Does the carnivore diet age you faster? Here’s the science

Are you worried that an almost zero carb diet is going to turn you into a wrinkled old prune? Or you are going to need a zimmer frame aka walker before your time?

Let’s look into the science (if you can call it that) of a meat-based diet and aging!

Firstly let’s be real regarding the Carnivore Diet, there isn’t an abundance of scientific studies and papers to hang your hat on and there are so few people that have done Carnivore long enough to really test the potential pros and cons.

And to do a controlled lifespan study it would be completely unethical but that’s a whole other story.

Plus studies need funding, and there is very little appetite to prove the benefits of Carnivore. (Dr. Shawn Baker is attempting to crowdfund one, at the time of writing). Donate here if you can!

In fact, I envision more money will be spent on trying to prove it is dangerous than trying to work out why there are so many carnivore diet success stories. You can thank plant-based food conglomerates for that.

We are in a time where Carnivores are taking an educated leap of faith…at least kind of.

So I am going to go through how I think about aging, and let’s see if you agree. Obviously, I’m not a doctor so take it with a grain of salt and do your own due diligence before attempting any diet.

However, you may find this article very informative when it comes to science and its application to diet. It’s a serious eye-opener!

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

Plus pick up these two books by some of the top carnivore diet doctors out there.

• The Carnivore Diet by Dr. Shawn Baker
• The Carnivore Code by Dr. Paul Saladino

Micro thinking

This is the problem with most things you are going to run into when looking deeply into any nutrition equals result style study.

They attempt to prove that this chemical or that pathway causes this result which is going to give you cancer or whatever the craze is at the time.

They generally pay no attention to how this fits into the body as a whole. Rhonda Patrick is a good example of this, she is excellent if you want details on the micro goings-on, but she can’t seem to see the big picture.

For example the morning smoothie she recommends for all those very important micronutrients, also has a huge oxalate load. So what’s better getting some of these alleged important micronutrients or not dumping loads of oxalates into your body?

Another note about Rhonda and other so-called food scientists and nutritionists is you need to see who is funding them or creating biases in their studies and suggestions. Just saying.

Macro thinking

This is the type of thinker I am. I try to think logically and be mindful of how I feel as a whole. I am a believer in giving your body the building blocks it needs, then getting out of its damn way.

The body is almost infinitely complex but requires very little help. So I like to consider how I sleep, how much energy I have, how consistent that energy is, what my body composition like, am I like a randy teenager all over again haha (and I sure do wish I dabbled in a carnivore diet as a teenager) (and I sure do wish I dabbled in a carnivore diet as a teenager) .

This is more important to me than if I am getting 10mg of some root powder that can only be found in the jungle.

For example, say eating bacon and eggs takes 10 years off your life, but what about if not eating cereal saves you 20 years? So then the bacon and eggs have helped increase your lifespan. As you can imagine you could go in circles like this forever.

Lifespan vs Healthspan

Lifespan is just a number, how old were you when you died basically. A lot of stock is put into this number, and modern “healthcare” is very good at keeping you alive.

But is that what we should be chasing? Is it important to live to 100, if you have been stuck in an armchair, in a nursing home since you were 70?

I would actually rather die at the age of 80, climbing up a mountain or in a kayak on a magnificent lake. So I believe healthspan is more important.

How long can you stay active for and not be in pain?

How Carnivore can actually promote good aging

This is not the complete story but will help show you that meat-based diets are potentially not detrimental to healthspan and lifespan. In fact, it may be quite the opposite.

• Obesity – “accelerates epigenetic changes associated with aging in the human liver resulting in an apparent age acceleration of 2.7 years for a 10-point increase in BMI”. Basically the more overweight you are, and the longer you are overweight for, the worse you may age. The Carnivore Diet time and time again show that people lose a lot of weight and keep it off which is very important. (1)
• Insulin Resistance – insulin has been shown to cause aging according to this Science Daily article. Carb heavy diets are usually the cause of Insulin Resistance and result in metabolic diseases like Type 2 Diabetes and Alzheimer’s (Type 3 Diabetes). Zero carb diets have been shown to improve insulin sensitivity, which may be beneficial to aging. (2)
• Chronic Inflammation – this seems to build in the body as we age on a standard western diet, and is a well-studied field. It seems the more you can stop inflammation the better you will age. Meat-based diets are renowned for reducing inflammation. You can see this in many success stories, where people have had arthritis for decades and it went away in weeks, once they cut out things like sugar and seed oils. Check out MeatRX for some amazing testimonials. (3)
• Sleep – one of the main functions of sleep is to repair the body. In this time, it sweeps up all the free radicals in your body and repurposes them. Your body needs enough time to do this, to prevent disease. Carnivores sleep very well, and nearly everyone states they sleep better and feel more rested on Carnivore. In fact, I need less sleep to function properly and feel great(4)
• Ketosis – so you now know it is important to sleep enough to enable the hoovering up of free radicals. However it is also important to actually reduce the number of free radicals you produce, and it has been shown that ketosis reduces free radicles (oxidative stress). At least that’s what this article indicated from Andromenopause. Carnivores are generally in mild ketosis constantly. (5)
• Lean Muscle Mass – I have already stated that we want to slow the aging process, but we want to be able to live the life we want to lead. LMM is vital to maintain mobility as we age, but we become less efficient at processing protein as we age also. So we may need higher protein diets as we age, and can you think of a more efficient way of getting protein than a Carnivore style diet. the Atkins diet comes pretty close . the Atkins diet comes pretty close ? I can’t! (6)

