Dan

Progressive trying to improve lives locally, nationally, globally for this and future generations. Chaotic good. Likes usually endorsements.

[Mohamad Safa @mhdksafa]

I cancelled my World Cup tickets.

The ICE may decide that I am a gang member, and I'll be locked in prison for a year with no charges, no hearing, no trial, no right to consult a lawyer, no phone call.

The US is not safe to visit.

[Dan @LBetterworld]

@statto How did that study factor in exercise? Isn't that arguably the next most important thing?

[Dan @LBetterworld]

The California Attorney General released the following urgent alert on the risk of 23andMe going bankrupt. If this happens the DNA is just another asset for sale. Full post at the link below including instructions for deletion. #genealogy #geneticgenealogy https://t.co/JwXLDr9oGl

[Dan @LBetterworld]

I'm doing the genealogy happy dance. I found family in Ireland for my 2nd great-grandmother using only DNA. #genealogy

[📸Trevor Mahlmann🚀 @TrevorMahlmann]

RIP Starship Flight 8, just caught it exploding after a few engines cut off and it losing attitude control, viewed from Titusville, FL🚀

[Dr. Rhonda Patrick @foundmyfitness]

If you want to meaningfully impact aging in America, start with obesity—few things erode longevity and quality of life as profoundly, accelerating the biological aging process and fueling nearly every major chronic disease.

Obesity alone is linked to 13 types of cancer and cuts life expectancy by 3–10 years, depending on severity. It promotes DNA damage and accelerates our fundamental aging process—often measured by epigenetic age. It’s one of the principal differences between the U.S. and many of the world’s longest-lived nations.

We’re overfed but undernourished. 60% of all calories Americans consume come from ultra-processed foods that:

• Fail to induce proper satiety, pushing us to overeat.
• Remain cheaper than whole foods, economically incentivizing the least healthy choices.
• Hijack our dopamine reward pathways, reinforcing addictive eating behaviors.

This trifecta—no satiety, low cost, and built-in addictiveness—keeps us in a cycle of poor health outcomes and runaway healthcare costs.

But caloric excess is only part of the problem—we are also nutrient-deficient.

Low omega-3 levels—affecting 80 to 90% of Americans—carry the same mortality risk as smoking. Vitamin D deficiency—easily corrected—compromises immune function, cognition, and longevity. Nearly half of Americans don't get enough magnesium—impairing DNA repair and increasing the risk of cancer.

We are not solving these problems—we are medicating them. The average American over 65 takes five or more prescription drugs daily—stacking interactions that compound in unpredictable ways.

We must start treating physical inactivity as a disease. It carries the same mortality risk as smoking, heart disease, and diabetes. Going from a low cardiorespiratory fitness to a low normal adds 2.1 years to life expectancy.

By age 50, many Americans have already lost 10% of their peak muscle mass. By 70, many have lost up to 40%.

This isn’t just about looking strong. It’s about survival.

• Higher muscle mass means improved insulin sensitivity - it means a 30% lower mortality risk.
• Grip strength is a stronger predictor of cardiovascular mortality - the number one cause of death in the United States - than high blood pressure.
• The strongest middle-aged adults have a 42% lower dementia risk.

And yet, we treat resistance training as optional. It is not. It is the most powerful intervention we have against aging including increasing muscle mass, strength and bone density.

Hip fractures alone kill 20–60% of older adults within a year. This is a death sentence we can prevent with resistance training - which has been shown to lower fracture risk by 30-40%.

The current RDA for protein is too low for older adults.

Studies have shown when it's increased by half this reduces frailty by 32%, while doubling it, combined with resistance training, increases muscle mass by 27% and strength by 10% more than training alone. If we want to prevent muscle loss and frailty, we must update our protein recommendations and prioritize strength training.

We must foster a culture of American exceptionalism built on daily, effortful exercise. Not as an afterthought. Not as a luxury. But as a non-negotiable foundation for aging, but also clear thinking, resilience, and even leadership.

The body and brain are not separate. The consequences of poorly regulated blood sugar, sedentary living, and muscle loss are not just physical—they affect cognition, judgment, and resilience.

We cannot medicate our way out of what we have behaved our way into.

Grateful for the chance to share my voice at the Senate Aging Committee (@SenateAging). A special thank you to Senator Rick Scott (@SenRickScott) for making this opportunity possible.

[SJV Water @SJVWater]

Water managers do post mortem on Tulare Lake dump and wonder if authorities know how badly they "effed up."

https://t.co/mYbRHSfPlP

[Dan @LBetterworld]

@gunsnrosesgirl3 Sounds like high energy usage. Is there solar on top? Is heating/cooling via heat pump? Does it turn off when nobody's inside? Are they measuring whether the extra comfort increases usage of mass transit?

[Dalton (Analyze & Optimize) @Outdoctrination]

N-Acetylcysteine is a mental health marvel.

From anxiety, to ADHD, autism and even suicidal depression, it acts as a master mood stabilizer.

Let's talk about the benefits of NAC, the science and how to use it yourself:

[Dan @LBetterworld]

@OSU_UncleKurt Come back during fire season, you'll love it.

[Ashton Pittman @ashtonpittman]

One of the most essential pieces you can read this weekend, from Donna Ladd, a fearless Mississippi newsroom leader who *ISN'T* acquiescing to fascism in advance—and who never will.

From Donna Ladd:
https://t.co/mPXtFrho0X

[Lindsay Owens @owenslindsay1]

Looks like RealPage decided they could no longer play the lobbying game w/ their brand—now synonymous with cheating tenants. Instead they have spun up a trade association so they can launder their support for price fixing through more innocuous calls for improving technology.

[Dan @LBetterworld]

@Rainmaker1973 On the way to becoming baleen plates like whales

[Posts Of Cats @PostsOfCats]

This is why it is best to have two cats.

[Christy Gilbert Holstege @christyholstege]

Honored to have U.S. Senator Alex Padilla join my growing list of supporters across our district and our state, who are ready to #FlipAD47!

Check out what he had to say ⬇️
“I am proud to endorse Christy Holstege’s campaign for State Assembly. With our shared record of fighting for issues related to working families, environmental protections, and more, Christy is the most qualified candidate,” said US Senator Alex Padilla. “I look forward to working together with her in continuing to move our state toward a safer, healthier, and more equitable place to live.”

[Dan @LBetterworld]

@WryCritic Maybe because WW I and II skewed relative gender demographics

[Dan @LBetterworld]

@NatRevMCB @Mito_Therapy I'm curious about two circadian proteins in the list of regulators, CLOCK and BMAL1. (sigh, paywall)

[Civil Eats @CivilEats]

Researchers predicted deaths directly caused by antibiotic resistance will increase nearly 70% between 2022 and 2050, rising to around 2 million per year globally, with another 8 million deaths associated with the issue. https://t.co/Y3vcg9sQGH

[Brandon Yoshizawa @bay_photography]

Photo taken 9/10/24

The Bridge Fire in the Angeles National Forest exploded to ~47k acres with 0% containment.

The fire was quite visible last night from behind the Los Angeles skyline photographed the Baldwin Hills area.

A sad reality of fire season in LA.

[Creeson Agecoutay @CreesOnCBC]

The US Department of the Interior released its final report on Tuesday explaining the trauma & pain federal Indian boarding schools inflicted on Indigenous children.

A short 🧵 on what was found…