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Why do vegans often look younger?


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#1 InquilineKea

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Posted 20 July 2011 - 10:55 PM


Is it due to their vegan diet, or due to selection bias? (namely, that vegans are more likely to take REALLY good care of their bodies anyways)?

I know of the study that showed that health food shoppers lived equally longer regardless of whether they were vegetarian or not.

#2 TheFountain

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Posted 21 July 2011 - 02:03 AM

Is it due to their vegan diet, or due to selection bias? (namely, that vegans are more likely to take REALLY good care of their bodies anyways)?

I know of the study that showed that health food shoppers lived equally longer regardless of whether they were vegetarian or not.


Define health food. That could be anything, according to this study you mention. It could mean shredded wheat, pop tarts and jelly.

But to answer the main question, I can only speculate. It could be lack of growth related processes resultant of a low growth diet (We know of studies that point out that vegan diets lowered insulin growth factor in subjects). It could be that some nutrient, when missing from a diet, has a paradoxical effect of slowing certain aging processes down, or preventing protein break down (I know a lot of vegan diets are moderate in protein). Also, I think a lot of vegans inadvertently do mild CR, which may also help.

Edited by TheFountain, 21 July 2011 - 02:08 AM.


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#3 niner

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Posted 21 July 2011 - 02:56 AM

Some possibilities: They actually are younger. Vegans tend to skew young, in my experience. Or maybe they dress and act younger, so they appear younger. Vegans tend toward the counter-cultural side. A vegan could have a good diet or a really crappy diet. It's harder for a vegan to have a healthy diet than for an omnivore, but it's not impossible. A vegan might be less likely to be fat, though that isn't guaranteed. Actually, being thin might make you look older than having some weight on your bones. Anyway, I'm not even convinced of the premise. If you got a random sample of vegans with well-matched omnivore controls, are you sure the vegans would even look younger? I'm not.
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#4 TheFountain

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Posted 21 July 2011 - 03:14 AM

^^^^ One of our members, paul, is around 42 I think. He's been vegan for the last 15 years of his life. He looks pretty young for his age and has posted numerous pictures to prove it. I haven't seen one picture of a paleo dieter or omnivore dieter of the same age (on these forums) who has posted a picture and received the same response. I know that paleo dieters tend to point to people like mark sisson when looking at healthy models of paleo aging, but his face looks exactly like that of a normal person his age, despite how healthy his body looks. I think being of lower body weight only makes someone look older if they went from a higher BMI to a lower BMI at an older age. Say late 30s/early 40s? Other than that, I think if there is a consistency with BMI through most of ones adult life, and the diet for most of that time tends to be healthy, lower weight can definitely be to ones advantage for both health reasons and appearance.

#5 TheFountain

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Posted 21 July 2011 - 03:20 AM

This is kind of a strange thought, but I wonder if thinking young has any physiological connection with appearance. I notice a lot of aging rock stars tend to look younger than other guys their ages. At least till they reach ripe old age. And of course with some exceptions, like iggy pop for example. Maybe there is some psycho-somatic connection here?

#6 JLL

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Posted 21 July 2011 - 10:36 AM

The vegans I know look *older* than those on a normal diet (I don't know many paleo dieters here in Finland), but then, they're eating a shitty vegan diet (high-PUFA, lots of wheat, etc).
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#7 Forever21

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Posted 21 July 2011 - 03:12 PM

Is it due to their vegan diet, or due to selection bias? (namely, that vegans are more likely to take REALLY good care of their bodies anyways)?

I know of the study that showed that health food shoppers lived equally longer regardless of whether they were vegetarian or not.




low protein

and / or just not eating that much (CR-ish)

and / or on plant-based diet

and / or eating low met protein (legumes, less grains/nuts)

one of vegan i know is like this. she's already 26 but still has a body of a 16 years old. she survives on kale, potatoes & soups.

#8 TheFountain

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Posted 21 July 2011 - 03:33 PM

^^^ I don't think looking like a teenager is very desirable. In the past year I just got out of that phase of looking like a teenager to looking like someone in his early 20s.

I think the desirable age to look is somewhere between 22-25 because it seems to be the time when the body is both fully grown and capable of developing to its fullest potential, both in terms of performance and physique.

