\u201cCorrelation doesn\u2019t necessarily imply causation.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Just because two things occur together doesn\u2019t mean that one caused the other.<\/p>\n
An action can\u00a0cause<\/em>\u00a0another action, such as<\/p>\n Or it can correlate<\/em> with another action, such as<\/p>\n So smoking doesn\u2019t cause higher alcohol consumption, but people who smoke are likely to drink more than others. In a similar way there is a strong correlation between vegetarianism and a healthier overall lifestyle.<\/p>\n A study frequently quoted on vegetarian longevity was conducted by the University of Loma Linda in California on 73,000 Seventh Day Adventists who eat little or no meat. It found that these vegetarians had lower cancer rates (especially breast cancer) and had longevity increases of 7.28 years in men and 4.42 years in women – compared with the general population.<\/p>\n So case closed?<\/p>\n Not quite. Because Seventh Day Adventists are also more likely to exercise, more likely to be married, do not smoke, do not drink alcohol and they live in a socially supportive community \u2014 all factors that also contribute to a longer life. It\u2019s a good example of correlation.<\/p>\n Additionally, if you look at the Loma Linda study in detail, you find that pesco-vegetarians, who eat fish but not meat, had an even lower mortality rate than pure vegetarians.<\/p>\n What worldwide research on vegetarians does<\/span> show, however, is that vegetarians, in general:<\/p>\n Yet the largest ever meta-survey on mortality in vegetarians and non-vegetarians published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition<\/em> found:<\/p>\n So what can we conclude?<\/p>\n My father had a favourite phrase:<\/p>\n \u201cModeration in all things \u2013 including virtue!\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n It\u2019s appropriate here, because it\u2019s also clear from the research that it is excess<\/span> consumption of red meat and processed and smoked meats that increases the risk of heart disease, kidney diseases, internal inflammation and certain cancers, especially stomach cancers.<\/p>\n It\u2019s also clear from a huge body of evidence that fruits and vegetables have very powerful protective powers over human health \u2013 so much so that the American Cancer Society now recommends 9 portions of fruits and vegetables a day.<\/p>\n But that doesn\u2019t necessarily mean that being 100% vegetarian will automatically deliver longevity. There are health benefits from animal-derived nutrients too \u2013 the most obvious being Omega 3 fish oil. Studies show that consumption of Omega 3 \u2013 in oily fish or as a supplement \u2013 is associated with a lower risk of heart attacks, dementia, inflammatory diseases, and depression.<\/p>\n Additionally, a 2006 study in Mechanisms of Aging and Development<\/em> suggests that a key nutrient in meat \u2013 carnosine<\/strong> \u2013 may help prevent glycation.<\/p>\n Glycation is one of the drivers of ageing, where excess glucose binds to body proteins, distorts them and inhibits their function. The outward manifestation is skin wrinkling, but the effect of glycation internally can include a loss of elasticity in the arterial systems, resulting in hypertension and atherosclerosis. Glycation is also involved in cataracts, some cancers, and Alzheimer\u2019s disease.<\/p>\n Finally, evolutionary biologists are confident that it was the regular eating of meat that lead to the extraordinary expansion of human brain capacity that began some 2\u00bd million years ago.<\/p>\n Of course many people are vegetarian for more than health reasons. Many of us, for example, are find the conditions of chickens in factory-style egg farms appalling and will willingly pay the extra for free range meat, chicken and eggs. And sustainability issues suggest that we need to limit our consumption of meat.<\/p>\n But should our diet include some meat? In purely nutritional terms – probably yes. And I think that: \u2018Do vegetarians live longer?\u2019<\/strong> is perhaps the wrong question.<\/p>\n A better question might be \u2018Does a diet largely featuring fruits and vegetables enable you to live healthier for longer?\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n The answer to that is almost certainly yes. See https:\/\/nutrishield.com\/pillars-of-health-14\/<\/a> for the very latest of what it takes to achieve \u2018healthy longevity\u2019.<\/p>\n It\u2019s all about balance!<\/p>\n P.S. For amusing examples of how statistics can mislead take a look at\u00a0 http:\/\/www.tylervigen.com\/spurious-correlations<\/a>\u00a0 and see why the launch of Nicholas Cage movies seems to have caused people to fall into swimming pools and drown!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n If you enjoyed this article, please share it with family and friends (see buttons below).<\/p>\n You can follow us on www.facebook.com\/nutrishield<\/a> or www.twitter.com\/colinrose40<\/a> for daily headline health tweets.<\/p>\n Dr Paul Clayton designed NutriShield as a comprehensive health See online here for delicious recipes from the Health Defence Cookbook<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0 incorporating healthy foods featuring in a Mediterranean Diet.\u00a0 1. Burkert NT, Muckenhuber J, Gro\u00dfsch\u00e4dl F, R\u00e1sky \u00c9, Freidl W (2014) Nutrition and Health \u2013 The Association between Eating Behavior and Various Health Parameters: A Matched Sample Study.<\/em> PLoS ONE 9(2): e88278. doi:10.1371\/journal.pone.0088278<\/p>\n 2. Hipkiss AR. Glycation, ageing and carnosine: Are carnivorous diets beneficial?<\/em> Mech Ageing Dev. 2005 Oct;126 (10):1034-9.<\/p>\n 3. Key TJ<\/a>1<\/sup>,\u00a0Fraser GE<\/a>,\u00a0Thorogood M<\/a>,\u00a0Appleby PN<\/a>,\u00a0Beral V<\/a>,\u00a0Reeves G<\/a>,\u00a0Burr ML<\/a>,\u00a0Chang-Claude J<\/a>,\u00a0Frentzel-Beyme R<\/a>,\u00a0Kuzma JW<\/a>,\u00a0Mann J<\/a>,\u00a0McPherson K<\/a>: Mortality in vegetarians and nonvegetarians: detailed findings from a collaborative analysis of 5 prospective studies.<\/em> Am J Clin Nutr.<\/a>\u00a01999 Sep;70(3 Suppl):516S-524S.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\n
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The Seventh Day Adventist study on vegetarian longevity<\/h4>\n
![\"Do](\"https:\/\/nutrishield.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/Lentil-spinach-dhal.jpg\" "\\"Do")
<\/a>Worldwide research on vegetarians<\/h4>\n
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Balance!<\/h4>\n
Health benefits from animal-derived nutrients too<\/h4>\n
<\/a>The Mediterranean Diet is probably the ideal<\/h4>\n
<\/a>All of this, I suggest, supports the conclusion that the Mediterranean Diet, featuring mostly fruits and vegetables, with eggs, cheese, limited meat (often lamb rather than beef), fish including oily fish, and moderate red wine consumption, is not just enjoyable, but probably close to the ideal diet. See also https:\/\/nutrishield.com\/blue-zones-healthy-longevity\/<\/a><\/p>\nThe wrong question?<\/h4>\n
\n<\/a>And register now for a free e-newsletter on the latest in nutrition and health research.<\/h4>\n
\n<\/a> supplement with OPTIMUM levels of essential nutrients. See more detail elsewhere on this site or click on the button.<\/p>\nDr Paul Clayton’s best-selling book Health Defence<\/em><\/strong> is available from most good bookstores. See the website www.healthdefence.com<\/a> for excerpts and links to buy direct from the publisher.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
\nREFERENCES<\/h5>\n