Beware false prophets

You will see so many articles out there, taking a little pitch of the truth and twisting it into their own needs.

Whenever you read an article always consider who wrote it, who published it, and what the potential conflicts of interest are.

Here are 2 examples:

• Telomeres- Telomeres and aging is a relatively new field. In an article by Christopher Bergland he states “In recent years, shorter telomeres have become associated with a broad range of aging-related diseases, including many forms of cancer, stroke, vascular dementia, cardiovascular disease, obesity, osteoporosis, and diabetes.”. His number one solution, to stop the shortening of Telomeres was a PLANT-BASED DIET. Even though there are no studies showing a plant-based diet is beneficial, he is clearly biased, and using some studies that show processed meat causes shortening. (7) But guess what? Fresh red meat doesn’t, in fact, it has been shown to lengthen telomeres. This is maybe beneficial for aging.
• TMAO-This blew up in 2018/19. Some vegan doctors came out and stated they had proved a link between Red Meat and Heart Disease. The theory being Red Meat caused high TMAO levels. Funny thing is Fish, Seafood and some Vegetables like broccoli were found to produce higher levels of TMAO. These foods are always stated to be heart-healthy and are in every Heart Disease Association diet guidelines across the planet. So instead of admitting their mistake and saying Red Meat isn’t a problem they are now trying to push the narrative that TMAO is now a good thing! (8) You will see this time and time again. If something is found in fruit and veggies it must be good, if it is found in red meat it must be bad. The body doesn’t work like that people. If you what more info on TMAO, then check this out.

Proof is in the “pudding”

Joe Anderson is a 20+ year carnivore, and Kelly Hogan is 10+ years. Look at the Instagram accounts of these two crazy carnivore fools.

Try and tell me these are aging poorly!

Now go and look at all other carnivores. In the short term, medium, and long term: they all look better.

With a common thread, they get leaner and look like they have gained confidence and vitality. Don’t believe me go and check out MeatRx and Carnivore Diet Success Stories.

Compare this to a lot of long term Vegans you see, who seem to have bobbleheads, bulging yet sunken eyes, loss of muscle mass, and look skinny fat. Yet it is the vegan diet that is mainly classed as the healthy option, whereas carnivore is ridiculed as being dangerous.

I will trust a scan through a carnivore hashtag any day of the week, over a standard nutrition study. Especially one that is funded by food and pharmaceutical companies.

Conclusion

An ultimate guide to aging doesn’t exist, and aging means different things to different people.

A wise person once said, “all you should do is be healthier and fitter today than you were yesterday.”

This should result in you having lived a good, interesting, and enjoyable life. So it doesn’t matter how many weeks, months, and years that is.

And if you are looking for some motivation and carnivorous entertainment then you should check out our YouTube channel and learn a few healthy recipes like this one…

And if you need a one on one Carnivore Diet coach you can book me here. I work with Dr. Shaw Baker’s team of coaches at MeatRX. I think you will find that our coaching is affordable and beneficial. Check it out!

Oh, and to get you going in the right direction these 2 articles may be of help:

• Carnivore Diet Starter Kit: 5 Essential Items To Get Going
• 16 Perfect Snacks for People on a Carnivore Diet & Meat Lovers

Best of luck to you on your journey to health and wellness.

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. Obesity May Accelerate the Aging Process
2. Insulin, Aging, and the Brain: Mechanisms and Implications
3. Redefining Chronic Inflammation in Aging and Age-Related Diseases: Proposal of the Senoinflammation Concept
4. Does a lack of sleep make you age quicker?
5. Ketogenic diet decreases oxidative stress and improves mitochondrial respiratory complex activity
6. Why Older Adults Should Eat More Protein (And Not Overdo Protein Shakes)
7. Processed Meat, but Not Unprocessed Red Meat, Is Inversely Associated with Leukocyte Telomere Length in the Strong Heart Family Study
8. Eat your vegetables (and fish): Another reason why they may promote heart health