Does meat cause skin aging? Do vegetarians look younger than meat eaters?

This article on Kimberlysnyder.com explains why Factory farmed animal meat is bad for your skin and causes aging faster. Here is a gist:-

Animal protein is one of the most metabolically acidic foods humans eat. It creates conditions of acidity within the body after ingestion (why is poop green many ask?), forcing the body to seek to return to an alkaline state through demineralization of the bones and the cells. The result of eating significant amounts of animal protein is accelerated aging.

Because there is such demand in the Western diet for animal protein products, factory farmers also seek ways to enhance the animals’ growth so they reach maturity far more quickly than their normal life cycle would indicate. To do this, they supply hormones in the animals’ feed to enhance growth and increase production.

Factory farmed animal products are laden with hormones and antibiotics. In many cases, the animals are also filled with the pesticides, chemical fertilizers, and genetically modified food products the farmers’ use to feed them. This means that you, too, are ingesting pesticides, genetically modified products, and fertilizers every time you eat a factory farmed animal product.

These chemicals have bad effects on the body in general and cause the skin to age.

The following foods make you age fast, according to Health.com

Sweets

Sugar overload may kick-start a process called glycation. The theory: When you eat more sugar than your cells can process, the excess sugar molecules combine with proteins, creating “advanced glycation end products” (appropriately referred to as “AGES“), explains Dr. Ostad. Ultimately, AGES may damage your skin’s collagen (the protein that keeps skin firm and youthful).

Alcohol

“When your liver is functioning well, toxins that could potentially affect the skin are expelled naturally through your body,” says Dr. Ostad. “But if toxins build up in your liver, and aren’t broken down properly, your skin can develop a variety of issues, like acne, sallowness, and wrinkles.”

Charred meat

That black char on your burger? It may contain pro-inflammatory hydrocarbons, which could present a problem since inflammation breaks down the collagen in your skin, explains Dr. Ostad.

Salty foods

You might not cook with salt, but that doesn’t guarantee your intake is low. “Many canned foods are preserved with sodium, which can make you retain water and cause a ‘puffy’ look,” says Ranella Hirsch, MD, former president of the American Society of Cosmetic Dermatology & Aesthetic Surgery, and dermatologist practicing in Massachusetts.

Processed meats

Think: Deli meat, sausage, and bacon. “Many of these meats have sulfites and other preservatives, which can trigger inflammation in the skin, and accelerate the appearance of aging,” says Dr. Ostad. They also tend to be high in salt, which can make you look puffy.

Spicy food

Spicy food aggravates rosacea-prone skin, but it can also do damage during menopause.

Red meat

“Fatty meat generates free radicals,” says Dr. Ostad. Free radicals are in search of missing electrons, they snag electrons from healthy cells, damaging them in the process. This damage ultimately affects your skin’s ability to protect itself and generate collagen.

Lemonade

Lemon juice created the most dental damage, compared to orange and grapefruit juice, in a General Dentistry study. “Add the sugar in lemonade to the equation, and you have enamel wear from the acid, plus plaque buildup from the sugar

Trans fats

In case the risk of heart disease isn’t enough to make you swear off trans fats for good, they may also be bad for your skin. “Trans fats promote inflammation,” says Dr. Ostad. (Inflammation is also bad news for your collagen.)

This article on thenutritionwatchdog.com explains what the vegans might be missing on when it comes to issues like skin aging.

They might be missing out on beneficial saturated fats, collagen proteins, vitamin K2, vitamin B12, DHA/EPA, and other vital nutrients that vegans and vegetarians are often low or deficient in can accelerate aging in people that choose to eat this way.

As Nutritionists, we try to educate people that eating strict vegan has serious health consequences over time…and that including high quality fish, and at least some other animal-based foods is very important to achieve optimal health and slow aging.

There are good options for meats raised in a healthy manner, that eat the correct foods for their species, and are also raised in environmentally-friendly ways. This is a very important distinction that most vegans and vegetarians ignore.

A lady who tried a strict vegan diet, in just 4 short years, she not only had gained weight and said she was “famished all the time”, but her skin looked dry, wrinkly, and saggy. Her hair was dull and dry and grew very slowly.

She said she had very little energy and actually quit her triathlon training that she had been doing as a meat-eater. She recently switched back about a year ago to a more Paleo-style diet and her skin now looks smooth, clear and glowing—and she lost weight and has tons of energy again!

