Do Vegetarians Live Longer
July 12th 2008
No, vegetarians do not live longer than most other
folks.
However, they are more youthful in the earlier parts
of their lives, then lose this advantage later on,
eventually living about as long as everyone else.
Seventh Day Adventist women and men live 7.28 and 4.42
years longer on average, respectively, than average
Americans.
Adventists eat little or no meat, but their longevity
advantage apparently exists because they shun alcohol
and tobacco as well, following a decidedly abstemious, vegetarian diet.
Vegetarians should consider supplementing with 500 to
1,000 mg daily of carnosine and 1,000 to 2,000 mcg of
Vitamin B-12.
Carnosine is a fairly new dietary supplement. Our
bodies make very good use of it. It is found mainly in
meat, poultry and fish–and that’s why vegetarians
can benefit from supplementing with carnosine.
Carnosine is an anti-oxidant, concentrated in the brain,
lens of the eye, and muscle tissue. It helps to prevent glycation and carbonylation.
Glycation is similar to the carmelizing of sugar.
Glucose bonds with protein and DNA molecules. One
example of glycation is cataract formation.
Glucose becomes glycated, hardening the eye’s lens
and trashing one’s vision, requiring surgical lens
replacement by implanting.
This is another reason to radically reduce or eliminate
consumption of simple sugars. Xylitol and stevia are
healthy sugar substitutes.
I advise against white sugar, aspartame sweeters, such
as NutraSweet and Equal, and sucralose products like
Splenda.
Asparatame has a long list of health problems, and
sucralose is created by forcing chlorine molecules to
bond with sugar, creating chlorocarbons.
Carbonylation of protein is reduced by carnosine.
Carbonylation is the cross linking of proteins with
DNA molecules and phosphlipids, something you want
to avoid to the extent possible.
Glycation and carbonylation contribute to many of
the pathologies of aging. Try to defer aging by
avoiding these things.
There is some preliminary evidence that carnosine
can extend the Hayflick Limit. That’s how many
times cells can divide.
On average, a cell’s lifetime limit is about 50
divisions, but at least one study suggests that
carnosine can increase this from 50 to 60.
Carnosine, a chelating agent, is able to remove
toxic minerals, and it is non-toxic. It displays
no known side effects or contraindications–not
surprisingly, since nature included it in fish,
poultry and meats.
Living in the United States is NOT a helpful factor
in living a long life. Yes, countries plagued by
widespread AIDS have much shorter lifespans than
the United States.
But the U.S. Census Bureau’s International Database
shows that, as of 2002, Americans had an average
lifespan of 77.1, ranking us only 42th internationally,
even though we spend more than other countires trying
to regain or sustain our health.
We spend more on “health care” than any other nation?
A poor rate of return, I’d say, wouldn’t you?
The lifespan leaders, with lifespans over 80, are
Andorra, Singapore, Japan and San Marino. I believe
that these places have healthier diets with little or
no sugary foods and less chemicalized foods.
The Bible is clear that we have a maximum possible
lifespan of 120. Let’s not check out early at 77.1 or
even in the 80’s. Live long and live well.
When you have your 100th birthday party, please invite me.
Teach me how you lived 100 years. At age 64, I’d like to
know.
John J. Alquist owns and operates Alquist Enterprises, along with his wife, Shirley. One of our AE’s business units is Alquist Wellness Consulting. John has much knowledge about alternative medicine, wellness, exercise. He provides telephone wellness consulting.
Visit him online at http://www.tell-it-well.com or email him at john@tell-it-well.com
Tags: cataracts, glycation, lifespan, nutra sweet, seventh day adventists, splenda, vegetarians