Recently, Oxford University completed a study that lasted more than a decade. This study also involved more than 40,000 participants. The purpose of the study was to determine if vegetarians are less prone to heat disease.
The results are actually quite interesting: the study indicated that people who eat a vegetarian diet are 32% less likely to suffer from and die from heart disease than those people who regularly consume meats.
Blood Pressure and Cholesterol
Two main things were noticed in the study. These two things are that vegetarians, no matter their background, generally have lower blood pressure and cholesterol. This means a great deal of the risk of heart disease is automatically taken away. This study indicates that those who eat a vegetarian diet are overall, much healthier against the number one killer in the world.
In addition to the Oxford study, another extensive study was performed for the medical journal, Circulation. In this study, a comparison was made between those who eat meat-based diets and those who eat fish, fruits and vegetables, lentils and nuts. In this study, the results were that people in the latter category are 35% less likely to develop heart disease.
Because of these extensive, decades-long studies, more and more physicians are indicating a diet based largely on plants will be much safer.
The Top Killer
Heart disease is the top killer in the world. In fact, the World Health Organization indicated that more than 15 million people died from heart disease related illness each year. This included those who died from heart attack, stroke, diabetes and related illnesses.
Rarely do studies have such big margin results as the one from Oxford did. Since this university is well respected, the study results must be respected as well. It is fairly simple: people who eat a mostly vegetarian diet will be safer against such illnesses as heart disease, stroke, heart attack, and diabetes.
Some results are fairly small, and they can make you wonder if the change is worth it. However, it is quite hard to deny these results. When people who eat a vegetarian diet are more than 30% less likely to suffer from heart disease, you must consider that this is a very large number. These are not inconsequential results. I'll be following this post up with an article on food safety for vegetarians so that you can know how to properly and safely prepare your plant-based foods.
