Our ability to live a long life is influenced by a combination of factors such as genes and environment. In studies that include identical twins, scientists estimate that no more than 30% of this influence comes from our genes. This means that the largest group of factors that determines how long a person lives is his environment.
Influence of the amount of food
Of all the possible environmental factors, few have been as thoroughly studied and discussed as our diet. Calorie restriction, for example, is just one area that is under investigation. So far, experiments have shown that restricting calories can increase lifespan, at least in small animals. But what's good for mice won't necessarily work for humans.
Features of the diet
What we eat (as opposed to how much we eat) is also a hot topic to study, and meat consumption often becomes the main topic. The study, which tracked nearly 100,000 Americans over five years, found that vegetarians were less likely to die from any cause over the study period than meat eaters. This effect was especially noticeable in men.
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Several meta-analyzes that reanalyzed data from multiple studies have also shown that diets low in meat are associated with longer lifespan. The longer a person abstains from meat dishes, the more benefits he receives. However, not all researchers agree with this. Some results showed very little or no difference in life expectancy between meat eaters and vegetarians.
Evidence
However, there is evidence that a meat-free diet can reduce the risk of developing health problems such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and even cancer. There is some evidence to suggest that vegan diets may offer additional protection beyond the standard vegetarian diet. These findings are much easier to interpret when there is evidence of health problems rather than death from any cause.
So can we say with certainty that avoiding meat will increase your life expectancy? The answer is simple: no.
Longevity problem
Compared to most other creatures, humans live for a very long time. This makes it difficult to conduct research that can measure the impact of anything on life expectancy (it would be difficult to find a scientist willing to wait 90 years to complete a study).
Instead, scientists either use existing medical records or recruit volunteers to conduct studies that last for a shorter period of time. They measure the death rate and see which group, on average, is more likely to die first. Based on these data, assumptions were made about the impact of certain activities on life expectancy. The effect on her of not eating meat was also investigated.
But this approach has problems. First, the connection between two things like eating meat and early death does not necessarily mean that one was caused by the other. In other words, correlation does not equal causation. It may seem that vegetarianism and longevity are related, but another variable may explain this connection. For example, it is possible that vegetarians exercise more, smoke less, and consume less alcohol than meat eaters.
Research imprecision
Nutrition research also relies on volunteers to accurately and truthfully keep records of food intake. But this should not be taken for granted. Research has shown that people tend to underestimate their calorie intake and overestimate how much healthy food they eat. Without actually monitoring the diet of the target populations and measuring how long they live, it is difficult to have absolute confidence in the results.
So should you give up meat to ensure a long and healthy life? The key to healthy aging likely lies in controlling our environment, including what we eat. From the available data, it is quite possible to conclude that avoiding meat in your diet can certainly increase your chances of avoiding diseases that appear as you age. But there is, of course, also evidence that it can only work in tandem with avoiding some of the more significant risks, one of which is smoking.