Category Archives: Vegetarianism

Vegetarians Less Healthy Than Omnivores

Posted on July 20, 2019 | Comments Off on Vegetarians Less Healthy Than Omnivores

From Independent:

Vegetarians are less healthy than meat-eaters, a controversial study has concluded, despite drinking less, smoking less and being more physically active than their carnivorous counterparts.

A study conducted by the Medical University of Graz in Austria found that the vegetarian diet, as characterised by a low consumption of saturated fat and cholesterol, due to a higher intake of fruits, vegetables and whole-grain products, appeared to carry elevated risks of cancer, allergies and mental health problems such as depression and anxiety.

While not mentioned in the Independent article, the full PLOS One report defined “vegetarian”:

While 0.2% of the interviewees were pure vegetarians (57.7% female) [vegan, then?], 0.8% reported to be vegetarians consuming milk and eggs (77.3% female), and 1.2% to be vegetarians consuming fish and/ or eggs and milk (76.7% female).

I haven’t read the whole thing, but if you’re a vegetarian, you should digest it. Note the study was done in Austria. And if vegetarians are so unhealthy, why do Seventh Day Adventists in Loma Linda, CA, seem to have a longevity benefit. Do ya think maybe there’s more involved than diet, like culture or genetics?

Steve Parker, M.D.

Steve Parker MD, Advanced Mediterranean Diet

Click the pic to purchase at Amazon.com

Comments Off on Vegetarians Less Healthy Than Omnivores

Posted in Longevity, Vegetarianism

Vegetarian Diets Are Linked to Reduced Cardiometabolic Risk Factors among South Asians in the United States 

Posted on November 15, 2018 | Comments Off on Vegetarian Diets Are Linked to Reduced Cardiometabolic Risk Factors among South Asians in the United States 

Results

Thirty-eight percent of the cohort participants were classified as vegetarian. Vegetarians reported more frequent weekly eating occasions of whole grains (median frequency/wk: 10 compared with 9, P = 0.012) and beans and legumes (median frequency/wk: 8.5 compared with 5.1, P < 0.001), and less frequent weekly eating occasions of sweets and desserts (median frequency/wk: 1.9 compared with 2.3, P < 0.001). Consuming a vegetarian diet was associated with lower body mass index (P = 0.023), fasting glucose (P = 0.015), insulin resistance (P = 0.003), total cholesterol (P = 0.027), and LDL cholesterol (P = 0.004), and lower odds of fatty liver (OR: 0.43; 95% CI: 0.23, 0.78, P = 0.006). The odds of having any coronary artery calcium were lower for vegetarian men (OR: 0.53; 95% CI: 0.32, 0.87, P = 0.013); however, no significant associations were observed among women.

Conclusions

Among US South Asians, a vegetarian diet was associated with fewer cardiometabolic risk factors overall and with less subclinical atherosclerosis among men.

Source: Vegetarian Diets Are Associated with Selected Cardiometabolic Risk Factors among Middle-Older Aged South Asians in the United States | The Journal of Nutrition | Oxford Academic

Comments Off on Vegetarian Diets Are Linked to Reduced Cardiometabolic Risk Factors among South Asians in the United States 

Posted in Vegetarianism

Mediterranean versus Vegetarian diet for weight loss? Both work equally well, study says

Posted on August 8, 2018 | Comments Off on Mediterranean versus Vegetarian diet for weight loss? Both work equally well, study says

Raw Brussels sprouts salad

It’s refreshing to see a vegetarian diet study that specifies which type of vegetarian diet was used.

Followers of two different healthy diet patterns showed similar reductions in weight, body mass index and fat mass after 3 months, found researchers from the University of Florence, Italy in conjunction with Careggi University Hospital, Florence.

The lacto-ovo vegetarian diet was however more effective in reducing ‘bad’ low-density lipoprotein cholesterol whereas Mediterranean diet followers saw a greater reduction in triglycerides.

“After 3 months of dietary intervention, both lacto-ovo vegetarian and Mediterranean diets were effective in reducing body weight, body mass index, and fat mass, with no significant differences between them,” ​commented study first author Professor Francesco Sofi.

Source: Vegetarian or Mediterranean diet for weight loss? Both work equally well, says study

Comments Off on Mediterranean versus Vegetarian diet for weight loss? Both work equally well, study says

Posted in Vegetarianism, Weight Loss

Do Vegetarians Live Longer?

Posted on June 4, 2013 | Comments Off on Do Vegetarians Live Longer?

They do if they’re Seventh Day Adventists living in Loma Linda, California, according to a report at MedPageToday.

As far as I know, I don’t know any Seventh Day Adventists. They may not be like the rest of us. For instance, about half of them consider themselves vegetarians. That percentage in the general U.S. population would be much lower. In the study at hand, the largest group of vegetarians (29%) were lacto-ovo vegetarians: they eat dairy  and eggs. Only 8% were vegans.

I wonder if Adventists tend to marry and breed with each other (like Mormons), thereby concentrating longevity genes?

The SDA’s of Loma Linda constitute on of the longevity hot spots identified in Dan Beuttner’s Blue Zones book.

The original research report in the Journal of the American Medical Association-Internal Medicine.

Comments Off on Do Vegetarians Live Longer?

Posted in Longevity, Vegetarianism

Tagged , , ,