1. Absolutely 100% – Vegan diet is better! Keep in mind the few on meat diet who still manage to look “younger” aren’t that old and are a huge minority, PLUS they SHOULDNT be looking “old” at their age to begin with!!! You must compare them to the rest of the world who are all aging very quickly.. easy observation to make.

I made this observation at least 30 years ago. People in San Marino all dying from heart disease, diabetes and cancer and often frequenting steakhouses, and eating meat every day. They all looked horrifically aged.

I have been making these observations ALL my life. Go to any diner, any meat house, and look at the people who come out of it.. if it wasn’t so sad, it would be a comedy. Stuffed to the gills, emotionally stunted, igniting diseases and accelerating aging.. its a lose lose situation.

The problem with most people who are unaware of this sad fact, is that by the time they realize what is aging them, they already look too old. I stopped eating meat at 30 and I still look in my 30s. I made my observations about what was aging and killing people years and years ago. I also knew back in 1993 meat causes cancer, and it wasnt until the 2000’s that british researchers found that link and thoroughly explained why.

There has been scientific research that eating meat shortens the telomeres of the chromosomes that kick off the onset of aging and disease. They shorten naturally after time, eating meat accelerates the process dramatically.

This is why people who seemed to pull off their health and looks for a long time, suddenly get sick when they hit middle age. It took its toll on their body and the body can bear no more.

There’s a lot of cognitive dissonance out there, people rationalizing away what they don’t want to face. They should realize they are rationalizing away their health, looks and youth.. and get SMART instead.

I have had decades of anatomical observations noting people dying and aging because of meat, and my staying younger looking because I don’t eat it.

People think its “normal” to look like shit in your 40s and 50s, and I have often heard over the years the prejudice about people over 40. People under 40 think people over 40 are basically.. dead. Of no value.

This is due in large part because of a meat eating society that ages people so quickly, that they look horrendous and it has become accepted as “the norm” that when you look old, your life is “over”.

ITS NOT THE NORM. Its abnormal to age so quickly.

I know noone who is eating meat who looks great “for their age”, EVERYONE SHOULD look good in their early to mid 40s! Thats a given. Anyone who looks “better” and feels “better” is not looking and feeling that way because of the MEAT.. theyre feeling that way because of the vegetables and fruits they are eating, yet, they still run the risk of premature aging, which is thought of as “normal aging”, and think how much better they would have looked if they hadnt eaten “meat”. Im 56.

2. I am a vegan and I look younger than my meat eating friends , but I doubt it’s related to diet and has more to do with good nutrition in general, avoiding stress, staying out of the sun, not smoking, etc.

3. I’m 27 and look like I’m in my early-mid twenties, I think. I’d say that’s mostly genetics (I seem to have dodged the baldness gene), but I’d say my overall physical health is entirely due to the vegan diet.

A lot of my friends have gained a lot of weight in the last few years and I’ve been stable. I’m also fairly fit despite rarely hitting the gym or going to yoga. My cardiovascular stamina is kinda shit by my standards, but certainly above average for people of my age and lifestyle.

I originally went vegan for health reasons, and I’d say that it was the best health decision I ever made. The second best decision was to get into hot hatha yoga (though I don’t really do that so regularly any more).

I maintain that if you want to be healthy, eat vegetables and don’t eat animal flesh or secretions. Animal flesh and animal secretions are, as far as I can tell, really bad for you.

4. I definitely think a raw diet plan can help diminish wrinkles. I started at about 75% raw and noticed the fine lines on my forehead and around my eyes softened and went away.

I’m almost 30 and I think spending a lot of time on the beach while eating a SAD diet was making my skin look older. I think the raw plan nourished my skin in ways it had not been nourished before.

I don’t want to sound like I’m selling snake oil, but within one week of going raw my wrinkles went away. I think the key is eating a lot of nutrient dense fresh fruits and veggies, not necessarily all raw nuts or dried fruit. A 75% raw day for me might look like:

Breakfast 20 oz. green lemonade from The Raw Food Detox Diet by Natalia Rose

Lunch 2-4 cups gazpacho (diced tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, onions, tomato juice, olive oil)
Afternoon snack another 20 oz. green lemonade
Dinner salad with olive oil vinaigrette, poached salmon with steamed veggies

Starchy processed foods like chips, cookies, cakes, etc. really break down the skin IMO.

When I cut this stuff out and replaced it with raw foods, my skin became firmer, brighter, and super glowy. My family and friends say I look like I have a flashlight under my skin because I just radiate.

I used to have puffiness in my face and that’s gone too and my face looks more sculpted. I used to spend a lot of money (*cough*Kinerase*cough*) on special creams that I hoped would get rid of my fine lines.

