Vegetarian Diets Associated With Lower Risk of Death
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Vegetarian diets are associated with reduced death rates in a study of
more than 70,000 Seventh-day Adventists with more favorable results
for men than women, according to a report published Online First by
JAMA Internal Medicine, a JAMA Network publication.
The possible relationship between diet and mortality is an important
area of study. Vegetarian diets have been associated with reductions
in risk for several chronic diseases, including hypertension,
metabolic syndrome, diabetes mellitus and ischemic heart disease
(IHD), according to the study background.
Michael J. Orlich, M.D., of Loma Linda University in California, and
colleagues examined all-cause and cause-specific mortality in a group
of 73,308 men and women Seventh-day Adventists. Researchers assessed
dietary patients using a questionnaire that categorized study
participants into five groups: nonvegetarian, semi-vegetarian, pesco-
vegetarian (includes seafood), lacto-ovo-vegetarian (includes dairy
and egg products) and vegan (excludes all animal products).
The study notes that vegetarian groups tended to be older, more highly
educated and more likely to be married, to drink less alcohol, to
smoke less, to exercise more and to be thinner.
"Some evidence suggests vegetarian dietary patterns may be associated
with reduced mortality, but the relationship is not well established,"
the study notes.
There were 2,570 deaths among the study participants during a mean
(average) follow-up time of almost six years. The overall mortality
rate was six deaths per 1,000 person years. The adjusted hazard ratio
(HR) for all-cause mortality in all vegetarians combined vs.
nonvegetarians was 0.88, or 12 percent lower, according to the study
results. The association also appears to be better for men with
significant reduction in cardiovascular disease mortality and IHD
death in vegetarians vs. nonvegetarians. In women, there were no
significant reductions in these categories of mortality, the results
indicate.
"These results demonstrate an overall association of vegetarian
dietary patterns with lower mortality compared with the nonvegetarian
dietary pattern. They also demonstrate some associations with lower
mortality of the pesco-vegetarian, vegan and lacto-ovo-vegetarian
diets specifically compared with the nonvegetarian diet," the authors
conclude.