JAMES SOUTH - AntiAging Author

[stat1951]

I'm not sure how many members are familiar with James South. He has authored many, many health and anti-aging articles that are posted extensively over the Internet.

See: http://www.antiaging-systems.com/ext...thor/south.htm

Also: http://www.vrp.com/ (then check links along lower left side that list various authors and their articles)

Not only was Mr. South involved in some degree with those organizations (listed at least as a staff author), but was Director of Research and Product Formulator for Source Naturals Vitamin company from 1987 through 1995.

I had communicated with him - on various topics - over a period of several months, but then had a couple of e-mails go unanswered (this was possibly like November or December, or maybe even earlier). I contacted the staff at IAS (as I knew he was one one of their regular staff writers there) and was advised that Mr. South had been through a serious operation some time prior to that and was not responding to outside communications at that time. Their e-mail clearly made it sound as if things weren't going too well, but offered no details.

I recently had the occasion to communicate with Dr. Dean Ward (of VRP) in regards to some questions on Resveratrol and asked if he was aware of Mr. South's condition. Dr. Ward advised that he was sorry to advise that Mr. South had had brain cancer and had sicne passed away from it following (apparently) unsuccessful surgery.

While I didn't necessarily agree with Mr. South's comments, he did provide an extensive amount of health and antiaging oriented material and made it available on the Internet. His input will be missed, for the fact that he caused one to think and conduct research in points that he made, if nothing else.

Larry

P.S. Mr South was, I believe, around 57 or 58 at the time of his death. While there could always be any number of reasons for a brain cancer (genetic, environmental, etc.), one also simply has to wonder if there was any chance whatsoever if Mr. South's extremely advanced supplementation protocol - much of it with somewhat "unproven" track records - may have led to the development of such a cancer. If so, that would make the loss that much more dismal.

See:

http://www.antiaging-systems.com/extract/supplement.htm

[cpeil2]

It could also just mean that there are no guarantees. You can do everything right, and still, things don't work out. Murphy's Law rules.


My mom is a big Adele Davis devotee, a nutrition guru from the 50's and 60's. I don't know whether it's actually true, but she is supposed to have died from cancer. People like to point that out to discredit her work. I always remind them that it doesn't prove that she was wrong. It just shows that there are no guarantees.

[LiquidGib]

Yes, very true

Just because someone unsuccesful happens to someone, it does not mean that whatever they were doing was not good or wrong.
It works the other way too.
Just because someone is successful, it does not mean that they are doing things right or in an optimal way.

[SWALE]

...we're but playing the numbers at best...

[1cc]

Very interesting Larry, and a very good point. There can be too much of a good thing many times. Very ironic that in pursuit of Life Extension, James South's life was cut short. Ultimately, nobody knows when they will be called to account. We are in less control than we like to sometimes think.

[HeadDoc]

He died of brain tumor or brain cancer. While alot is known of some cancers, not much is known of brain cancers. Owing to a brother who died at age 49 of brain cancer, my family has participated in many very extensive surveys of lifestyle, toxin use, genetic syrveys. Actually nothing has emerged so far. My brother went thru Notre Dame on a track scholarship, earned an MBA from UCONN and was executive VP, CFO of a large contruction co. here in Phoenix. Compared to some of the excesses of my youth, my brother was a monk. He loved fish. It's my family's belief that his daily lunch of canned tuna was the problem. He ate the later for years. I suspect that there will be a medical breakthrough in attacking the tumors before the origins are known.

[GymJim]

Originally Posted by HeadDoc

It's my family's belief that his daily lunch of canned tuna was the problem. He ate the later for years.

I hate to read this. Is it the mercury concern you are thinking about? All of us guys into bodybulding (and a lot more people who just like it) are eating a LOT of tuna. I personally eat one can a day for lunch and enjoy it, some of the other guys I know eat more than one every single day.

[stat1951]

cpeil2

It could also just mean that there are no guarantees. You can do everything right, and still, things don't work out. Murphy's Law rules.

Absolutely... and it could mean that the supplements (even the ones that were a little bit more on the fringe) actually benefitted his sitation and kept his cancer from developing ten years earlier....

But it could also mean that the some certain unproven supplement "may" have been the triggering event that led to the development of the cancer... there's just so many variables, it's hard to really know.....

My mom is a big Adele Davis devotee, a nutrition guru from the 50's and 60's. I don't know whether it's actually true, but she is supposed to have died from cancer. People like to point that out to discredit her work. I always remind them that it doesn't prove that she was wrong. It just shows that there are no guarantees.

Good point.

Yes, Adele Davis died of bone cancer in 1974 (as quoted from one site: May 31st, 1974 - Adele Davis, nutrition author who wrote "You are what you Eat" died of bone cancer. She had blamed the cancer on bad nutrition.). But that too raises an interesting comparison. At any given stage of "the game" we think that we know the benefits of certain health foods and supplements - often based upon nothing more than claims and pseudo scientific studies. As a case in point, nutritionists back in the 60s and 70s (and beyond) "pushed" soy foods as miracle health foods. Much real science today has questioned that position quite vigorously (just as with the concept of "low fat foods"). I have to admit to not being super familiar with Adele Davis but do recall that a large number of her recipes included various soy products.

http://www.westonaprice.org/soy/index.html

1cc

Very ironic that in pursuit of Life Extension, James South's life was cut short. Ultimately, nobody knows when they will be called to account. We are in less control than we like to sometimes think.

My point exactly... combined with the thought that it would be simply that much more sad if it was some aspect of his "super advanced supplementation routine" - even if just one particualr thing - that actually triggered the cancer and thereby severely shorteneing the life of one who was truly interested in Life Extension and had no hesitation in sharing his information and research "with the masses".

HeadDoc,

Sorry to hear about your brother. As you would definitely know, there are simply so many variables, it is a very difficult disorder to pin down to one or more "causes". And like most cancers it probably has a multitude of causes. Genetics (in certain rare cases)? Toxins (mercury in certain fish - ironically, researchers have found that the "light tuna" that is used in the cheaper brands of tuna have much, much lower levels of mercury than do the more extensive brands - something about the light tuna coming from smaller, younger tuna who have therefore had much less time available to accumulate mercury)? Environmental conditions? Hormonal imbalances or deficiencies? Excessive stress? Excessive or improper supplementation?

Like SWALE said, we're playing the numbers game at best....

Larry

[LiquidGib]

Originally Posted by stat1951

cpeil2



Absolutely... and it could mean that the supplements (even the ones that were a little bit more on the fringe) actually benefitted his sitation and kept his cancer from developing ten years earlier....

good point

I think alot of people who get into eating and living a healthy lifestyle and do the research are naturally drawn towards it because they themselves have limitations (which they may not consciously be aware off) and want to do things that maximise their enjoyment of life.