I was happy to find that the raw plan has done more for the health of my skin than those expensive creams ever did. I plugged a day’s worth of raw eating into a nutrition program I have and I get about 300-500% of the RDA for many nutrients, and at least 100% for nearly all. When well-meaning family members ask if what I’m doing is healthy, I smile and say I think I’m getting a lot more nutrients than the average American. Hope this answers your question.

5.  I know the raw diet is the most wonderful way to keep your complexion youthful and relatively free of wrinkles. I’ve been raw for about 25 years, except for a brief difficult detox period when I decided to try the Paleo-diet. (I quit and went back to raw because among other things, my face started looking older and puffier!)

When you’re post-menopausal, you WILL gradually see some changes in the way you look, but they’ll be subtle and natural changes that you will grow to like. 🙂

When I begin to see lines on my face, it’s usually in late winter when I’ve been indoors too much and haven’t adhered to 100% raw all the time because of the cold weather and boredom. As soon as I can (usually early spring) I do a long juice fast, and I can’t recommend that enough.

Juice fasting is incredibly rejuvenating, and if you do a long one (20-40 days) every year you’ll be amazed at how much easier it is to a) stay raw and b) look and feel your very best.

Water fasting is great too, but is demanding and takes more discipline. Another way to rejuvenate is to eat an optimal high water content raw diet from early morning up till 5pm, then dry fast till the next morning; you can do this every day without deprivation.

(After a month or so, scale back to 4pm, then a mo. later to 3pm, and finally 2pm, according to Tanya Zavasta.) I tried this for awhile and I looked and felt better than I’d felt in years. I keep meaning to get back to it, but it takes a bit of tweaking your schedule and planning ahead.

1.Meat is NOT the culprit. Sugar is. In general, high-meat eaters and SAD eaters get lumped together. Many of the plant eating populations who get written up frequently (ie. kitivans and obkinawans) tend to eat whole-food, VEGETABLE (not grain) based diets.

Populations with high meat consumption who are typically written up are “western” countries with diets high in refined grains, sugar, seed oils and other additives.

Personally, I don’t know anyone who has been eating a health-conscious/high meat (paleo) diet for more than a few years But I know plenty of long term (2+ decades) vegetarians… They tend to age about the same as everyone else: some emaciated, some fat, some athletic.

To my knowledge, there has never been a study comparing health-conscious meat eaters with vegetarians. But I’d love to see the results!

2. The meat eaters I know look better and feel better than vegetarians I know, who often have an emaciated, lean but no muscle look.

Regardless, it isn’t just about meat or no meat, it’s about whole foods, and movement, and what you don’t eat as much as what you do eat. So, I guess we’re at a stalemate with our seemingly objective opinions.

3. I’m a 40+ year old Paleo (for 3 months). I hang out with the granola crowd because I used to be low meat flexatarian, though I did spend a couple of years as a vegetarian and tried really hard to be a vegan.

Anyway, many of my vegetarian friends look very gray and wrinkled on their faces now. Many are chubby around the waist, skinny fat. A few are very thin but constantly worry about their daily caloric intake and do chronic cardio.

I’m rather muscular next to them, not necessarily great esthetically speaking, for a middle aged woman. I would personally prefer the thin waif ish body but, on the other hand, i feel great and have no wrinkles on my face.

4. I have noticed that for people in the same demographic group (income/education/politics) when they are younger it is hard to tell, but by the time they are in their forties and fifties, the vegetarians look much older.

Specifically, they looked dried out..much more wrinkley and no longer luscious. I see a lot in my town which contains mostly liberal vegetarian MA or PhD runners and cyclists who care deeply about what they eat and have their entire adult lives.

5. Glycation and photodamage are two of the main causes of skin aging. Cakes, muffins, and drinks, organic or not, are just asking for glycation. A steak a day for 5 years is also asking for trouble, due to protein and calorie overload. (Unless it’s a really small steak…) We should probably distinguish between vegetarians and junkfoodaterians.

If you’re eating a crappy diet that happens to be devoid of meat, you aren’t going to be very healthy.

It’s possible to have a pretty healthy vegetarian diet, but a paleo diet that’s high in vegetables is probably better for most people.

Typical vegetarian diets are glycation-heavy, though with sufficient effort this could probably be kept in check.

Besides, Calorie-Restriction diet might be the best way to stay young-looking, although being too thin makes you look older.

They way I see it, give your body what it needs to function at it’s best, no more, no less.

