, not having to do physical labour is better than being forced to do physical labour as a worker or peasant. The new problem for most people is how to eat less and get a little exercise. But this is a better problem.

I like rsync's main point though about the immune system maybe requiring usage and callibration (gojomo mentions the hygiene hypothesis). Perhaps one day we'll determine the precise amount of these required (if any) for us to be healthy without being bothered by too much sickness.

It would be interesting if the cure for/long delay of cancers was in an early and vigorous exercising of our immune system with respect to viruses---if the solution was a kind of continual vaccine for colds and viruses that needed to be updated regularly. Like an immune system gym/daily workout. I wonder if there is any research being done on that end of things.

Obligatory Futurama reference (sorry for the pre-roll ad)

http://www.cc.com/video-clips/w4gk7d/futurama-cold-outbreak

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