Major study reveals whether eating meat will help you live to 100

Americans are often told to reduce steak consumption to prevent heart disease and diabetes.

Meanwhile, tens of thousands are still turning to veganism in the hope that it will help them live healthier, better lives.

But now a growing number of studies appear to be reaching the same consensus. Despite the anti-meat fear stories, eating meat makes you live longer. Specifically, you may have a better chance of living to 100.

The most recent paper to reach this conclusion studied the diets of 5,200 people – including 1,500 centenarians – from across China.

The study found that those who ate a more varied diet every week, including meat, were 23 percent more likely to live to be a centenarian than their peers who ate a more restrictive diet.

It adds to other recent evidence, including a 2022 Australian paper on meat consumption and life expectancy by country, which shows that life expectancy is higher in countries that consume more meat on average.

Scientists have identified a varied diet as one of the factors behind a longer lifespan (stock)

About 81 percent of Americans are meat eaters, with meat considered a great source of both muscle-building protein and a host of other essential nutrients.

These include vitamin B12, which is not found in plants and is used by the body to get energy from food and keep our blood cells healthy.

Experts say meat is also a rich source of iron, which helps red blood cells carry oxygen throughout the body.

The USDA dietary guidelines recommend two to three servings of meat each day, with daily servings equal to one small steak or one chicken breast.

In the 2022 Australian study, researchers compared life expectancy in 170 countries with the amount of meat consumed in the diet, according to surveys.

Lead researcher Dr Arthur Saniotis said: ‘While this may not come as a surprise to many of us, it still needs to be pointed out.

‘It highlights that meat has its own components that contribute to our overall health, in addition to the number of calories consumed, and that without meat in our diets we may not thrive.’

And in another 2015 paper, researchers found that those in a… ‘blue zone’ – regions with an above-average number of centenarians – ate more meat than their coastal neighbors.

Meat is packed with protein and essential nutrients. But some studies have also linked them to a higher risk of conditions such as heart disease and colon cancer

The research was based on the people living in Sardinia’s mountainous blue zone, compared to the coastal areas of the region.

And in a third meta-analysis last November, researchers found that people who had been vegetarian for 10 years had a 20 percent higher risk of dying from any cause than those who ate meat.

Scientists warn about the risks of excessive meat consumption, especially red meat.

Previous studies have linked eating servings of red meat daily to a higher risk of colon cancer, while individual articles have also linked eating red meat to a higher risk of heart disease and stroke.

Scientists say it is also important to consume vegetables and whole grain carbohydrates, as these contain fiber and essential nutrients for the body, such as magnesium, which is involved in muscle movement.

Many say that a balanced diet, including meat, fish, fruits and vegetables, is best to ensure a long and healthy life.

In the Chinese study, published today in JAMA network openedscientists found that those who followed the most diverse diets were more likely to live longer.

The study was based on data from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey.

Participants were recruited in 1998 at age 80 or older and interviewed every few years thereafter.

For the analysis, each centenarian in the database was matched to at least two people who had died before reaching centenarian status.

The participants were on average 94 years old, mainly women, and lived in almost all Chinese provinces.

To measure dietary diversity, participants were asked about how often they ate nine food groups: grains, vegetables, fruit, soybeans and their products, eggs, meat, fish, milk and dairy products and oil.

The results showed that those who ate all nine food groups at least weekly were more likely to live to be 100 years old.

The analysis also found that never smoking and exercising more made it more likely that someone would live to be a centenarian.

But that education, marital status and alcohol consumption later in life made little or no difference to how long someone lived.