So if one were biologically 24 for the rest of their lives, that would be a desirable achievement. If one were biologically 16 for the rest of their lives, that would not be.
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#9 Forever21

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Posted 22 July 2011 - 03:30 PM

In addition to low protein because of no meat/dairy, also low ages maybe? low igf-1?

#10 Brafarality

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Posted 23 July 2011 - 04:53 AM

^^^^ One of our members, paul, is around 42 I think. He's been vegan for the last 15 years of his life. He looks pretty young for his age and has posted numerous pictures to prove it. I haven't seen one picture of a paleo dieter or omnivore dieter of the same age (on these forums) who has posted a picture and received the same response. I know that paleo dieters tend to point to people like mark sisson when looking at healthy models of paleo aging, but his face looks exactly like that of a normal person his age, despite how healthy his body looks. I think being of lower body weight only makes someone look older if they went from a higher BMI to a lower BMI at an older age. Say late 30s/early 40s? Other than that, I think if there is a consistency with BMI through most of ones adult life, and the diet for most of that time tends to be healthy, lower weight can definitely be to ones advantage for both health reasons and appearance.

Ooh. No. Stop it. No. I dont deserve it. No. Please. I definitely qualify as skinny-fat, though I am not sure I even qualify as 'skinny' at this point, being around 5' 10" and 150 lbs. So, I do think that overly lean physique accelerates the appearance of aging, and once the changes take root, they may be irreversible, like the very make up of the underlying cutaneous layers, muscles and lipids revamp themselves in response to ultra leanness. Maybe something like that. But, maybe if a person who is ultra lean for over a decade slowly introduces healthy fat into his diet, he may again rewire. Not sure.
Stuck in traffic at 11pm at night coming home from a night out? Not so good.
Cruisin down the highway with nothin but sky? Brafarality.

Edited by Brafarality, 23 July 2011 - 04:56 AM.


#11 niner

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Posted 23 July 2011 - 07:37 PM

^^^^ One of our members, paul, is around 42 I think. He's been vegan for the last 15 years of his life. He looks pretty young for his age and has posted numerous pictures to prove it. I haven't seen one picture of a paleo dieter or omnivore dieter of the same age (on these forums) who has posted a picture and received the same response. I know that paleo dieters tend to point to people like mark sisson when looking at healthy models of paleo aging, but his face looks exactly like that of a normal person his age, despite how healthy his body looks. I think being of lower body weight only makes someone look older if they went from a higher BMI to a lower BMI at an older age. Say late 30s/early 40s? Other than that, I think if there is a consistency with BMI through most of ones adult life, and the diet for most of that time tends to be healthy, lower weight can definitely be to ones advantage for both health reasons and appearance.

Paul's a heliophobe, IIRC. Mark Sisson, on the other hand, is an outdoorsy kind of guy. I think you're just looking at photodamage.

#12 Forever21

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Posted 24 July 2011 - 03:44 PM

How to look old for your age as a Vegan?

1. Eat lots of grains
2. Smoke
3. Bake in the sun
4. Load up on protein (soy, shakes, nuts)
5. Eat faux-meats (Soy-based turkey, chicken, meat cutlets)


Its not so much about "Vegan" it seems. Its more like what a person does (sun avoidance, eat less, monthly plants, don't smoke) regardless of Vegan or not.

#13 TheFountain

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Posted 24 July 2011 - 07:39 PM

How to look old for your age as a Vegan?

1. Eat lots of grains
2. Smoke
3. Bake in the sun
4. Load up on protein (soy, shakes, nuts)
5. Eat faux-meats (Soy-based turkey, chicken, meat cutlets)


Its not so much about "Vegan" it seems. Its more like what a person does (sun avoidance, eat less, monthly plants, don't smoke) regardless of Vegan or not.


jared leto loads up on grains and soy products. But he doesn't smoke. I agree with the smoking part, but the rest is speculation.

