When we get old, should we eat more or less meat? Older people who eat more meat may live longer, study finds

Mr. Chen is nearly 55 years old. In order to control his weight, blood pressure and blood sugar, he has been vegetarian since 5 years ago, and he eats all three meals a day. Because of this, his physique has been kept very standard.

In recent years, every time Mr. Chen participated in the physical examination, the indicators were normal. Until a unit physical examination last month, fatty liver was detected .

Mr. Chen was very puzzled. Looking at his colleagues with fatty liver, all of them had a big belly and a round waist. How could he "win the bid" even though he had deliberately controlled it?

I don’t know if you have this feeling: Vegetarians seem to be sick all the time, while those who eat meat often look healthy. Why is this? Is it healthier to eat meat than vegetarian?

1. The human body is more suitable for eating meat, or vegetarian?

It has been said before that "the structure of human beings is actually more suitable for vegetarians." These articles came to this conclusion by comparing the anatomical structure and physiological functions of herbivores, carnivores, and humans. But from a nutritional point of view, this is not the case.

From the perspective of physiological structure, humans are not suitable for vegetarians only. The wear resistance of human molars is not as strong as that of herbivores. The ratio of human small intestine to height is also lower than that of herbivores. The pH value of human gastric juice is below 2, which is difficult to achieve. Reach 4 for Herbivore.

Nutrition experts believe that humans evolved to be more omnivores.

However, for some special groups, they may only be suitable for vegetarians, such as those with OTC gene mutations . The meat they eat produces large amounts of ammonia, which is neurotoxic and patients with the OTC mutation cannot complete the "detoxification process" that turns ammonia into urea.

Who loves meat and who loves vegetarian food will live longer? Let's look at 2 studies:

An analysis of tens of thousands of animals in zoos around the world, published in Nature, found that animals that eat meat are more likely to develop cancer .

The researchers analyzed that this may be that raw meat contains viruses, which have a risk of cancer after ingestion. Additionally, carnivores are more susceptible to pollutants and tend to be higher up the food chain, where toxins are more concentrated.

But that doesn't mean meat-eating people are more likely to develop cancer , the researchers said . Humans have always lived a different way from other mammals and don't tend to eat raw meat.

Another US study published in "The Journal of Nutrition" found that vegetarians generally have higher levels of compounds with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity than non-vegetarians, and their biomarkers for disease prevention are higher than non-vegetarians. Ordinary people are taller .

Through the above two studies, we may think that vegetarians are healthier than meat-loving people, so why are vegetarians more likely to get sick?

2. Why are vegetarians more likely to get sick?

For the middle-aged and elderly people, many people believe that only vegetarian food will be healthier, and eating too much meat will increase the risk of various diseases. In fact, this is a misunderstanding. There are many harms to the body by only eating vegetarian food and not eating meat.

When a vegetarian for a long time, the synthesis of apolipoprotein is insufficient, which will affect the "circulation" of lipid substances in the human body, resulting in disorder of fat metabolism, which is easy to cause fatty liver and hyperlipidemia .

In addition, a long-term vegetarian diet can easily lead to insufficient intake of vitamin B12, lipids, minerals, etc. in the body, causing anemia, bone, fertility, and immunity.

Meat is the main source of protein intake by the human body. It can not only meet the protein needs of the human body, but also reduce hunger, improve the body's metabolic capacity, and help prevent osteoporosis and diabetes.

Fan Zhihong, an associate professor at the School of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, said that under the premise of a balanced diet, the benefits of eating meat in moderation are obvious. Especially in these three situations, more meat needs to be added:

1. Iron deficiency anemia

The iron contained in meat is heme iron, which is an important source of iron for the human body. Not eating meat can easily lead to iron-deficiency anemia.

2. Decreased immunity

Although plant foods also have protein, the protein of meat is more suitable for the human body to utilize and absorb. Insufficient protein will result in low immunity of the human body, giving various bacteria and viruses an opportunity to take advantage of it.

3. Endocrine disorders

Fat is the principle of hormone secretion in the human body. If you do not eat meat for a long time, insufficient fat intake will easily affect the endocrine, causing irregular menstruation, infertility and other problems.

3. The older you get, the more you want to eat meat? it is true!

With the increase of age, more and more patients with three highs, many people choose to eat less meat or not to eat meat in order to control the three highs. In fact, older people who eat more meat may live longer!

A joint survey study across 11 countries found that the mortality rate of the elderly who ate more than 40 grams of protein per day was only 18%, while the mortality rate of the elderly who ate less than 40 grams per day was 31%.

Compared with vegetarians, people who consume more protein have a lower risk of cancer and live longer . What kind of meat should the elderly eat?

• fish meat

Fish meat is rich in high-quality protein, high-quality fatty acids, vitamin D, etc., which are easily absorbed and utilized by the human body, which can enhance immunity and regulate human metabolism.

• lean meat

Lean meat contains relatively less fat and is more suitable for the elderly with three high problems. It can make up for the lack of protein and calcium and prevent excessive intake of fat.

Although the sense of taste is diminished in the elderly, from the perspective of health, the cooking method should be less oil, less salt and less stimulation. Cooking is recommended to be stewed and boiled. In addition, according to the "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents (2022)", the recommended meat intake is 120-200g per day on average.

All in all, food should follow the principles of nutritional balance and suitable taste. But not too much, not single, eat more green vegetables, drink more water, so that you can have a great body.

References:

[1] "Be vegetarian, or have healthier "biomarkers". China Biotechnology Network. 2019-05-12

[2] "6 Periods You Should Eat Meat the Most! Nutrition experts give you a reason to "eat a lot"". Life Times. 2018-07-20

[3] "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents (2022)" is here! How to eat and see this is enough

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