Numerous studies conducted by international health advisory boards have shown that a vegetarian diet is healthier than one that includes meat and animal products, reducing the risk of chronic diseases by up to 40%. The British Medical Association, the World Health Organization, and the American Dietetic Association are among the organizations that support this claim. The concern is when the entire diet is limited to a few foods, as is the case in many third world countries. However, in industrialized nations, where people eat a variety of foods on a daily basis, they are more likely to eat too much protein than too little, even for vegetarians and vegans.
The short answer is a resounding yes; It has been conclusively shown through extensive worldwide studies conducted by independent and highly respected international health advisory boards that a vegetarian diet is significantly healthier than one that includes meat and animal products. This is true for all ages, from babies to adults, and includes pregnant and lactating women.
Studies have found a direct statistical correlation between decreased meat intake and increased health benefits. The chances of developing chronic diseases, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, coronary heart disease, obesity, kidney failure, osteoporosis, and cancer, drop markedly among vegetarians and vegans by up to forty percent. Coupled with this favorable news, the chances of longevity could increase by twenty percent. Because of these benefits, health insurance companies commonly offer discount rates for vegetarians and vegans.
For decades, a common public misconception was that a vegetarian diet was lacking in protein. The meat industry began a series of promotional commercials with slogans like “meat is real food,” implying that a vegetarian diet was somehow lacking. As more information emerged about the benefits of being a vegetarian, the public misconception changed. Then it became, vegetarians can get enough protein, but it’s not easy, which is equally untrue. Not only is it easy to eat a balanced diet, the idea that it requires special effort if you are a vegetarian or vegan is greatly exaggerated.
The concern is when the entire diet is limited to a few foods, as is the case in many third world countries where rice, for example, might be the only staple. However, in industrialized nations, where people eat a variety of foods on a daily basis, they are more likely to eat too much protein than too little, even for vegetarians and vegans.
The British Medical Association (BMA) was the first to shed light on the many benefits of a vegetarian diet in a 1986 report. Based on a large volume of research, it concluded that vegetarians not only tend to have lower cholesterol, but which also significantly reduced cases of coronary heart disease, obesity, high blood pressure, certain cancers, gallstones, and disorders of the large intestine.
Beginning in 1983, the China study examined 6,500 participants over the course of several years, documenting their eating habits, lifestyles, and health. This comprehensive study was a combined effort of the Chinese, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The first results were made public in 1989 and were unequivocal. The less meat consumed, the lower the risk of developing common chronic diseases as noted above. The study also debunked the Western myth of promoting meat as a necessary source of iron. Among the mostly vegetarian-based diets of the Chinese, the average vegetarian had twice the iron intake of the average US citizen.
The highly respected World Health Organization (WHO) offered its own findings on vegetarian and vegan diets in a 1991 report. The WHO not only confirmed the results of the BMA and the China study, but also found that diets rich in in meat and dairy also promote other diseases, such as osteoporosis or low bone density and kidney failure. The WHO went so far as to predict the cancer crisis facing the world now, based on the meat-rich dietary trends of Western nations. The report candidly criticized governments for public Dietary Guidelines that promote meat and dairy as necessary foods, urging more vegetarian policies where animal products are relegated to optional status.
Another organization to evaluate the issue of vegetarian and vegan diets was the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM). This group consists of about 5,000 American doctors, including the editor of The American Journal of Cardiology, William Roberts. Criticized by some as biased by its humane ethics, the PCRM reviewed more than 100 published studies from around the world. It confirmed that significantly lower disease rates are directly related to vegetarian and vegan diets. In its 1995 report, the PCRM urged the United States government to update dietary policies to reflect these findings. In 1996, government policies addressed this for the first time, stating that a vegetarian diet is healthy, meets the recommended daily allowances, and is not lacking in protein.
Around the same time that the above studies were being done, the Oxford study was underway. Compiling data over a period that spanned an excess of 13 years and involved more than 11,000 people, he not only confirmed lower rates of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and other illnesses among vegetarians, but also found a 20% decrease in premature mortality rates. Simply put, if you eat a vegetarian or vegan diet, you have a 20% better chance of living longer than if you eat meat, according to the study.
The positive findings for vegetarian and vegan diets are also echoed by the American Dietetic Association (ADA), which is among the list of proponents. The ADA is one of the most respected advisory boards in the world.
In some cases, criticism has been leveled about how the data was interpreted or the policy of those who support it. However, until such criticisms are backed up by redundant, robust, peer-reviewed research that causes organizations like the ADA, BMA, and WHO to reverse their positions, one might assign the sour grapes to the detractors. For more than two decades, the body of global medical evidence supporting vegetarian and vegan diets has been growing, overwhelming, and to date indisputable.
Supported by the world’s most respected health organizations, the average citizen with no bone to choose from can take to heart that a meat-free diet is not only healthier, but that the benefits are statistically significant, if not profoundly beneficial. . .
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
