Can You Live Longer on a Meat Diet?

The diet battle for lifespan supremacy rages on! Who do you think would live longer? A vegetarian, a vegan or a heavy animal product and meat eater?

Within our climate of fake news and propaganda, we could assume that most people would say vegetarians or even vegans live the longest but with a little digging and research we were able to find that the answer is not so black and white.

In this article, we will point out that vegans and vegetarians lack numerous enhancing vitamins, life-prolonging amino acids, and nutrients. What’s crazy is that meat-eaters appear to actually take the crown for optimal health and have potentially longer lifespans.

For starters let’s look at the correlation between life expectancy of certain populations and their customary diets.

Which country has the highest life expectancy population? The lowest?

To start off this argument that meat-eaters have the potential to live the longest and healthiest lives we will take a look at one country, India, and one administrative state within China, Hong Kong.

Which population has the longest lifespans, India or Hong Kong? Hong Kong wins hands down…and unfortunately, India has the lowest expected lifespan.

Hong Kong men live to 81.9 and women live to 87.6 years old. (1)

Hong Kong is not a country but with a population of over 7 million people, we can look at them and see what they are doing for such a high life expectancy.

First, let’s look at their diet. Per capita, both calorically and by weight, the people of Hong Kong consume the highest amounts of meat. We are talking 695 grams per day, that’s 1.53 pounds. Their meat to veggie ratio is basically 5:1. (2)

Some people say, “well it’s because they eat seafood”, but that doesn’t appear to be the case either as they are the 3rd largest consumer of beef.

Our current climate of media, doctors, and so-called nutrition experts would have us believe that based on Hong Kong’s heavy consumption of meat that they should be dying from cancer, heart disease, and diabetes but that’s really not the case.

India has a meat eating problem…not enough eat it.

What’s up with India? India is last on the meat-eating list of meat per capita. (3) (4)

Another crazy fact is that India is the second-largest exporter of Beef, perhaps they should export less and eat more? Just saying.

Indians only eat on average 7 pounds of meat per year.

As of 2020 Indians life expectancy is at 69.73 years. (5)

With such a large amount of India’s population being vegan and vegetarian you would think they have less cardiovascular issues. But do they? Nope.

India has a major cardiovascular problem. 32% of India’s adult deaths are the result of cardiovascular disease. (6)

One can look at India’s diet and lack of exercise due to advancements in technology, (they live more sedentary lifestyles now and fast food is readily available and consumed.) The eating of processed foods, sugar, refined carbohydrates and seed oils are all on the rise intros country.

Plus…35% of the Indian population use tobacco. (6)

Some may argue that we can’t compare the city of Hong Kong with the country of India because they are in two completely different economical positions.

Hong Kong has a more affluent and middle-class population with above-average health care whereas India is an economically challenged country with inferior health care options. These are two very different countries!

But the point of the argument is that when looking at cardiovascular disease from the contemporary perspective wouldn’t you think the opposite would be the case? That India would have a low cardiovascular death rate and Hong Kong would have a lower life expectancy based on meat consumption?

Shouldn’t India have a low rate of cardiovascular disease because they eat far less meat? We are taught to believe low meat consumption equals good cardiovascular health, maybe that’s not the case?

Perhaps eating high carb, crappy processed foods and the heavy consumption of sugar has more to do with a low life expectancy than the heavy consumption of meat???

Even a recent study showed that people who ate 60% carbs with little saturated fat greatly increased their risk of an early death. (7)

The evidence and statistics are only associative and come from mainly epidemiological studies and by no means conclusive but it does raise some serious questions and provides a number of good arguments that a vegetarian and vegan diet may not be the superior diet in terms of good health.

If you are interested in the good, the bad and ugly of nutritional science then check out this article:

• What’s The Science, Facts & Myths Behind the Carnivore Diet?

Perhaps a high meat diet is the healthier option?

Another epidemiological study showed that Red Meat plus Dairy was beneficial for a healthier longer life

This study looked at diets from 218,000 adults over 50 countries and saw that those who ate three portions of dairy (animal products) and 1.5 unprocessed meat per day chopped the risk of dying early by 1/4. Also, the chances of dying from a heart attack dropped by 22 percent. (8)

Andrew Mente one of the researchers behind this study even said, “regarding meat, we found that unprocessed meat is associated with a benefit.”

Why do vegetarian and vegan diets suck from an optimal health point of view?

First off there are some benefits to eating fruits and veggies and of course, medicines are derived from them but if one commits to veganism or vegetarianism there can also be detrimental health consequences.

One of them being the lack of B-12…

What’s the importance of B-12?

B-12 is major component of optimal health as it helps build red blood cells, repairs broken DNA and helps protect the brain from deteriorating, just to name a few.

But what happens when you go vegetarian or vegan and become B-12 deficient?

If you consistently lack vitamin B-12 you will begin to see symptoms like memory loss, fatigue, mood swings, and pale skin but if you really, really lack B-12 you may begin to experience loss of vision, mental disorders and even paralysis.

Remember in a previous paragraph India statistically had a high rate of mental disorders such as dementia, depression, and cardiovascular disease? Well the lack of B-12 is associated with all of those problems. Oh, also lack of B-12 is associated with elevated risk of cancer and stroke.