I don’t think anyone can make a good argument that eating a little meat and dairy(the right meat and dairy of course) weekly is going to have any noticeable impact on the way someone ages visibly or biologically.

This article on fredericpatenaude.com explains that one of the most damaging things you can do to your body and skin is to eat a 100% raw food diet!

Going back and forth

Like Matt, I think that one of the most damaging things you can do to your body is to eat a 100% raw food diet, with periods of binging on heavy raw food recipes or cooked foods.

On 100% raw diets, especially the kinds that are a little too pure, the body becomes extremely sensitive and loses its ability to digest more complex foods. Going back and forth between two extremes will take a toll on your body.

Instead, if you find that you can’t do 100% raw without eventually breaking the streak with a large cooked meal that makes you sick, try to settle for an 80% or even 60 or 70% raw diet. That way, your body will get used to the foods you are eating and your overall nutrition will be more balanced.

Extended water fasting

I once fasted 23 days on water. It was a great experience, but it took a toll on my body. It was very depleting and took me many months to recover. I do think, however, that the main problems was that I fasted when I was already a very skinny raw foodist.

Fasting makes more sense when you have a specific health goal in mind, and some extra weight to release. No one should fast unsupervised (I attended a fasting retreat), but nonetheless, I don’t think I would fast that long again.

This article on bestanti-aging.com explains why Pork meat is bad for you and your skin. Here is the gist:-

1) A pig doesn’t have any sweat glands. Sweat glands are a tool the body uses to be rid of toxins. This leaves more toxins in the pig’s body.

2) A pig digests, whatever it eats (everything it can find by the way), very quick. Scientists have founded out that for this reason many of these toxins remain in their system to be stored in their fatty tissues.

3) Pigs carry a variety of parasites in their bodies. Some of these parasites are difficult to kill even when cooking.

4) Pigs are primary carriers of many viruses, like the Hepatitis E virus (HEV), Nipah virus, the Menangle virus and many more.

Eating anything with so many toxins in it will have a negative reflection on your skin. It’s that simple!

Interestingly, the Bible, old testament (Leviticus 11) forbids Christians to eat pork.

These articles on mercola.com and hollywoodhomestead.com emphasize upon the role of collagen in keeping your skin young, and how one incredible superfood the “bone broth” can be immensely useful in this. Here is the gist:-

• Collagen is the most abundant of your body’s proteins, found in your connective tissues, muscles, bones, tendons, blood vessels and digestive system, and it comprises 70 percent of your skin’s protein
• By your mid-20s, the collagen in your body starts to diminish, and by the time you reach your 80s, you have around four times less collagen, which explains sagging skin and wrinkles
• Environmental factors like pollution and lifestyle factors such as poor nutrition can diminish collagen production, more quickly reducing your skin’s elasticity and aging your bones and joints
• Bone broth is considered a bona fide superfood, as collagen leaches out of the bones as it cooks down, bringing healing benefits, soothing achy bones and muscles, fighting infection and inflammation and improving your skin

Another way besides drinking bone broth to remediate low collagen and improve your skin and joint health is taking bovine collagen.

One of the problems with getting enough collagen through your diet is accessing the part of the bone where collagen is most available.

Bovine collagen is a naturally occurring protein found in the cartilage, bones and hides of cows, and is similar to what’s in your own body. It also provides what is known as types I and III collagen, the key components in your skin, nails, hair, tendons, ligaments, muscles and bones, as well as your teeth, gums, eyes and blood vessels.

Bovine collagen provides glycine, an immunonutrient amino acid necessary for building DNA and RNA strands, and one of the three amino acids that form creatine, which promotes the growth of healthy muscles and helps produce energy during workouts, as well as proline, another amino acid crucial for your body’s own collagen production.

Where Can We Find Collagen in Nature?

You guessed it! In the skin, bones and joints of (preferably pasture raised) animals!

My all-time favorite source of collagen is bone broth. When you cook down bones, it breaks down the collagen in bones so it becomes more easily digestible (source). This form of cooked collagen is better known to us as gelatin.

Once you’ve cooked down bones to make your gelatin-rich bone broth. You are left with a nutrient-rich liquid. It is easy to make your own bone broth.

Drink enough bone broth and you will supply your body with much-needed collagen so you can prevent wrinkles and signs of aging.

This article on Skinagain.com explain that it’s estimated that as many as 9% of people have a B12 deficiency and as many as 40% have low enough levels to benefit from increasing their B12 intake.

