A recent large-scale study of more than 70.000 people has proven the great health benefits and longevity of a vegetarian diet.
Doctors were surprised how much the refusal of meat food affects life expectancy. The study continued for about 10 years. Scientists at the California Institute of Loma Linda have published their findings in the medical journal JAMA Internal Medicine.
They tell colleagues and the general public that they have proven what many who choose ethical and healthy lifestyles have long considered an accepted fact: vegetarianism prolongs life.
The leader of the research team, Dr. Michael Orlich, said of the results of the work: “I think this is further evidence of the benefits of a vegetarian diet in preventing chronic diseases and increasing life expectancy.”
The study involved 73.308 people, men and women, belonging to five conditional food groups:
• non-vegetarians (meat-eaters), • semi-vegetarians (people who rarely eat meat), • pescatarians (those who eat fish and seafood but avoid warm-blooded meats), • ovolacto-vegetarians (those who include eggs and milk in their diet), • and vegans.
Scientists have discovered a number of new interesting facts about the difference between the life of vegetarians and non-vegetarians, which can convince anyone of the benefits of switching to a kill-free and plant-based diet:
Vegetarians live longer. As part of the study – that is, over 10 years – scientists observed a 12% reduction in the risk of death from various factors in vegetarians, compared with meat eaters. This is a pretty significant figure: who doesn’t want to live 12% longer?
Vegetarians are statistically “older” than meat eaters. This may indicate that, having reconsidered the “mistakes of youth”, more and more people after 30 years of age are switching to vegetarianism.
Vegetarians are, on average, better educated. It’s no secret that following a vegetarian diet requires a highly developed mind and above-average intellectual ability – otherwise the idea of switching to an ethical and healthy diet may simply not come to mind.
More vegetarians than meat eaters started families. Obviously, vegetarians are less conflicted and more solid in relationships, and therefore there are more family people among them.
Vegetarians are less likely to be obese. Everything is obvious here – this is a fact proven many times, by different researchers.
Statistically, vegetarians are less likely to consume alcohol and smoke less. Vegetarians are people who monitor their health and state of mind, choose the healthiest and purest foods for food, so it is logical that they are not interested in the use of harmful and intoxicating substances.
Vegetarians pay more attention to physical exercise, which is good for health. Here, too, everything is logical: scientists have long established that it is necessary to devote at least 30 minutes a day to physical training. Vegetarians are aware of the importance of a healthy diet and exercise, so they tend to pay attention to it.
It is naive to believe that one rejection of red meat gives health and longevity, etc. – Vegetarianism is not just a diet, but a holistic, holistic approach to health, it is a healthy lifestyle.
In the end, the researchers summarized their results as follows: “While different nutritionists disagree on the ideal ratio of macronutrients in the diet, virtually everyone agrees that we need to reduce our intake of sugar and sugar-sweetened beverages, as well as refined grains, and avoid consuming large amounts of trans and saturated fats.
They concluded that benefiting from a vegetarian diet and, in general, consuming more vegetables, nuts, seeds, and legumes than meat eaters eat is a proven, scientifically proven way to reduce the chances of chronic disease and significantly increase life expectancy.