Babies in the womb that don’t get enough B-12 from their mother raise the risk of developing dangerous birth defects by five times. (9)

Want to make you child smarter?

Maybe up the amount of B-12 in your diet while pregnant, as a recent study showed mothers that did do this had babies scoring higher on language tests at the age of two and a half.

What about your kids?

B-12 is really needed in children as it is a necessary component for the proper development of the brain and nervous system. Children that are deficient in B-12 increase the potential for digestion and growth challenges as well as behavioral and neurological problems.

How much B-12 do the doctors say you need?

From what I’ve read most doctors are saying you need at least 2.4 micrograms per day but if you are nursing it’s recommended that you get more. (10)

Some people use supplements but by eating certain meats you should be able to easily surpass that recommendation.

How much should you have in your blood?

If you have your blood labs handy take a look. Most B-12 specialists say between 200 and 900 picograms per milliliter is good. Anything below 200 picograms is deficient. (11)

Best Sources of B-12? Meat, Fish and Milk

Bioavailability plays a role in how much B-12 you are getting for instance cooked meat with a high presence of collagen is considered to be less bioavailable because it is harder to digest. Some studies show fish and milk to be the superior source of B-12 due to the bioavailability factor.

How much B-12 are we getting?

First off let’s look at beef. With beef the more fat equals the more B-12.

• Ground Beef 70% lean (3 ounces) = 2.6 micrograms
• Ground Beef 85% lean (3 ounces) = 2.37 micrograms
• Ground Beef 90% lean (3 ounces) = 2.3 micrograms (12)

The rest of the spectrum:

• Cooked Wild Atlantic Salmon (3 ounces) = 2.6 micrograms
• Roasted Turkey Breast (3 ounces) = 1.5 micrograms
• Beef Tenderloin (3 ounces) = 1.3 micrograms
• Tuna (2.5 ounces) = 7.9 to 8.2 micrograms
• Canned Salmon (2.5 ounces) = 3.7 micrograms
• Pork (2.5 ounces) = .8 to 1.1 micrograms
• Turkey (2.5 ounces) = .03 micrograms
• Chicken (2.5 ounces) = .2 to .3 micrograms
• Egg (medium size) = .4 micrograms
• Milk (8 ounces) = 1 microgram
• Cottage Cheese (1 Cup) = 1.5 to 1.7 micrograms
• Swiss Cheese (1.5 ounces) = 1.5 to 1.7 micrograms

But the clear winner is Organ Meats!!!

• Organ Meats (2.5 ounces) = 14-64.3 micrograms (11)

B-12 and longevity.

As one can see the lack of B-12 increases the likelihood of unwanted symptoms which leads to disease which leads to a possible early death.

People that eat a diet lacking animal products may assume they are healthier than those that do but as you can see they may be shorting themselves on the B-12 component (and some others as we will see shortly).

However, with a heavy meat diet achieving the daily recommendation is easy which in turn may provide a healthier outlook.

Does Carnosine Increase Your Lifespan?

There have been a number of studies that indicate that carnosine may be a potential factor in increasing one’s health and/or preventing certain health-related problems such as brain deterioration, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s. We are talking about a potential therapeutic solution.

But what is Carnosine?

Carnosine is a dipeptide molecule made up of amino acids which is predominantly found in brain and muscle tissue.

How does Carnosine work and how does it make me live longer?

Our bodies rely on protein to support and help with all bodily functions, most recognizable the building of muscle and the sustaining of life itself.

Our bodies begin to die or degrade when proteins are no longer able to carry out their jobs of building and restoration and the main contributor is glycation. Glycation binds glucose to protein and in turn, makes the protein unable to function.

The destruction results in degenerative problems like premature aging, dementia, Alzheimer’, diabetes, and even wrinklier skin.

Arteries are negatively affected by glycation as it makes them less elastic creating hypertension and atherosclerosis. Basically it’s what happens to diabetics.

In simplest terms, Carnosine may just be the kryptonite to glycation as it helps prevent the glycation from occurring. And also one should note that vegetarians have higher levels of glycation elements (meaning more cellular destruction) throughout their blood system when compared to a standard meat eater as evidenced in the study “Advanced Glycation End Products”. (13)

Carnosine is also an antioxidant for muscles as it levels out the PH. In a way, it protects the cells from oxidizing due to having too much acid in them from exercising or some form of exertion.

When looking at animals, scientists were able to concur that longer lifespans correlated with muscle mass and the amount of carnosine within those muscles. (14)

Could More Beef = Longer Life?

It is possible that beef may allow you to live a happier, longer, and healthier life due to its bioavailability of carnosine.

This study, “Quantation of Carnosine in Human Plasma After Dietary Consumption of Beef“, found that carnosine disappears quickly in the bloodstream due to an enzyme called Carnosinase which degrades carnosine…so carnosine has its own enemy.

This study showed that after eating 7 ounces of ground beef, (which has 248 milligrams of carnosine), carnosine could be detected in the blood in as little as 15 minutes and would last for up to five and a half hours.

