Latest research: Elderly people who eat more meat may live longer! But pay attention to these 4 points

This article was reviewed by: Pa Lizhe, chief physician of nutrition, former deputy director of the Institute of Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Management, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Center for Disease Control and Prevention

Meat plays an important role on the dining table, and some people even cannot do without it at every meal.

However, as living conditions improve, more and more people pay attention to health issues, and eating meat has become a very tangled matter, especially for the elderly - some people think that it is worth a lot of money to be thin in old age, and the three highs and cardiovascular diseases are all related to obesity, so they should eat less meat; while others think that not eating meat and being too thin is not good, as it will lead to poor physical fitness and easy illness...

So, as we get older, should we eat less meat or more meat?

111 countries study: Elderly people who eat more meat

Longer life

At the World Conference on Heart Failure and Acute Heart Failure, a joint survey across 11 countries pointed out that people who consume higher protein, mainly from meat and eggs, have a lower risk of cancer and can live longer than older people who eat more vegetarian food.

The experiment found that the mortality rate of the elderly who consumed more than 40 grams of protein per day was only 18%, while the mortality rate of the elderly who consumed less than 40 grams was 31%!

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Why should the elderly increase their meat intake?

Preventing malnutrition

The elderly eat less and their digestion and absorption abilities decline, which leads to less energy and nutrient intake and makes them more susceptible to malnutrition. According to relevant statistics, more than 50% of Chinese people over 65 years old are malnourished, and the situation in rural areas is even more serious.

Meat is rich in protein, lipids, vitamin B12, fat-soluble vitamins, iron, calcium, zinc, magnesium and other essential nutrients for the human body. Livestock and poultry meat, in particular, is an important source of heme iron. These nutrients are exactly what the elderly are prone to lacking.

Prevent osteoporosis and sarcopenia

The body starts to lose muscle mass around the age of 40, and loses 1% to 2% of its muscle mass each year after the age of 50. After the age of 60, the muscle loss is about 30%, and the muscle loss can reach about 50% over the age of 80. The loss of muscle mass will increase the incidence of osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, etc., and increase the incidence of falls, fractures, disability and even death.

Muscle formation requires protein. If a person eats less meat and lacks protein, the muscles will have no food to eat. In addition, the elderly have a relatively poor ability to absorb nutrients and synthesize muscles, which further increases the chance of muscle loss.

Delaying brain aging

As people age, the concentration of antioxidants decreases. Eating meat can help increase the concentration of antioxidants and restore the activity of acetylcholinesterase in brain tissue, thereby reducing damage to brain cells and avoiding problems such as memory loss.

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Eating more meat does not equal a high-calorie diet

The researchers stressed that while the elderly should increase their meat intake appropriately, they must also reduce their intake of refined rice, flour, potatoes and other carbohydrates to keep their total calories within a normal range. Otherwise, they may suffer from the three highs, obesity and cardiovascular problems.

In addition, a study from the University of Alabama pointed out that a low-carb diet, a proper reduction in the intake of rice, flour and sugar, and eating more meat, eggs and fish can significantly improve the health of the elderly, lose weight while maintaining lean body weight, and reduce visceral fat. It can also increase insulin sensitivity and reduce the risk of various diseases.

Eat meat correctly, master these 4 points

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Eat less red meat and more white meat

Red meat mainly includes meat from livestock such as pigs, sheep, cattle, and donkeys. It contains high levels of saturated fatty acids. Excessive consumption will increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases such as hyperlipidemia and coronary heart disease. According to the "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents", daily red meat intake should be controlled within 50g.

White meat includes chicken, duck, fish, etc., which are relatively low in fat and higher in protein. The amino acid composition of the protein is closer to the amino acids required by the human body, making it easier to digest and absorb. Fish, in particular, is rich in unsaturated fatty acids, which helps control blood lipids and is more helpful in protecting the cardiovascular system.

Tip: Eat both red meat and white meat, because the iron content in red meat is incomparable to that in white meat.

The specific amount of meat you can eat can refer to:

① When eating only one type of meat every day, eat 8 bites of meat without legs, 6 bites of meat with two legs, and no more than 3 bites of meat with four legs (each bite is about 10g of meat).

② When eating all three types of meat, take 5 bites of fish and shrimp, 3 bites of chicken and duck, and 1 bite of pork and mutton (each bite is about 10g of meat).

③When you don’t eat meat, eat more soy products, because soy products are rich in plant protein and can replace meat to supplement protein to a certain extent.

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It is best not to eat processed meat or cured meat

The World Health Organization classifies processed meat as a Class 1 carcinogen and recommends that it is best not to eat it.

Processed meat contains a certain amount of nitrite, which may produce trace amounts of the carcinogen nitrosamines, increasing the risk of cancer. In addition, some processed meat products may also contain preservatives, color enhancers, etc., which will increase the burden on the liver and kidneys, and eating too much can easily damage liver and kidney function.

Excessive salt in foods like bacon and salted chicken will not only cause the loss of nutrients in the meat, but will also aggravate or cause high and fluctuating blood pressure, which is also bad for the human cardiovascular system. The nitrite produced in them will indirectly increase the risk of esophageal and gastric cancer.

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Pay attention to cooking methods

Try to avoid frying, deep-frying and roasting as much as possible.

Protein-rich foods will produce heterocyclic amine carcinogens at temperatures above 200°C; fat-rich foods will produce large amounts of benzopyrene at temperatures close to 300°C; foods containing starch, sugar and protein will produce more acrylamide between 120-180°C. These products are all potentially carcinogenic.

Relatively speaking, stewed meat is more recommended because it is tender and soft. The chewing function of the elderly is mostly declined, so stewed meat is more suitable. Moreover, slow stewing over low heat can reduce saturated fat.

An experiment published in the Journal of Food Science showed that after pork is stewed for a long time, the fat in the meat will dissolve in the soup, so the fat content of the meat will be reduced by 30% to 50%, and the cholesterol content will also drop significantly. However, the fat content in the soup will be very high, so it is best not to drink this thick soup.

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The best partner of meat

Choosing the right “partner” for meat can help you eat it with peace of mind and without gaining weight!

① Vegetables rich in dietary fiber: konjac, dried pine mushrooms, dried black mushrooms, bamboo shoots, etc.

Dietary fiber can help inhibit fat absorption, absorb fat and excrete it from the body; it can also delay gastric emptying, increase satiety and help control food intake.

② Mushrooms: shiitake mushrooms, coprinus comatus, etc.

Mushrooms contain mycosterols (a type of plant sterols), which can metabolize cholesterol and reduce the absorption of cholesterol. The protein in mushrooms is not complete and lacks certain amino acids. When stewed with meat, it not only tastes good but also has the effect of complementing amino acids.

Therefore, whether it is braised pork or stir-fried pork, you can appropriately add these two types of ingredients and cook them together.

Source: I am a great doctor official microblog (ID: woshidayisheng)