Vegan and vegetarian diets have become increasingly common in western countries with many factors influencing this trend. Vegans and vegetarians often cite health benefits among the reasons why they have ditched meat and claim that a plant based diet will help them to live many years longer than meat eaters. But is the vegan/vegetarian diet itself really a healthier choice?
An ongoing study of 7th Day Adventists in California appears to show a significant life expectancy advantage to plant based diets. It shows men living an average of 9.5yrs longer and women living 6.1yrs longer than omnivoresi. This study divided the continuum of vegetarians from vegan, pesco vegetarian, lactoovovegetarian, semivegetarian and non-vegetarian. Prevalence of obesity, metabolic syndrome T2DM, hypertension, osteoporosis, cancer and all mortality was collected for each group. After multivariate adjustment it was shown that vegans faired best in each of these categories except for osteoporosis which was inconclusive. For vegans, the risk of developing T2DM in the follow up period of 5.8yrs was halved compared to non-vegetarians and overall mortality was reduced by 15% in that period.
A cohort study like this is able to follow a large number of people – in this case around 73,000 members –and assess all cause mortality as well as specific diesase risks. The problems with even a high power study like this are the inherant biases and confounding factors such as socio-economic, behavioural differences as well as residual risks from lifestyle choices prior to enrollment into a study. Studies like this attempt to correct for these confounding factors– but there will likely always exist some unknown unknowns and although association is relatively easy to establish, proving causation is much more complex.
Despite the limitations of these studies there is mounting evidence that having a vegan or vegetarian diet is likely to positively impact your health. One of the most robust findings is the lower rates of ischeamic heart disease among vegans and vegetariansii. The authors of this study claim that half of cardio-metabolic deaths in the USA might have been prevented with better nutrition and similar statistics would likely apply here in Australia too. They conclude that a plant based diet may reduce the incidence of coronary heart disease events by 40%, can reverse atherosclerosis and reduce blood lipids and blood pressure. Their study also found that vegans and vegetarians tend to have a lower BMI, which in turn reduces the risk of metabolic syndrome and T2DM. The evidence from studies such as this go some way to providing a mechanism of the overall health benefits of a meat free diet.
Vegans and vegetarians tend to have higher consumption of fruit and vegetables than omnivores. A recent prospective cohort study of 260,000 Australian men and women over 45 found life expectancy benefits for those eating 7 serves of fruit and veg or more per day similarly benefical to that of a strict vegan dietiii. Those in this category had a 10% reduction in all cause mortality over a 6.2 year period. However it was not recorded how many of those high fruit and veg consumers were vegan or vegetarian.
These studies indicate that plant based diets promote health and longevity – however the state of our arteries, our disease burden and the number of years we live are not the only health metrics to consider. A recent study found a link between vegetarian diets and depressive symptoms among meniv. Another Australian study published in 2007 found a higher prevalence of depression among young women who were vegetarian or semi-vegetarianv. This is a complex association and may be due to nutritional differences such as Iron intake, or it may be related to factors relating to the choice to become a vegan/vegetarian.
Overall it seems that there is good evidence to suggest that a vegan or vegetarian diet has a positive effect on your physical health and an associated extension in life expectancy. Some studies suggest that it is the abundance of fruit and vegetables that is the important factor for improving health outcomes. Vegans and vegetarians also tend to have lower calorie diets than omnivores, which may contribute to the health benefits of this diet. However the 7th Day adventists study does seem to suggest that the further towards the vegan end of the vegan-omnivore spectrum you are, the greater the health benefits overall. If going vegan or vego is something you are considering, it is important to make sure that your dietary requirements are being met. A nutritionist or your GP will be able help you with this.
To the question in your title, my Magic 8-Ball says:
Hi! I'm a bot, and this answer was posted automatically. Check this post out for more information.
Please give me a follow and I will give you a follow in return and possible future votes!
Thank you in advance!✅ @captainmarts, I gave you an upvote on your post!
Congratulations @captainmarts! You received a personal award!
You can view your badges on your Steem Board and compare to others on the Steem Ranking
Do not miss the last post from @steemitboard:
Vote for @Steemitboard as a witness to get one more award and increased upvotes!