After five and half hours the carnosine would disappear resulting in susceptibility of glycation, as the evil villain Carnosinase shows up to wreak havoc. What this also proved was that by eating only 7 ounces of ground beef wasn’t enough for a days worth of protection. (15)

So, to get a full days worth of protection it is recommended that one get at least 1000 milligrams of carnosine. 

The best source of Carnosine is beef and to get 1000 milligrams you would most likely need to eat at least 25 ounces or more of beef per day. Or get it from other sources. (16)

Even Scientists Say Carniverous Diets are Beneficial

A recent study, “Glycation, aging, and Carnosine: Are Carnivorous Diets Beneficial?“, found that people who avoid eating beef, the best source of Carnosine, had a deficiency of carnosine in the body resulting in lethal glycation reactions and further point out that vegetarians have a lack of carnosine.

Basically the less carnosine the more susceptible to age-related illness, aging, and disease you may become. (17)

What if you are already old?

If you look at carnosine levels in a 10-year-old and compare it to a 70-year-old you would most likely see a 63% decrease meaning the older you get the less you have resulting in cellular aging. (18)

The good news though is that Carnosine has shown to rejuvenate cells and may be one of the better therapeutic options out there. There are still plenty of studies to do but perhaps adding a good amount of beef to your diet could help and by not having meat in your diet you are most likely accelerating the aging process.

But what potentially helps counteract glycation? Carnosine!

Who would have thought that eating hamburgers would help lessen the amount of wrinkles you could get?

Why Does The Main Stream Media Portray a Meat Diet as Unhealthy?

I think it’s safe to say that overall most people would assume a plant-based diet is healthier than that of a meat-based diet and the media is great at spreading this agenda.

Here are some shocking statistics for the United States. The vegan propaganda is working because during 2014-2017 we saw an increase in vegan dieters by 600%. (19)

Another shocking statistic is that there are 7 Million Americans committed to a vegetarian diet. What is going on and why the increase? It seems that they are winning the social media battle and there is a lot of misinformation out there. (20)

There is the pharmaceutical conspiracy in which these billion-dollar companies have power and want to continue to make the big bucks but in order to do that, they need to keep us sick. Hence the standard American diet, the vegetarian diet, and the vegan diet do a pretty good job of that.

All of these diets have potential negative health consequences and that in turn makes sick people who then need all these medications like statins and such. Mo Sick, Mo Money!

Anyways, I don’t want to get off on a tangent but do yourself a favor and research as much of these health points as you can to see what works for you. I’m not a doctor or nutritionist but I do like to live a happy and healthy life and so far hamburgers without buns seem to be doing the trick!

If you are curious about the Carnivore Diet I would suggest this post, Carnivore Diet 101: A Meaty Resource.

Looking for Motivation?

The carnivore diet has provided many people with benefits and one of the best places to see the testimonials is MeatRX. Here you will see major transformations and improvements in health!

If you want to take it a step further you can book me for a private one on one coaching session here. I’m a MeatRX coach!

Another Place to Start

Books! Go ahead and pick up these 3 books. I resort to these books very often.

• The Carnivore Cookbook by Jessica Haggard (PDF or Paperback) (For a limited time you can use ANDY5 at checkout for $5.00 off)
• The Carnivore Diet by Dr. Shawn Baker (Bookshop.org Link) or (Amazon Link)
• The Carnivore Code by Dr. Paul Saladino (Bookshop.org link) or (Amazon Link)

Wild Lumens Resources

• How to Get Electrolytes on a Carnivore Diet: An Essential Guide
• 21 Essential Carnivore Diet Products You Need On Your Shopping List
• Top 4 Drinks For The Carnivore Diet

Disclaimer: I’m not a doctor. Consult with and ask your doctor about any diet or medical-related questions. No information on this site should be used to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure any disease or condition.

Resources

1. National Academy of Medicine: People in Hong Kong Have the Longest Life Expectancy in the World: Some Possible Explanations
2. Eat beef for a long, healthy life
3. List of countries by meat consumption per capita
4. Meat consumption
5. Macrotrends: India Life Expectancy 1950-2020

6. Cardiovascular Diseases in India Current Epidemiology and Future Directions
7. High-Fat vs High-Carbohydrate Diet and Cardiovascular Disease
8. European Society of Cardiology: Components of heart healthy diet may differ from what was previously thought
9. WebMD: Birth Defects Linked to Low Vitamin B12
10. National Institute of Health: Vitamin B12
11. Harvard Health Publishing: Getting Enough Vitamin B12
12. SF GATE: How Much Vitamin B12 Is in Ground Beef?
13. Advanced Glycation End Products in Foods and a Practical Guide to Their Reduction in the Diet
14. Self Hacked: 6 Benefits of Carnosine + Side Effects, Food Sources
15. Quantitation of carnosine in humans plasma after dietary consumption of beef
16. Science Direct: Carnosine
17. Glycation, ageing and carnosine: are carnivorous diets beneficial?
18. Nootropics Expert: L-Carnosine
19. Why the Global Rise in Vegan and Plant-Based Eating Isn’t A Fad (600% Increase in U.S. Vegans + Other Astounding Stats)
20. Vegetarianism In America