People today live longer than ever before, and scientists predict that by 2050, nearly half a billion people could be over 80 years old. The rise in life expectancy is partly due to improvements in diet, but a new study conducted in China suggests that the answer to what to eat for longevity is not straightforward.
Researchers among more than 5,000 people aged over 80 found that women who eat meat were more likely to reach 100 than vegetarian women. When the data was analysed by sex, no significant association was observed between longevity and vegetarianism in men. Only those vegetarians whose body weight was below normal had a lower likelihood of reaching 100 compared to meat-eaters.
Daily meat consumption was associated with a 44 per cent higher likelihood of reaching 100 years of age compared to a vegetarian diet in the group of people with below-normal body weight, while this association was not observed in groups with normal or overweight body weight. Vegetarian women who consumed fish, dairy products, or eggs had the same chances of reaching 100 as women who eat meat.
The new data comes from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS). Researchers from Fudan University, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and Shanghai Jiao Tong University compared outcomes among 1,459 people aged over 100 with those of 3,744 people aged 80 to 99. The team found that body mass index (BMI) partially explains the association between vegetarianism and shorter lifespan, suggesting that the role of BMI in longevity should be further investigated. The term "obesity paradox" describes the phenomenon where higher body weight is associated with better health outcomes in older people.
It should be emphasised that this research conducted in China on people over 100 years old can only reveal associations. The study does not take into account changes in dietary habits over time, and surveys only assessed what participants ate in older age. The study was published in the journal The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
The context of previous findings is complex. In younger age groups, certain dietary patterns are associated with extended lifespan, particularly those based on whole plant-based foods and healthy fats. Vegetarian diets, plant-based diets, and diets with low meat intake are associated with a reduced risk of certain health problems, such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and obesity, while processed meat and red meat are often linked to poorer health and shorter lifespan.
On the other hand, one study conducted on more than 65,000 people, both younger and older, showed that people who eat vegetarianly may be at higher risk of fractures, likely due to lower intake of calcium and protein. In a review paper by researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2026, a contrasting view was presented, according to which lower protein intake may benefit healthier ageing in various organisms. According to some estimates, reaching 90 years of age can be explained by healthy habits, such as quality sleep, physical activity, or diet, in 70 per cent of cases.
