Superheroes are the embodiment of perfection, they have a strong will, a perfect body, and one kind of superpower (or money power). Looking at their active posture on the multiverse stage, we often forget that superheroes are also people, and people get old.
Heroes have to eat too! | Official Marvel stills
(The pictures in the text are from official stills if noted)
Associate Professor of Geriatrics at the University of Queensland, Australia, Ruth M. Ruth E. Hubbard thought of this question first. Superheroes not only work at a tight pace, many also carry a heavy fate, are their physical and mental health okay? When they retire, will they also drink and gain weight, and they will not be able to enjoy their old age?
Too worried about the pension problems of Marvel heroes, Hubbard and her colleagues plan to use their professional knowledge to predict the situation of superheroes as they get old, and help them prepare for it in advance.
So Hubbard and his colleagues studied and analyzed several Marvel movies and published the results in a Christmas special issue in the British Medical Journal (BMJ).
Do you want to do your research? Watch the movie first
During the 2020 and 2021 pandemics, researchers (who were idle at home and idle) watched 24 Marvel movies released between 2008 and 2021. Not every researcher is a Marvel fan, and their viewing time varies, with the most reluctant to watch the film for 8 hours and the most dedicated watching for more than 50 hours. In the process of watching the movie, they not only have to pay attention to the plot, but also record in detail the eating and drinking in the lives of superheroes.
After a systematic analysis, they divided the factors that affect the elderly health of superheroes into positive and negative categories.
Positive:
Exercise: Superheroes exercise regularly, especially high-intensity interval exercise (HIIT), and a strong physique helps improve the health of the elderly.
Social engagement: Heroes are actively involved in public affairs and have many friends, which can reduce the risk of developing dementia.
Good mentality: The heroes are optimistic, no matter how big the villain is, they also stick to the goal and lose repeatedly. This is also important for health in later life.
Good habits: In addition to Thor (Asgardians have a different lifespan than Earthlings, they are not informative, so Thor was excluded from this study) and Iron Man, several of the superheroes involved in this study do not smoke or drink heavily, which of course helps them to live a long and healthy life.
Negative:
Poor work conditions: Long-term, repeated exposure of superheroes to noise and pollution can lead to hearing loss, increasing the risk of dementia in later life.
High risk of injury: Heroes often engage in high-risk activities and are often injured. Multiple head injuries increase the risk of dementia, while physical injuries can also lead to disability (Professor X next door, who did not want to be named: don't cue).
The framework is set up, and then just put the superhero in!
The old age of 5 superheroes
From all the heroes of Marvel, the researchers selected 5 lucky heroes for detailed case analysis. They are: Black Widow, Iron Man, Black Panther, Spider-Man, and Hulk. These 5 were chosen because they are famous, each has outstanding characteristics, and their age, gender, and race are different, so they are the most representative of the vast superhero community.
To avoid spoilers, assume that all of the above will live to old age (although some heroes will never come back, R.I.P.). The researchers analyzed their personal characteristics and behavioral factors to predict the challenges they might encounter during aging.
Iron Man: Tony Stark
Health Assets:
Tony Stark, a famous entrepreneur and genius inventor and playboy, entered MIT at the age of 15, earned a master's degree in physics and engineering at the age of 20, and became ceo of Stark Industries at the age of 21. On the 2013 Forbes Virtual People Wealth List, it ranked fourth in the world with a net worth of $12.4 billion.
Stark owns a number of properties, lives in excellent living conditions and enjoys top-notch medical conditions. His Stark medical scanner and AI butler can monitor his health in real time, and his armor can provide a variety of medical services. Compared with other rich people, he also had a happy marriage. These factors can reduce the risk of cognitive decline and help him enjoy a healthy old age.
Health Risks:
He was injured several times, had a piece of shrapnel stuck in a blood vessel near his heart, was poisoned by palladium from wearing an old version of the Ark reactor for a long time, and suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). And, we don't know if his chronic malnutrition in space will leave a legacy.
