Benefits Of Vegetarianism: Vegetarians Live Longer

Vegetarians Live Longer

The battle has long been waged, and will certainly continue in spite of this study. Are humans designed/evolved to eat everything and at risk of malnutrition as vegetarians? Or is vegetarianism the healthy and ethical choice? The most impressive data arises from a study of 1904 vegetarians over 21 years by the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsche Krebsforschungszentrum). The study's shocking results: vegetarian men reduced their risk of early death by 50%! Women vegetarians benefit from a 30% reduction in mortality.

Long-term Study of Vegetarians
The participants of the the German Cancer Research Center study included 60 vegans (no animal products consumed), 1165 vegetarians (eating eggs, milk but no meat) with the remainder described as "moderate" vegetarians who occasionally ate fish or meat. The health of these study participants was compared with the average German population. Living longer seems not to be exclusively related to eating meat, though, as the results for moderate vegetarians was not statistically different from those for vegan or strict vegetarian diets.

To the argument that it is not vegetarianism but a general interest in a healthier lifestyle which leads to such notable results, scientists reply with evidence that the majority of vegetarians do not cite health reasons for their lifestyle, but make their choice based on ethical commitment, environmental concerns or simply personal taste.

Vegetarians and Malnutrition
Research by a team led by Professor Ibrahim Elmadfa at the University of Vienna found a much better than average intake of Vitamin C, Carotinoides, Folic acid, fiber and unsaturated fats. Where shortcomings may arise is for Vitamin B12, calcium und Vitamin D in a vegan diet. Astoundingly, however, study participants did not suffer from diseases, such as osteoporosis, typically related to inadequate intakes of these micro-nutrients.

More on Vegetarians
How to Become a Vegetarian
Hollywood's Sexiest Vegetarians
Jessica Simpson Offends Vegetarians
Cut Back On Carbon By Cutting Back On Meat

Via Die Welt (german)
Image: copyright Getty images

Comments

[Sumocat]

Shocking results? Pfft. Anyone who's been put on a restricted diet for health reasons knows animal products get cut first and foremost. The folks I know who have survived heart attack or stroke cut down on meat products and eat more veggies and grains, not the other way around.

[DyKing]

"Vegetarians live longer." Tell me something I don't already know.

[StrayTalk]

Okay-- " Vegetarians who DON'T smoke, do crack or live off of french fries and Häagen-Dazs do live longer than people that do"

[JohnFromCensornati]

And besides, vegetarians don't eat corpses.

[kingcityguru]

They would if their plane crash landed on the side of a mountain.

[NYCBear]

So you don't consider a boiled beet a corpse? It's a living thing that you have killed - if you had let it live, it would have grown larger and flourished, but no, you had to rip it out of the ground, rip it's leaves off it while it was still alive, then execute it with boiling water or steam.

Oh, right, it couldn't scream. That makes it just fine to kill it. It's only morally repugnant to you if it can scream.

Hypocrite.

[MarrNealon]

Wonderful that more conventional research centers are catching up with what Loma Linda
University has been proving for 60 years. And look at the several decades long Framingham
Study & The China Study. The human body is 100% herbivorous. When we put animal flesh
& animal products into our body we cause disease. Animal foods are full of toxins that destroy
cells & degrade the body's system of utilization and elimination.

We only need minor amounts of B-12. The body stores it for an extremely long time. Any fuss
made over that is ludicrous. It is MEAT EATERS who have calcium deficiencies because the high
concentrations of animal proteins overwork the kidneys & cause an acid reaction. The only way
to neutralize that is with calcium, which the body pulls from the bones! It is MEAT & DAIRY & EGG EATERS who are almost guaranteed to end up with osteoporosis.

Great books to read on this subject: THE CHINA STUDY by T. Colin Campbell, PhD., anything by John McDougall, MD, Neal Barnard, MD, Steve Furhman MD, or John Robbins.

Thank you for the article, Christine. One suggestion: remove the word "astoundin­g." Absence
of common diseases on a vegan diet is normal, not at all astounding.