#14 TheFountain

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Posted 24 July 2011 - 07:53 PM

^^^^ One of our members, paul, is around 42 I think. He's been vegan for the last 15 years of his life. He looks pretty young for his age and has posted numerous pictures to prove it. I haven't seen one picture of a paleo dieter or omnivore dieter of the same age (on these forums) who has posted a picture and received the same response. I know that paleo dieters tend to point to people like mark sisson when looking at healthy models of paleo aging, but his face looks exactly like that of a normal person his age, despite how healthy his body looks. I think being of lower body weight only makes someone look older if they went from a higher BMI to a lower BMI at an older age. Say late 30s/early 40s? Other than that, I think if there is a consistency with BMI through most of ones adult life, and the diet for most of that time tends to be healthy, lower weight can definitely be to ones advantage for both health reasons and appearance.

Paul's a heliophobe, IIRC. Mark Sisson, on the other hand, is an outdoorsy kind of guy. I think you're just looking at photodamage.



There's not any proof of that really. Look at mario lopez. He looks like he bathes in the sun quite a bit. Or at least makes no special effort to avoid it, but looks young for his age (don't know anything about his diet). Johnny depp makes no special effort to avoid the sun. He's almost 50. David duchovny is another. Was a vegan for most of his adult life (till recently I believe). Looks great for almost 51, looks younger than george clooney, who is actually younger than david.

#15 niner

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Posted 24 July 2011 - 07:59 PM

1. Eat lots of grains
2. Smoke
3. Bake in the sun
4. Load up on protein (soy, shakes, nuts)
5. Eat faux-meats (Soy-based turkey, chicken, meat cutlets)

jared leto loads up on grains and soy products. But he doesn't smoke. I agree with the smoking part, but the rest is speculation.

If the grains are refined, they might induce blood sugar spikes, which are certainly a way to look older. No speculation there. Likewise, UV exposure is the number one cause of aged skin. Only 4 & 5 are speculation.

#16 niner

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Posted 24 July 2011 - 08:06 PM

Paul's a heliophobe, IIRC. Mark Sisson, on the other hand, is an outdoorsy kind of guy. I think you're just looking at photodamage.

There's not any proof of that really. Look at mario lopez. He looks like he bathes in the sun quite a bit. Or at least makes no special effort to avoid it, but looks young for his age (don't know anything about his diet). Johnny depp makes no special effort to avoid the sun. He's almost 50. David duchovny is another. Was a vegan for most of his adult life (till recently I believe). Looks great for almost 51, looks younger than george clooney, who is actually younger than david.

Proof of what? Is there 'proof' of any of this tripe? Most celebrities have had a lot of work done, and might be wearing makeup in pictures; we don't know. Duchovny, like Leto, is a bit of a glandular freak so they are probably bad examples. Don't know about Lopez but most people named Lopez are dark complected, so they have built-in sun protection. Gosh, I guess I need a subscription to People Magazine.

#17 TheFountain

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Posted 24 July 2011 - 09:02 PM

Paul's a heliophobe, IIRC. Mark Sisson, on the other hand, is an outdoorsy kind of guy. I think you're just looking at photodamage.

There's not any proof of that really. Look at mario lopez. He looks like he bathes in the sun quite a bit. Or at least makes no special effort to avoid it, but looks young for his age (don't know anything about his diet). Johnny depp makes no special effort to avoid the sun. He's almost 50. David duchovny is another. Was a vegan for most of his adult life (till recently I believe). Looks great for almost 51, looks younger than george clooney, who is actually younger than david.

Proof of what? Is there 'proof' of any of this tripe? Most celebrities have had a lot of work done, and might be wearing makeup in pictures; we don't know. Duchovny, like Leto, is a bit of a glandular freak so they are probably bad examples. Don't know about Lopez but most people named Lopez are dark complected, so they have built-in sun protection. Gosh, I guess I need a subscription to People Magazine.


Most of this tripe? such as assuming they are glandular freaks? But just out of curiosity, care to explain that statement?

#18 rwac

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Posted 24 July 2011 - 09:20 PM

How to look old for your age as a Vegan?

1. Eat lots of grains
2. Smoke
3. Bake in the sun
4. Load up on protein (soy, shakes, nuts)
5. Eat faux-meats (Soy-based turkey, chicken, meat cutlets).


Let me add
6. Eat lots of PUFAs

#19 sthira

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Posted 24 July 2011 - 10:18 PM

I like these discussions but really don't know what to do with them. We seem to all of us be in this waiting stage for something new which will make us look 24 again and stay that way. Where is all this promised Forever Young wonder technology, anyway?

