Large study finds vegetarian and vegan diets are incredibly good for your health

Fruits and vegetables win again! As CNN According to reports, a new comprehensive study has found that most vegetarian and vegan diets significantly reduce the risks of life-threatening diseases like cancer and cardiovascular disease – and may even prevent premature death.

A comprehensive study systematically reviews a large body of existing research. For this study, published this week in the journal PLOSan international cohort of scientists, including from Stanford University and the University of Cambridge, examined more than 20 years of research on plant-based diets.

In doing so, as stated by the study’s lead author and graduate student at Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna in Pisa, Italy, Angelo Capodici CNNresearchers were able to determine that a healthy plant-based diet — which, according to the study, ranges from stricter vegan diets to vegetarian meal plans free of dairy and eggs — offers a ” “considerable protective against cancers such as “liver, colon, pancreas, lung, prostate, bladder, melanoma, kidney and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma”, in addition to heart diseases. The study also showed that vegetarianism and veganism reduced. cases of metabolic diseases and diabetes, both of which could contribute to a shorter lifespan and lower quality of life.

According to research, these disease-protective effects appear to be the result of factors such as lower cholesterol and blood pressure, lower blood sugar, and reduced inflammation, among other risk-reducing benefits. Overall, the research adds to the ever-growing consensus that reducing the importance of meat products and processed foods in favor of whole, plant-based foods – vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts and seeds , legumes, etc. – is usually a solution. a positive step forward for long-term human health.

But that said, there is one major caveat: not just any vegan or vegetarian diet will produce positive results.

After all, many processed and junk foods, from sugary white bread to chips to candy and even Oreos, are technically considered vegan. But processed foods like these certainly don’t contribute to long-term health, and as Federica Guaraldi, study co-author and medical director of the Institute’s Bologna Pituitary Unit, said Italian Neurological Sciences of the IRCCS. CNNThose who follow a vegan or vegetarian diet focused on junk food likely won’t experience the same benefits as their peers who favor whole, unprocessed, plant-based foods.

“Diets that emphasize eating unhealthy plant foods, such as fruit juices, refined grains, chips, and even soda,” could actually negate the potential benefits of a plant-based diet for health, Guaraldi said. CNN.

It’s also worth noting that some experts have suggested that those who embark on a healthier plant-based diet might adopt a healthier lifestyle in a more holistic way – exercising regularly, getting enough sleep, etc. – which could contribute to the disease reduction effects measured in this study. latest study.

“What is being attributed to diet here may be partly due to other lifestyle practices,” said David Katz, founder of the nonprofit True Health Initiative, who was not involved in the study. CNN.

But, Katz added, this is a “minor concern” about the accuracy of the research.

“The net effect of predominantly plant-based diets clearly supports crucial health outcomes,” he continued, “even if some of the observed benefits are attributable to other lifestyle practices “.

The overall study also did not consider diets other than vegetarian and veganism, meaning diets such as the Mediterranean-inspired DASH and MIND diets, which are widely considered good for the heart and brain despite the consumption of fish and meat, were left out of the analysis. A comprehensive analysis of this type is also quite general in nature and, as the researchers write in the study, “the data should be taken with caution due to significant methodological limitations associated with the original studies.”

The researchers further warn in the study that “potential risks associated with insufficient intake of vitamins and other elements due to unbalanced and/or extremely restricted diets” – basically, embarking on an animal-free diet without giving the priority to the intake of essential vitamins and minerals. and macronutrients – should also be considered.

Ultimately, food and nutrition are deeply personal. Access to healthy plant-based meals is also not available to everyone, especially those living around or below the poverty line. It seems more than fair, however, to consider this study another W for the benefits of a whole plant-based diet. If you can go meat-free for even one or two days a week, you might want to give it a try. It’s good for the planet, and it might be good for your body, too.

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