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The reasons why the vegetarians seem to have longer life spans is related to the dietary choice, namely, vegetarian diets tend to be lower in saturated fat, low in cholesterol and higher in fiber.
Someone forgot to tell Linda McCartney, Steve Jobs, and George Harrison. All died of cancer in their 50's. Are they exceptions to the rule, or do you think there were other factors, perhaps genetic and lifestyle-related, that contributed to their ill health?
Life consumes life. If we aren't killing animals, we are killing plants. Somehow this basic truth escapes them.
Not to point out the obvious....but plants don't suffer when you kill them. You know...lacking brains and nerves systems and such.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NorthYorkEd
Someone forgot to tell Linda McCartney, Steve Jobs, and George Harrison. All died of cancer in their 50's. Are they exceptions to the rule, or do you think there were other factors, perhaps genetic and lifestyle-related, that contributed to their ill health?
When you're talking about statistical generalizations like life span there are always "exceptions to the rule". When its claimed that vegetarians have longer-life spans that means that vegetarians, on average, will live longer than non-vegetarians not that every vegetarian lives until their 100.
I have no idea about those individuals genetics nor the details of how they ate but a healthful diet doesn't immune one form getting cancer......it only lowers your risk from getting cancer. On the other hand a healthful diet will largely immune one, with the exception of bad genetics, from getting heart disease, diabetes and related conditions which are bigger killers than cancer. And it is mostly from this, namely lower rates of heart-disease, diabetes, etc, that vegetarians are observed to have longer life-spans in most long-term studies on them. The only strong relationship between cancer and meat-eating is related to red-meat and processed meat consumption and not meat in general so one would expect vegetarians to have some edge here but not a huge one based on the avoidance of meat alone.
Not to point out the obvious....but plants don't suffer when you kill them. You know...lacking brains and nerves systems and such.
When you're talking about statistical generalizations like life span there are always "exceptions to the rule". When its claimed that vegetarians have longer-life spans that means that vegetarians, on average, will live longer than non-vegetarians not that every vegetarian lives until their 100.
I have no idea about those individuals genetics nor the details of how they ate but a healthful diet doesn't immune one form getting cancer......it only lowers your risk from getting cancer. On the other hand a healthful diet will largely immune one, with the exception of bad genetics, from getting heart disease, diabetes and related conditions which are bigger killers than cancer. And it is mostly from this, namely lower rates of heart-disease, diabetes, etc, that vegetarians are observed to have longer life-spans in most long-term studies on them. The only strong relationship between cancer and meat-eating is related to red-meat and processed meat consumption and not meat in general so one would expect vegetarians to have some edge here but not a huge one based on the avoidance of meat alone.
There are so few actual vegetarians it's really out of the mainstream:
No you don't, that is why you've never posted a link to one of the numerous rigorous studies that have shown vegetarian diets to be healthful. For example this study, published last year, done on 70,000 people found that vegetarians lived longer:
[Dr. Orlich] adds that the study benefited from examining a group [Seventh Day Adventists] whose rates of alcohol and tobacco use are low.
and
Quote:
The Loma Linda researchers used a questionnaire to categorize participants into groups based on their diets.
The categories include nonvegetarians and people considered semi-vegetarians, who eat meat more than once a month but less than once a week. In addition to meat, vegans eliminate dairy and eggs from their diets.
Others eat fish, in addition to the cohort that eats no meat but consumes dairy and eggs. For many of the analyses, the researchers lumped all of these subsets of people together as simply "vegetarians."
I'm not sure what relevance the number of vegetarians in the United States has on the healthfulness of vegetarian diets.
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Originally Posted by biscuitmom
From that article:
and
Since you're just quoting the article I'm not sure what you're trying to say but yes, this study benefited from the fact that the participants (both vegetarian and non-vegetarian) largely avoided alcohol and smoking. That is to say, this study was comparing relatively health conscious vegetarians to relatively health conscious non-vegetarians.
I don't understand the antagonism against vegetarians. If someone doesn't want to eat meat, so what? It's their body they are choosing what foods to put into it.
Seems like meat eaters are always on the attack and hang out at vegetarian threads to make their negative comments.
I feel physically better when I don't eat meat. Whether I live to 100 or not doesn't matter. And I don't have the guilt that some animal lived a life of suffering and an inhumane death just so I could have a steak or chop with my vegetables.
I don't understand the antagonism against vegetarians. If someone doesn't want to eat meat, so what? It's their body they are choosing what foods to put into it.
Seems like meat eaters are always on the attack and hang out at vegetarian threads to make their negative comments.
I feel physically better when I don't eat meat. Whether I live to 100 or not doesn't matter. And I don't have the guilt that some animal lived a life of suffering and an inhumane death just so I could have a steak or chop with my vegetables.
I don't understand the antagonism against vegetarians. If someone doesn't want to eat meat, so what? It's their body they are choosing what foods to put into it.
Seems like meat eaters are always on the attack and hang out at vegetarian threads to make their negative comments.
I feel physically better when I don't eat meat. Whether I live to 100 or not doesn't matter. And I don't have the guilt that some animal lived a life of suffering and an inhumane death just so I could have a steak or chop with my vegetables.
How many animals were displaced and suffer as a result of produce farms shoving the natural wildlife away from their homes? How many aphids died as a result of pesticides sprayed on those crops? How many rabbits were mutilated and left to die agonizing bloody deaths as a result of farm machines rolling over them? And so on, and so forth.
It's sweet of you to be concerned about the suffering of animals, but don't fool yourself into believing that your dietary choices don't involve suffering animals. No matter what we eat - SOME animal suffers for it.
Personally, I don't mind knowing a cow died to feed me. Doesn't bother me in the least. Or a chicken, or a piece of fish.
That has nothing to do with this topic. If you want to prostheletize, go to the vegetarian forum and sing to your choir. This here is health and wellness, and the thread has to do with the health of humans who eat meat vs. the health of humans who do not. It has nothing to do with other animals suffering - or not suffering - as a result of our choices.
On topic: As said previously - there are so few vegetarians compared to non-vegetarians in this country, it's really not going to result in an accurate study. In addition, as stated, the study didn't differentiate between vegans, vegetarians, and people who ate meat less than once a week, but more than once a month. The end result is one of those generic feel-good statements about health: don't eat too much meat. I think most humans can live with that suggestion.
I don't understand the antagonism against vegetarians. If someone doesn't want to eat meat, so what? It's their body they are choosing what foods to put into it.
Seems like meat eaters are always on the attack and hang out at vegetarian threads to make their negative comments.
I feel physically better when I don't eat meat. Whether I live to 100 or not doesn't matter. And I don't have the guilt that some animal lived a life of suffering and an inhumane death just so I could have a steak or chop with my vegetables.
I think your powers of perception are failing you, if you think this.
I don't understand the antagonism against vegetarians. If someone doesn't want to eat meat, so what? It's their body they are choosing what foods to put into it.
No one has any problem with those who choose a meat-free lifestyle due to ethical concerns or personal preference. The problem comes when some vegetarian/vegans claim that eating meat is unhealthy.
Quote:
Originally Posted by aquietpath
I feel physically better when I don't eat meat. Whether I live to 100 or not doesn't matter. And I don't have the guilt that some animal lived a life of suffering and an inhumane death just so I could have a steak or chop with my vegetables.
I enjoy steak and pork chops, as a complement to a plate full of fresh veggies. And no animal suffered or died inhumanely to provide it. Not all of us support CAFO or factory farming, and many of us do not endorse ANY form of animal suffering. The world is not black and white.
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