Guys either get fat and sloppy or waste away as they age. Actually, they all waste away but a layer of goo conceals the wasting for some. There's a theory for why this is so.

free radicals, such as reactive oxygen species, damage mitochondria in muscle cells, leading to cell death and muscle atrophy. Now that scientists understand the cause of age-related muscle loss, they can begin to develop new drugs to halt the process.

"Age-related muscle atrophy in skeletal muscle is inevitable. However, we know it can be slowed down or delayed," . . .

"I don't expect to see baby boomers gracing the pages of body building magazines tomorrow. But this research is important because it identifies molecules responsible for the aging of our muscles: free radicals," said Gerald Weissmann, M.D., Editor-in-Chief of the FASEB Journal. "Stop these from acting and we'll all look younger, stronger and fit at any age.

It would seem from this that a diet richer in antioxidants would - in addition to other benefits - help keep some lean meat on your old bones.

A characteristic of grass fed beef comes to mind: it has many times as much vitamin E (a strong antioxidant) as grain fed beef, which protects it during long periods of dry aging. Grain fed beef deteriorates when dry aged more than a week or so, but grass fed beef can easily be aged for a month.

And so it seems that the longer you intend to age yourself the more antioxidants you can use.