Many studies have been carried out to try to determine whether a vegetarian diet has health benefits over and above a diet which includes animal products.
Vegetarian diets are lower in saturated fats, cholesterol, and animal protein, while at the same time high in folate, anti-oxidants such as vitamins C and E, carotenoids, and phytochemicals. While results vary, it has been demonstrated that vegetarian diets may help to keep body weight under control and thus many potential health problems.
Vegtarians have variously been observed to have lower incidence of heart disease, and lower levels of cholesterol and blood pressure. Vegetarian diets that are low in saturated fats have been successfully used to reverse severe coronary artery disease.
Other disorders such as osteoporosis, hypertension, type 2 diabetes and renal disease also occur less frequently in vegetarians, and may help to prevent some forms of cancer, in particular lung cancer and colon cancer
A vegetarian diet may also delay the onset of mental disorders such as dementia, and Alzheimer’s Disease.
In addition, it has been shown that vegetarianism may lead to greater longevity, although this statistic may have other explanations: while British vegetarians have been found to have low mortality compared with the general population, their death rates are similar to those of non-vegetarians with comparable socio-economic backgrounds. Thus this benefit may well be attributed to non-dietary lifestyle factors such as not smoking, or to aspects of the diet other than the avoidance of meat and fish.
Vegetarian diets are lower in saturated fats, cholesterol, and animal protein, while at the same time high in folate, anti-oxidants such as vitamins C and E, carotenoids, and phytochemicals. While results vary, it has been demonstrated that vegetarian diets may help to keep body weight under control and thus many potential health problems.
Vegtarians have variously been observed to have lower incidence of heart disease, and lower levels of cholesterol and blood pressure. Vegetarian diets that are low in saturated fats have been successfully used to reverse severe coronary artery disease.
Other disorders such as osteoporosis, hypertension, type 2 diabetes and renal disease also occur less frequently in vegetarians, and may help to prevent some forms of cancer, in particular lung cancer and colon cancer
A vegetarian diet may also delay the onset of mental disorders such as dementia, and Alzheimer’s Disease.
In addition, it has been shown that vegetarianism may lead to greater longevity, although this statistic may have other explanations: while British vegetarians have been found to have low mortality compared with the general population, their death rates are similar to those of non-vegetarians with comparable socio-economic backgrounds. Thus this benefit may well be attributed to non-dietary lifestyle factors such as not smoking, or to aspects of the diet other than the avoidance of meat and fish.