Poultry and fish meat protect the elderly from death due to disability. This has been shown by a published study. Journal of nutrition, health and aging (JNHA).
Senile frailty is a syndrome that affects almost 10% of older people. It impairs a person’s ability to perform daily activities and increases the risk of hospitalization.
In a new study of 20,000 frail participants (average age 58), researchers evaluated how meat consumption affects the risk of death. Compared with those who ate poultry less than once a week, those who ate poultry once or twice had a 10% lower overall risk of death. Those who ate poultry more than four times a week had a 33% lower overall risk and a 50% lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease.
In contrast, for every additional 25 grams of red meat, the overall risk of death increased by 7 percent and the risk of death from cardiovascular disease increased by 16 percent.
Those who ate fatty fish instead of processed red meat (sausages, bacon, etc.) reduced their overall risk of death by 5%, their risk of cancer by 7%, and their risk of cardiovascular disease by 13%. Eating cheese as a protein source instead of unprocessed red meat (pork, beef) also reduced the overall risk.
Interestingly, increased red meat consumption was associated with higher risk only in men and obese people. This may mean that red meat is less harmful for normal-weight and frail women, but more research is needed.
The authors concluded that eating poultry and fish is beneficial to frailty because they serve as sources of protein. Processed meats can be harmful because they are high in nitrites as well as unhealthy saturated fats; this can cause oxidative stress and inflammation (risk factors for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases).
used to be a doctor in the name healthy fatty foods.