In one of the most extensive studies to date, scientists at Loma Linda University in California concluded that vegetarians live longer than meat eaters. The results of this study were published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.
The study involved 70,000 people and scientists determined that vegetarians have a 12% lower risk of death than non-vegetarians. The same is true for other specific vegetarian diets. For example, vegans are also less at risk of death than non-vegetarians.
The authors of previous studies have concluded that a vegetarian diet reduces the risk of chronic diseases such as heart failure or diabetes. However, the mechanisms underlying this pattern have not yet been studied.
“We cannot say this with absolute certainty based on the research, but one of the most likely reasons for these benefits of vegetarians may be that they eat meat at all or only in small quantities,” says the director of the continuing education courses on Preventive Medicine at Loma Linda University Dr. Michael J. Orlich.
Red meat is cited as the main culprit because it contains high levels of saturated fat and cholesterol, which can clog arteries. In April, another study was conducted, the authors of which found that the substance carnitine, also found in red meat, is metabolized in the intestines and enters the blood vessels during metabolism.
There is ample evidence of a link between red meat consumption and increased mortality. But other factors may also play a role. “It is possible that the consumption of a variety of plant foods leads to a decrease in mortality, and therefore we really want to study all these things about food in the future,” says Orlicz.
The following is also interesting. The researchers found that the link between a vegetarian diet and reduced mortality was more pronounced in men than in women. In men, the incidence of cardiovascular disease and death due to a vegetarian diet is decreasing. In women, there is no such noticeable decrease.
“I don’t have any solid assumptions, but it is possible that diet has different effects on biological factors in men and women,” - said Orlicz, who plans to study in more detail the question of which specific foods and nutrients are responsible for this connection. …
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It is very difficult to understand how this dependence is determined, and in addition, it can be expressed differently in different groups and people. For example, British scientists studied a vegetarian diet with 47,250 participants in the study. But they did not find the same mortality results. This may be because American vegetarians are consuming more fiber and vitamin C. This indicates a need to better understand how diet affects longevity.