Researcher Red Meat Responsible for Premature Organic Aging

Unhealthy eating makes us age faster and endangers our health
Can our diet change our biological age? Researchers found that eating red meat can lead to health problems and even adversely affect biological age. Red meat causes the phosphate level in our body to increase. As a result, our biological age seems to be increasing.

If you generally eat a lot of red meat, they probably increase their biological age through this consumption, the scientists report. Increased phosphate levels and the effects of unhealthy diets increase our biological age. The researchers from the University of Glasgow and the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm published the results of their study in the journal "Aging".

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An unhealthy and unbalanced diet affects the biological age
The consumption of red meat may be responsible for increasing the human phosphate level. Even a moderate increase in phosphates could cause our biological age to be negatively affected, the researchers say. The so-called chronological age is not affected.

Biological age is, so to speak, a value comparable to the odometer of a car. It shows us how many kilometers we actually already have on the "clock", explain the experts. The results of the new study suggested that biological aging and diet-related phosphate levels can be directly attributed to the frequency of red meat consumption. In addition, suboptimal consumption of fruits and vegetables also affects the biological clock, the researchers add.

Increased phosphate levels can cause chronic kidney disease
High levels of phosphate can lead to decreased kidney function and may even be the cause of mild to moderate chronic kidney disease, warn physicians. "Our observations showed that increased consumption of red meat, along with a poor diet without vegetables and fruits, has a deleterious effect on our body," explains Professor Paul Shiels of the University of Glasgow.

Particularly financially disadvantaged people who do not have much money for their diet are at risk. They often eat lots of red meat and very little fruit and vegetables, say the scientists. Increased phosphate levels are particularly common in males. Phosphate is found in many staple foods, including meat, fish, eggs, dairy and vegetables. High phosphate levels seem to lead to premature vascular aging and kidney disease, the researchers say.

Especially cheap red meat is usually of poor quality
Many people with elevated levels of phosphate have problems with their kidney function, which are usually signs of early onset kidney disease, warns Prof. Shiels. "The product quality of red meat also affects the diet of socially disadvantaged people. Usually cheap meat does not have really good quality ", explain the doctors. Further research is needed to better understand the effects of too high a phosphate level.

But eating red meat not only has negative effects. The consumption of red meat is a valuable source of iron, selenium, B vitamins and vitamin D. Thus, it also contains many substances that support our health, the scientists explain. (As)