You are especially at risk if you eat a vegetarian or vegan diet. When you look at people who are over the age of 65, the estimate jumps to a whopping 20%. Unfortunately, having a B12 deficiency can lead to some serious skin issues, including:

1. Dark spots
Most people don’t know it, but hyperpigmentation — more commonly referred to as “age spots” or “liver spots” — is actually a symptom of a B12 deficiency!

2. Eczema
It’s impossible to look and feel your best if your skin is covered with the redness, rashes, inflammation, and blisters that eczema can cause. Luckily, several studies have shown that B12 – when applied to the skin mixed with avocado oil — can offer significant relief to people who suffer from eczema. That’s because B12 can help prevent skin cells from releasing too many cytokines — or, the type of proteins that create inflammation.

3. Dull and dry skin
Dry, dull skin is a common symptom of having a B12 deficiency. If you’re looking for an all-natural way to make your skin look more vibrant, try taking a daily B12 supplement.

These articles on BBCgoodfood and Annmariegianni.com explain how sugar ages you faster and what is glycation(the process by which it causes skin aging)?

In general, high-meat eaters and SAD eaters get lumped together. Many of the plant eating populations who get written up frequently (ie. kitivans and obkinawans) tend to eat whole-food, VEGETABLE (not grain) based diets.

Populations with high meat consumption who are typically written up are “western” countries with diets high in refined grains, sugar, seed oils and other additives.

Does sugar age you?

Yes, it is ageing. It reacts with protein, creating advanced glycation end-products (AGEs).

These substances cause skin to be wrinkled and cell structures to harden. If you think of the way arteries harden to cause coronary heart disease, a similar process takes place in the cells of the skin.

Are some sugars worse for you than others?

When sugar is contained naturally within food, such as in fruit, you’re also usually taking in a lot of fibre, which slows the digestion of the sugar and causes less of an impact on blood sugar. Refined sugars are where the problems are.

The more AGEs we have in our bodies, the more we age.

Here are ten tips to help you keep your skin looking smooth and glowing even as you get older.

• Control blood sugar levels:
• Cut back on sugary items:
• Choose low-glycemic foods: Choose foods on the lower end—they take more time to break down, helping to stabilize blood sugar levels and keep you satisfied. Look for nuts and seeds; lean meats; eggs; tofu; most vegetables; healthy grains like barley, quinoa and rolled oats; yogurt; and low-glycemic fruits like berries, plums, peaches and cantaloupe. For more low-glycemic foods, see this handy chart.
• Watch the barbeque:
• Protect your skin: UV exposure increases the formation of AGEs.
• Maintain a healthy weight: Research has found that excessive weight or waist size can increase the formation of AGEs.
• Lift a few weights: Muscles consume glucose, so the more muscle you have, the more glucose your body will take up. As we age, we naturally lose muscle.
• Watch the alcohol intake: Researchers have found that alcohol enhances glycation stress.
• Boost your antioxidant intake: All fruits and veggies, as well as things like dark chocolate and tea, have powerful antioxidants that help protect cells from glycation.
• Consider a vitamin B supplement: Studies have found that vitamins B1 and B6 help inhibit the formation of AGEs. Another promising compound that protects against AGE formation is carnosine.

This article on jinjeetalifero.com explains the truth behind an unfair age comparison photo below has been making the rounds on Facebook….trying to show the difference between a 51-year old vegetarian woman vs. a 51-year old omnivorous woman. In truth, Gillian (Left) is not a vegetarian but a pescatarian, which means that she does eat fish but not other meats. She is also a year older than Nigella (Right).

Although Nigella certainly has good bone structure and is a beautiful woman, she here also has the added benefit of…

1. good lighting
2. professional makeup
3. coiffured hair
4. striking a pose vs. being freeze-framed while talking
5. plastic surgery
6. botox injections to fill out the wrinkles in her forehead and around the eyes

Nigella is very open about her plastic surgery and regular injections of botox to make her face appear more plump and youthful.

Further, it is not hard to freeze a frame of video footage of anyone while they are talking and get their absolute worst angles, especially in bad lighting.

Here’s another picture of the same two women I’ve put side-by-side which completely reverses the advantage…

What these pictures show is that if you are biased you can always find evidence to support whatever view you wish to promote, and also that anyone can take a bad photo.

In a random selection of 100 herbivorous 51-year old women and 100 omnivorous 51-year old women it would be interesting to see an actual fair and unbiased comparison. I believe you would find it to be fairly equal, because so many factors other than diet play in to our appearance, including everything from exercise and sexual activity, to how our emotional health is faring to genetics to how we’ve been taking care of ourselves in the past few hours, days, or years.