About “Reventropy Associates”
Goals: Aims of “Reventropy Associates”
Reventropy Associates was established in 1993 to focus on the ramifications of a world population that is constantly increasing in height and body weight. While many researchers have delved into specific areas of human height and growth, none has been devoted to the systematic evaluation of this critical area of human civilization.
Tom Samaras founded Reventropy Associates and has worked with Harold Elrick, MD, Lowell H. Storms, PhD and Jonn Desnoes, MD, PhD, OMD, Andrzej Bartke, PhD, David Rollo, Ph.D, Stephen Marson, PhD, John Lillis, PhD, and Geoffrey Cannon (former Director of Science, World Cancer Research Fund) to provide critical analyses of the various impacts of larger body size on our society and the earth. Tom and his associates have examined the impact of maternal and child nutrition, birth weight, rapid growth, early sexual maturation and attaining maximum height on long-term health and longevity.
History: How “Reventropy Associates” got Started
In the 1970s, Samaras, a configuration management systems engineer, applied the Second Law of Thermodynamics to the aging process. This well-established theory indicates that systems deteriorate faster with increasing body mass and energy intake. Tom interpreted this theory to meaning that increasing human body size and energy intake promoter faster cellular and organ deteriorating which led to accelerated aging. His hypothesis led to the collection of height and weight data on humans to detemine whether increased height and weight led to reduced longevity. Over the years he and his associates evaluated at a variety of parameters related to human body size.
Note: The term “Reventropy” was created by Samaras from the words “Reversing Entropy” by shortening the word Reversing to Rev and combining it with entropy.
Our Mission: Important Questions Related to Body Size
Samaras and his associates have sought to answer these questions:
- Is the widespread bias favoring increased body size based on scientific evidence?
- Are there advantages to be being shorter and lighter in weight?
- Are there survival benefits in avoiding the progressive trend in body size?
- The Western diet is tied to increased height and body size, but why do many eminent scientists attribute the high animal protein Western diet to increased chronic disease?
“These findings support an adverse effect of relative “over-nutriton” in infancy on long-term cardiovascular disease risk......and do not support the promotion of faster weight gain in infants born small for gestational age.”
A new article in Carnegie Council for Ethics
Publications of Interest
Wilhelmsen and colleagues tracked 67-year old men to 90 years of age and found that men who were shorter at 67 years tended to have better survival than taller men. See page 8 in Wilhelmsen L, Svardsudd K, Eriksson H, et al. Factors associated with reaching 90 years of age: a study of men born in 1913 in Gothenburg, Sweden. J Intern Med 2011; 269:441-451. Doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2796.2010.02331
An Article in the Indian Heart Journal
Tom’s review of research findings on the health risks related to higher birth weight, rapid growth, early maturation and taller stature was recently published in the Women’s Health Bulletin. See: Samaras TT. Health risks of higher birth weight, rapid growth, early maturation and taller height. Women’s Health Bulletin. 2015 July; 2(3):e26805
An Italian Study Confirms Tom’s findings
Important findings from Sardinia show that shorter people live longer. The new study, authored by Salaris, Poulain and Samaras was recently published by the journal Biodemography and Social Biology.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is responsible for 126,000 deaths per year. A large Harvard study found that good nutrition can help you avoid this disease. For example, fruits, vegetables, whole grains and fish promote healthy lungs and reduce the risk. In contrast, refined grains, red meat, and cured meats increase the risk.
Source: Harvard Men’s Health Watch, 2010, vol 14, No. 7, pp 1-3.
