Why is it that Kevin Levrone looks younger than he is but some pros look much older? Is it basically genetic, or does juicing up play a big role in accelerating aging?
Here is Markus Ruhl at age 27 looking in his late sixties:
Discuss.
Well, Ruhl is a heavy smoker, and carbon monoxide speeds up oxidative stress. There are several reasons why pro bodybuilders look much older than they really are. The reasons are as follows:
- A high calorie diet. - Too much protein and carbs of the wrong type. - Androgens. - Poor gastrointestinal health. Let's analyse one by one. The most obvious reason why pro bodybuilders look much older than they really are is because they
are, physiologically, much older than they are chronologically. Eating too many calories speeds up oxidative stress, decreases the natural production of antioxidants like superoxide dismutase and glutathione and generates too much waste products from metabolisation, like ammonia and uric acid. This dramatically accelerates ageing.
Eating large amounts of protein and simple carbs, like many bodybuilders who are packing on weight do, while not getting enough fibers from plant material, plays havoc with your skin, hair and nails. While saturated fats and simple sugars are worse for your health than protein, the latter is unparallelled in it's ability to generate toxic by-products from it's metabolisation. This puts the body in an acidic rather than alkaline state, and some of the acids released by the kidneys and liver from the metabolisation process is excreted through the hair, nails and skin, giving them a "brittle" appearance, which is similar to the skin of old people.
Androgens. Masculine faces look older than non-masculine faces. For instance, the reason why Tom Cruise still looks like an adolescent at age 44 is not because he doesen't have wrinkles - his nasolabial sulcus is already clearly etched -, but because his facial features are not very mature. The same can be said about DiCaprio, who still looks like he's 17. Large amounts of androgens masculinize one's facial features, making one look more mature and older. By making the face larger and squarer, androgens make you look older. Arnold looked older at age 22 than DiCaprio at age 37, because the former's face is so masculine.
Poor gastro-intestinal health. Again, a consequence of diet. While pro bodybuilders might claim to eat broccoli at every meal, the reality is that all they care about is getting their protein and as much calories as possible. In the off-season, they gorge in beef and candy. Simple sugars are a prefered food for bacteria, and the lack of fiber slows digestion. The result is that the gastro-intestinal tract of pro bodybuilders is filled with bacteria, which ferments food. This results in constipation and inflammation of the walls of the GI tract. This toxemia is manifested in the skin as white spots, discoloration and inflammated pores, all of which make you look older than you truly are.
As for why Levrone's physiological age is the same as his chronological one, I don't know, but I will make a guess. Kevin never seemed to go overboard on calories durig his competitive years, which is evident by his taunt waist. So, there was no increased oxidative damage in his case. Furthermore, Kevin seemed to have a preference for GH. While androgens make you look older by making your face look more mature, GH actually seems to help protect the elastin and collagen structures of your skin, thus making you look younger by preventing wrinkles and lines - although I personally think it's side effects are hardly worth it.
As for Ruhl looking like he's in his late sixties, I think that's a hyperbolic statement on the part of Matt C. But he does have a point: while the average pro looks to be about 10 to 15 years older than his chronological age, Ruhl looks like he's about 25 years older. While he doesen't look like he's in his late sixties, he does look like he's in his early fities or at least late forties. In the case of Ruhl, he adds insult to injury, because he combines a typical pro bodybuilder lifestyle, with all that it entails, with the habit of smoking, which also adds a decade more to your physiological age and appearance. So Ruhl looking a quarter of a century older than he is the result of combining too many bad habits at the same time. At this rate, he'll be dead in 10 years, and let me tell you that I'm not being metaphorical in this assertion. Hope this helps.
SUCKMYMUSCLE
