Diet and Health

Vegetarian, and especially vegan, diets have significant health benefits.

A vegan avoids all animal products. A lacto-ovo vegetarian avoids meat but eats non-meat animal products such as eggs and cheese. A pesco vegetarian avoids terrestrial meat but eats fish. As defined in the review, a semivegetarian eats meat less often than once per week. A nonvegetarian has no such dietary restrictions. Source: ¹.

Vegetarians and especially vegan may also face a reduction of risk from certain cancers ² and chronic kidney disease ³. There is evidence that avoidance of meat ⁴, ⁵ and dairy products ⁶ reduces the risk of prostate cancer.

Vegetarian diets are associated with fewer prescription drugs used among seniors, reducing the risk of harmful drug interactions ⁷.

Diet and Longevity

Vegetarian diets are associated with greater life expectancy.

Results from Singh et al. ⁸ are determined from a metastudy of six studies. In each study, a 'vegetarian' diet entails eating meat no more than once per week, and the diet is maintained for at least 20 years.

However, it is unclear to what extent long lives are caused by a vegetarian diet, as opposed to other factors ⁹, ¹⁰.

Risks of a Vegetarian Diet

Vegetarians and vegans are at risk of some vitamin and mineral deficiencies that come primarily from animal products: vitamin B12, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, calcium, iron, and zinc. However, these substances can be obtained with vegetarian or vegan diets, particularly through supplements or fortified food ¹¹. To counter the risk of protein deficiency, it is necessary to consume sufficient legumes, nuts, and soy products ¹.