Meat eaters' edge in reaching 100 shows up only against underweight vegetarians in a Chinese survey
A Chinese survey of more than 5,000 people aged 80 and over found female meat eaters likelier than female vegetarians to reach 100. The gap appeared only against underweight vegetarians and was absent in men, so it does not show that meat extends life.
The Scientist · Science desk
Per the study authors, daily meat was associated with a 44 percent higher likelihood of reaching 100 than a vegetarian diet in the underweight group, not in normal or overweight groups. The survey covered more than 5,000 people aged 80 and over; the study compared 1,459 centenarians.
| Figure | Value | Note | Claim |
|---|---|---|---|
| Likelihood of 100, daily meat vs vegetarian, underweight | 44% higher | Did not present in normal/overweight | 4 |
| Surveyed, aged 80 and over | 5,000 people, over | 1 | |
| Centenarians compared | 1,459 people | 6 |
What happened
- The data come from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey, analysed by researchers at Fudan University, the Chinese CDC and Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
- The team compared 1,459 centenarians with 3,744 non-centenarians in their 80s and 90s.
- Vegetarians who also ate fish, dairy or eggs had a similar chance of reaching 100 as meat eaters.
- Body mass index partly explained the link between vegetarianism and shorter life expectancy.
Why it matters
- constraint Advice to older vegetarians cannot rest on this survey, because one late-life diet record leaves open whether weight and health shaped the diet or the reverse.
- decision Researchers studying diet in the very old have a reason to stratify by body weight before reading a diet label, and the authors themselves flag BMI for further work.
- contradiction ScienceAlert says the result fits research on eating protein to protect muscle, yet a 2026 University of Wisconsin-Madison review argued lower protein may support healthier aging, and the right amount for older adults remains debated.
The study authors conclude that "Daily consumption of meat was associated with a 44 percent higher likelihood of reaching 100 years old" compared with a vegetarian diet "in the underweight group, whereas this association did not present in the normal weight or overweight group" [4]. A 44 percent higher likelihood is a relative figure. The two comparison groups add up to 5,203 people [6][8], but ScienceAlert's account of the study does not give the baseline rates, the number of vegetarians or the number of women.
The design limits what can be inferred. The centenarian study can only reveal associations, so other factors may be affecting the results [10]. Diet is the weak point. The surveys assessed only what participants ate in their later years and did not account for how eating habits might change over time [11]. What people eat at that age may be influenced by how easy the food is to chew [11].
The BMI finding is the part we would follow up. Because underweight is more common among older people, the authors say BMI's part in longevity is "worth exploring" [12]. The thing this doesn't tell you is whether the underweight vegetarians were underweight because of what they ate or because of something that also shortens life. In our view, a diet recorded only late in life can reflect a person's health as much as it shapes it.
ScienceAlert sets the result beside the obesity paradox, the term for how more body weight seems to go with better outcomes in older populations, the opposite of what is found in younger ones [13]. Much of the research on vegetarian diets has also looked at younger people [15]. A study of more than 65,000 people across age groups found vegetarians may face a higher risk of fractures, possibly because of lower calcium and protein intake [16].
What to watch
- A follow-up that records diet repeatedly over the later decades, so changes in eating can be separated from the diet label at age 80.
- An analysis that checks whether the underweight vegetarians were already frail or ill before they were classed as vegetarian.
- Published baseline rates and group counts by sex and weight, which would turn the 44 percent relative figure into an absolute difference.
Clarity's read
What the record supports and how the coverage leans. The claims behind it follow.
Reality
- Evidence50
- Adoption
- Insufficient
- Hype gap+20
- Incentives
- Insufficient
- Confidence45
Claim ledger
Ranked by verification strength, evidence, and original report placement.
- [1]
Among more than 5,000 people aged 80 and over in China, researchers found that female meat eaters were more likely to reach age 100 than female vegetarians.
- [2]
There was no significant association between longevity and vegetarianism among males when the data were analysed by sex.
- [3]
Only vegetarian participants deemed underweight were less likely to live to 100 than meat eaters.
- [4]
The study authors conclude that "Daily consumption of meat was associated with a 44 percent higher likelihood of reaching 100 years old" compared with a vegetarian diet "in the underweight group, whereas this association did not present in the normal weight or overweight group".
- [5]
Vegetarians who ate fish, dairy, or eggs had a similar chance of reaching 100 as meat eaters.
- [6]
The researchers compared the outcomes of 1,459 centenarians with those of 3,744 non-centenarians in their 80s and 90s.
- [7]
The data come from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS), analysed by researchers at Fudan University, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
- [8]
The two comparison groups total 5,203 people.
- [9]
Body mass index (BMI) partly explained the association between vegetarianism and shorter life expectancy.
- [10]
The centenarian study in China can only reveal associations, so other factors may be affecting the results.
- [11]
The study does not account for how eating habits might change over time; the surveys assessed only what participants ate in their later years, which may be influenced by how easy foods are to chew.
- [12]
Given that older populations are more likely to be underweight, the authors suggest the role of BMI in longevity is "worth exploring" further.
- [13]
The "obesity paradox" describes how more body weight seems to be associated with better health outcomes in older populations, the opposite of what is found in younger populations.
- [14]
ScienceAlert says the findings support recent research suggesting that protecting muscle mass by eating protein is vital to healthy aging.
- [15]
Many studies on vegetarianism focus on younger cohorts.
- [16]
One study of more than 65,000 people, young and old, found that those who eat a vegetarian diet may face a higher risk of fractures, possibly due to lower calcium and protein intake.
- [17]
A 2026 review from University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers argued that lower protein intake may support healthier aging in several organisms, possibly because high-protein diets can keep cells locked in a constant growth mode.
- [18]
Exactly how much protein older adults need remains a live debate.
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Sources
1 independent publisher whose own reporting we read for this story.
- sciencealert.comStudy Shows Meat Eaters Are More Likely to Survive to 100, But There's a Catch
1 article · October 14, 2026
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