Inna Kononenko, Ph.D., nutritionist and nutritionist, told how life expectancy depends on the food consumed, and who is aging faster, vegetarians or meat eaters.
According to her, the main indicators of the wear and tear of the body are the thickness of the vascular wall in the carotid artery – the thicker it is, the faster the aging process goes – and the work of mitochondria – the “energy stations” of cells, Channel Five reports on August 8.
“Vegetarians and vegans will have a lower (vessel) wall thickness than meat eaters. Due to the fact that they do not consume a large amount of cholesterol, ”said Kononenko.
However, the doctor indicated that if the meat-eater consumes a sufficient amount of vitamins B12, D3, K2, then the wall thickness will also not increase.
At the same time, mitochondria are less active in vegetarians, since meat is a source of l-carnitine, a substance necessary for the release of energy by cells.
“There is also an indicator that characterizes the synthesis of our protein. Unfortunately, with a vegetarian or vegan diet, not all amino acids can be obtained by a person, ”said the specialist.
Kononenko explained that the lack of even one amino acid causes serious damage to health, since each protein is broken down and absorbed only in the presence of a certain organic compound.
If it is absent, problems with the growth of hair, nails will soon begin, and vision will deteriorate.
The doctor noted that the consequences of a lack of protein are not always visible in vegetarians, but will manifest themselves with age.
“Therefore, meat eaters live longer than vegetarians. But on condition that they observe proper nutrition, ”she stated.
In July, nutritionist Elena Solomatina spoke about how poor nutrition can negatively affect brain activity and listed the foods that slow down brain activity the most in the heat.