Experts say people who eat 1 type of food are more likely to live to 100

Nutritional choices vary widely, with some choosing a plant-based diet, while others are vegetarian, and many adults are meat-eaters. As we age, dietary requirements tend to change – and making sure to include certain vitamins and minerals in everyday nutrition is imperative as we get older.

Foods that provide these nutrients are essential for maintaining bone health and muscle mass – and ideally, adults should be ingesting good-quality protein daily along with vitamin D, vitamin B12 and calcium for healthier bone mass. Now, a Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey of over 5,000 Chinese adults (aged 80 or older) produced some interesting results. Research from this study suggests that people who don’t eat meat, especially in later life, could be less likely to reach the age of 100, when compared to meat eaters.

The research began over two decades ago, beginning in 1998 and twenty years later, in 2018, the data collected showed that the participants following a meat-free diet were less likely to reach the age of 100, when compared to meat eaters.

While vegetarian diets have been previously linked to lower risks of heart disease or obesity among other conditions, the results from this research seem to suggest that meat or animal-derived products could play a part in overall health for many, especially as we age.

Fruit and vegetables provide all-important fibre along with other vitamins or nutrients, however, when it comes to B vitamins it can be challenging to consume the daily amount generally required when on a vegan diet.

There are several reports on the study’s findings, one publication, Science Alert, highlighted that as we age, our “body’s needs change”.

Science Alert reported: “This study focused on adults aged 80 and older, whose nutritional needs differ markedly from those of younger people.

“As we age, physiological changes alter both how much we eat and what nutrients we need. Energy expenditure drops, while muscle mass, bone density, and appetite often decline. These shifts increase the risk of malnutrition and frailty.”

The health data collected from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey seems to suggest that older non-meat eaters may be missing out on some health benefits that eating meat can provide, possibly connected to an intake of protein being even more important in older adults.

Younger adults excluding meat from their diet may not be missing out on the nutrition meat provides compared to frail older people – and older populations have a higher risk of getting a fracture due to declining calcium levels. 

Nutritional priorities can therefore shift as we age and getting enough nutrients is imperative – and one theory on the study’s findings is that the results, older people being “more likely” to reach 100 if they ate meat could be reflecting nutritional challenges in aging. 

Also, the lower chance of reaching 100 among non-meat eaters in this study was observed solely in underweight participants, whereas older adults of a healthy weight seemed relatively unaffected by the meat eating factor.

Frailty and being underweight in older age has previously been linked with increased risks of an earlier death, therefore body weight in the participants may be a key factor in explaining these findings.

Another factor observed in this study observing meat eaters was that the participants that ate dairy, fish or eggs – and no meat – were seemingly just as to live to 100-years-old as meat eaters.

Researchers noted that including modest amounts of animal-source foods prevented undernourishment and therefore prevented muscle mass waning in old age, when compared with consuming vegan-only diets.