Some vegans do look younger, some don't. Some vegans are younger, some aren't. Some vegans actually practice the discipline, others pose. Who's to know who's who, and when, and how long? I guess I always seem to fall back on the truism that food is not magic. I'm a dedicated, longterm vegan, and I hope it's the finest way to keep me healthy into old age, but no one knows if this is true or not.

Is anyone impatient? I am still awaiting my jetpack so I can fly around in the sky ala the Jetsons, and it still ain't here. Diet, pills, science - when do we get to know what will keep us younger for longer?

#20 niner

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Posted 25 July 2011 - 02:22 AM

Where is all this promised Forever Young wonder technology, anyway?

Dunno. Did someone promise this? I must have missed it. There are some things we can do today that help. There's always good old plastic surgery. I imagine there will be great stuff to come, though I'm not sure anyone has promised it with a delivery date.

#21 niner

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Posted 25 July 2011 - 02:33 AM

Most of this tripe? such as assuming they are glandular freaks? But just out of curiosity, care to explain that statement?

This obsession of yours with pretty boys doesn't seem to further the goals of longevity or health. We all want to look good, but it's just impossible to tell what works and what doesn't when we're flipping through the pages of fan magazines. We don't know what diet, drug, supplement, and surgery history this handful of people really had, and even if we did, there are too few of them, and the sample is too biased to make any conclusions. Leto has some sort of developmental disorder, doesn't he? And Duchovny is extremely short, so he's had a lower dose of various growth factors.
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#22 Forever21

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Posted 25 July 2011 - 03:35 AM

How to look old for your age as a Vegan?

1. Eat lots of grains
2. Smoke
3. Bake in the sun
4. Load up on protein (soy, shakes, nuts)
5. Eat faux-meats (Soy-based turkey, chicken, meat cutlets).


Let me add
6. Eat lots of PUFAs


1. Eat lots of grains
2. Smoke
3. Bake in the sun
4. Load up on protein (soy, shakes, nuts)
5. Eat faux-meats (Soy-based turkey, chicken, meat cutlets).
6. Eat lots of PUFAs
7. Eat LOTS of FOOD. (ages)
8. Stress too much.
9. Eat lots of sugar / baked goods.

#23 TheFountain

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Posted 25 July 2011 - 07:56 AM

Most of this tripe? such as assuming they are glandular freaks? But just out of curiosity, care to explain that statement?

This obsession of yours with pretty boys doesn't seem to further the goals of longevity or health. We all want to look good, but it's just impossible to tell what works and what doesn't when we're flipping through the pages of fan magazines. We don't know what diet, drug, supplement, and surgery history this handful of people really had, and even if we did, there are too few of them, and the sample is too biased to make any conclusions. Leto has some sort of developmental disorder, doesn't he? And Duchovny is extremely short, so he's had a lower dose of various growth factors.


You must have jared leto confused with andy milonakis, who has a growth hormone disorder. David Duchovny is 6 feet tall. Not exactly short.

#24 TheFountain

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Posted 25 July 2011 - 08:00 AM

How to look old for your age as a Vegan?

1. Eat lots of grains
2. Smoke
3. Bake in the sun
4. Load up on protein (soy, shakes, nuts)
5. Eat faux-meats (Soy-based turkey, chicken, meat cutlets).


Let me add
6. Eat lots of PUFAs


1. Eat lots of grains
2. Smoke
3. Bake in the sun
4. Load up on protein (soy, shakes, nuts)
5. Eat faux-meats (Soy-based turkey, chicken, meat cutlets).
6. Eat lots of PUFAs
7. Eat LOTS of FOOD. (ages)
8. Stress too much.
9. Eat lots of sugar / baked goods.



Lots of grains? don't you mean lots of processed, white foods? Grains themselves are not going to do anything if they are unprocessed, except maybe upset your stomach from too much fiber. I can make an exception with white rice, possibly. Too much of that can definitely put your blood glucose in the very high range. But I see no problem with oatmeal, granola or other grains that produce a lower rise in blood sugar, as long as they're not providing 80+% of your calories. Look again at my thread on the effects of high fat and low carb diets to see that none of this BS is written in stone. Experimental design is what we're faced with.

Edited by TheFountain, 25 July 2011 - 08:03 AM.