Hulk: Bruce Banner
Long-term yoga exercises, super resistant to gamma rays, once fatally injured, they will transform into a Hulk, and their self-healing ability is super.
Bruce Banner transforms into the Hulk when he has about 200 heartbeats per minute. Frequent episodes of tachycardia indicate that he is prone to arrhythmias and may have heart disease, which may increase the risk of stroke and dementia and reduce the quality of life in later life.
Moreover, the Hulk's BMI index is as high as 120, far exceeding the normal range of 18.5 to 23.9. While this is useful in combat, obesity also increases the risk of dementia, multiple chronic diseases, and death. In addition, the Hulk is in a state of rage for a long time, which may increase the inflammatory response in the body.
Black Widow: Natasha Romanov
Natasha Romanov is one of the world's most talented spies and killers, with super physical fitness and endurance, as a former employee of the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D., should not have to worry about health insurance at all.
Tragic childhood. Childhood trauma in the Red House increases Black Widow's risk of developing a variety of physical and mental illnesses. Performing high-risk missions for a long time carries a high risk of injury. Moreover, forced sterilization led to premature cessation of her ovarian function, which could lead to osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, dementia and depression in later life.
Black Panther: T'Challa
The king of the richest and most technologically advanced countries. Chimo in Wakanda has a bead that provides residents with top-notch health monitoring and medical care. The heart-shaped herbs taken can make the Black Panther and the Black Panther God connect, get the protection of the Black Panther God, and strengthen the physical strength. Moreover, Black Panther is also a vegetarian, and a plant-based diet can reduce the risk of obesity and cardiovascular disease.
The Panther was enhanced with the help of the Heart Grass. Although we don't yet know the effects of this drug on the human body, in general, drugs that improve human performance have many side effects, greatly reducing the quality of life and possibly even increasing mortality.
Spider-Man: Peter Parker
Although Peter Parker is an orphan, it is fortunate that he has the love of Aunt May, and there are other superheroes who can set positive examples for him. Moreover, the bite of the radioactive spider has given him superhuman physical strength, flexible movements, climbing ability and spider induction, so that when he is old, he will not fall easily.
Spider-Man always fights crime at night, but teenagers his age need 8 to 10 hours of sleep. Lack of sleep can lead to obesity, fatigue, and easier injuries due to accidents, as well as affecting their mental health. Fortunately, Spider-Man has a very high metabolic rate of the human body, and it is not easy to get fat no matter how much he eats.
BMJ: The most serious Christmas work
Hubbard's research is part of the Christmas special issue of the British Medical Journal (BMJ). Every Christmas, the famous British Medical Journal will launch a "Christmas Special Issue", in which this usually serious medical journal will be unusual, launching a series of academic papers that have nothing to do but use scientific research methods and are seriously written.
Cover of the 2021 Christmas Special issue | bmj.com
Although these papers may seem outrageous, they are a good opportunity for general readers to get started with popular science.
Hubbard said in an interview with CNN that the study is a little bit of entertainment for the Christmas holiday, but it also gives us a better understanding of the factors that influence our aging process: at the population level, environmental factors and socio-economic background have a decisive impact on the trajectory of aging. However, personal factors are also important. While some of these factors, such as genetic factors, cannot be changed, there are others that we can adjust: regular exercise, social activity, healthy eating, no smoking, less alcohol, and avoiding head injuries. Doing this allows us to enter our old age healthier and make our later life happier.
Perhaps in the next Marvel movie, we will see superheroes tackling the global aging problem: how to provide high-quality medical care and social care for a large aging population, prevent frailty and dementia, and improve the quality of life for the elderly (Logan the Wolf Next Door: Don cue).
bibliography
[1] Anticipating the ageing trajectories of superheroes in the Marvel cinematic universe
[2] BMJ 2021; 375 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj-2021-068001
[3]https://edition.cnn.com/2021/12/13/health/marvel-superhero-aging-wellness/index.html
Author: Amaranth, Shakespeare Billy
EDIT: Flip over
This article is from the fruit shell and may not be reproduced without authorization.