{"id":678919,"date":"2026-05-18T16:11:11","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T16:11:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/678919\/"},"modified":"2026-05-18T16:11:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T16:11:11","slug":"the-one-diet-rule-joanna-lumley-swears-by-at-80","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/678919\/","title":{"rendered":"The one diet rule Joanna Lumley swears by at 80"},"content":{"rendered":"

As Patsy in Ab Fab, she once merrily swigged from a bottle of Channel No. 5. But in real life, Joanna Lumley\u2019s diet is now rather cleaner. \u2018I like raw things very much, like salads and stuff,\u2019 she recently told Nick Grimshaw and Angela Hartnett, on their Waitrose-sponsored Dish Podcast.<\/p>\n

Lumley<\/a> made the switch to vegetarianism in the late 70s and, while \u2018you can\u2019t stop time,\u2019 she is convinced the diet has real benefits. \u2018I do believe that not eating meat holds back the ageing process,\u2019 she said. \u2018But if vegetarianism is not for you, so be it. My husband Stephen isn’t a veggie, and he’s wonderful.\u2019<\/p>\n

Does the science support her? Well, seemingly. For years, studies have linked vegetarian diets to a lower risk of heart disease and stroke, type 2 diabetes and obesity. The effect stems partly from the fact that vegetarians tend to eat more fibre and less saturated fat. Meanwhile, processed meat<\/a> has been classified as carcinogenic for over a decade. Then, at the start of this year, a new study was published that confused things.<\/p>\n

\"raw<\/p>\n

Ekaterina Vasileva-Bagler\/\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

The research tracked over 5,000 participants in the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey, a study that started in 1998. By 2018, the non-meat-eaters among them were less likely to reach the age of 100. <\/p>\n

What are we to make of this? Well, as Chloe Casey Lecturer in Nutrition and Behaviour, Bournemouth University points out<\/a>: \u2018this study focused on adults aged 80 and older, whose nutritional needs differ markedly from those of younger people.\u2019<\/p>\n

As we age, our energy expenditure declines, alongside our muscle mass<\/a>, bone density and \u2013 often- appetite. As a result, the risk of frailty, falls and malnutrition rises and what we need from our food therefore changes. \u2018In later life,\u2019 she suggests, \u2018rather than focusing on preventing long-term diseases, the goal becomes maintaining muscle mass, preventing weight loss and ensuring every mouthful delivers plenty of nutrients.\u2019<\/p>\n

Look carefully at the data, in fact, and some nuance emerges. The lower chance of becoming a centenarian was only observed in non-meat-eaters who were also underweight, says Casey, a factor that\u2019s already clearly associated with frailty and mortality. <\/p>\n

So, being a vegetarian of healthy weight is still associated with lower health risks throughout most of your life. But if you fancy a Sunday roast in your 80s, there\u2019s no need to feel guilty. It\u2019s definitely better for you than a shot of perfume. <\/p>\n

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