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#25 Forever21

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Posted 25 July 2011 - 04:29 PM

Lots of grains? don't you mean lots of processed, white foods?

No. I mean grains, all of them.


Grains themselves are not going to do anything

Apparently, they do.

http://www.methusela...read.php?p=4676





.

Edited by Forever21, 25 July 2011 - 04:32 PM.


#26 Forever21

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Posted 25 July 2011 - 06:45 PM

moar



http://www.longecity...hionine-intake/

http://www.longecity...ne-restriction/

http://www.longecity...page__p__373140

http://www.longecity...539#entry428539


#27 Brafarality

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Posted 26 July 2011 - 04:17 AM

How to look old for your age as a Vegan?

1. Eat lots of grains
2. Smoke
3. Bake in the sun
4. Load up on protein (soy, shakes, nuts)
5. Eat faux-meats (Soy-based turkey, chicken, meat cutlets).


Let me add
6. Eat lots of PUFAs


1. Eat lots of grains
2. Smoke
3. Bake in the sun
4. Load up on protein (soy, shakes, nuts)
5. Eat faux-meats (Soy-based turkey, chicken, meat cutlets).
6. Eat lots of PUFAs
7. Eat LOTS of FOOD. (ages)
8. Stress too much.
9. Eat lots of sugar / baked goods.



Lots of grains? don't you mean lots of processed, white foods? Grains themselves are not going to do anything if they are unprocessed, except maybe upset your stomach from too much fiber. I can make an exception with white rice, possibly. Too much of that can definitely put your blood glucose in the very high range. But I see no problem with oatmeal, granola or other grains that produce a lower rise in blood sugar, as long as they're not providing 80+% of your calories. Look again at my thread on the effects of high fat and low carb diets to see that none of this BS is written in stone. Experimental design is what we're faced with.

Agree with all of this. Whole grains are excellent for health and appearance. The anti-grain anti-carb movement is almost, but not quite, as disturbing as the anti-fat movement. Even within the inner circles of the ultra health conscious, there are all sorts of trends and subtrends: The anti-protein subtrend is all over vegan circles and I sort of agree with it, but it goes too far: Balance carbs, protein and fat, with an emphasis on extra fat, I think. Given a choice to have too much of one of the three and Id choose too much fat. Peace.
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#28 TheFountain

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Posted 26 July 2011 - 08:29 AM

Lots of grains? don't you mean lots of processed, white foods?

No. I mean grains, all of them.


Grains themselves are not going to do anything

Apparently, they do.

http://www.methusela...read.php?p=4676





.



If methionine is a concern, stay the hell away from meat. That's for dayum sure.

#29 Forever21

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Posted 26 July 2011 - 10:58 AM

Lots of grains? don't you mean lots of processed, white foods?

No. I mean grains, all of them.


Grains themselves are not going to do anything

Apparently, they do.

http://www.methusela...read.php?p=4676





.



If methionine is a concern, stay the hell away from meat. That's for dayum sure.





Yes, that's why we're in the topic of Vegan. Grains are just meats pretending to be veggies.


#30 Luminosity

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Posted 28 July 2011 - 05:28 AM

I like Brafarality's Avatar.

David Duchovny's a sex addict so maybe that keeps him looking young. We need to consider all the factors.

I forget who didn't like pretty boys but I like pretty boys and gossip magazines. And I eat red meat too.

We don't have paleolithic people where I live but we do have a higher percentage of vegans and vegetarians. These are often baby boomers, so they've been at it a while. Vegans who are over say, thirty five that I know are not particularly young looking when you compare them to other health conscious people. I've seen vegans who look healthy but I've also seen vegans of all ages who needed some color and verve.

When I shop at Whole Foods I can't help but thinking that the over forty people shopping there look like they are made of rayon. They are listless. That might have something to do with city living and the cost of living here. At the other large health food store here when you sit at the tables outside and watch people coming and going it looks like a portable insane asylum. There are a lot of weird people. When I shopped there thirty years ago, people where more vibrant and attractive. I think in this instance it has to do with, again, noise, crowding, high rents, low salaries and stuff wearing people down and people with more going for them fleeing to more habitable areas. That makes me think that environmental and financial factors have as much to do with aging well as what you eat.




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