[659] in Vegetarian_Support_Group
Vegetarian Foods: Powerful for Health
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (elsiedee@MIT.EDU)
Sun Sep 17 17:33:52 1995
From: elsiedee@MIT.EDU
To: vsg@MIT.EDU
Date: Sun, 17 Sep 1995 17:33:02 EDT
Vegetarian Foods: Powerful For Health
*************************************
A vegetarian diet has been advocated by everyone from philosophers,
such as Plato and Nietzsche, to statesmen, such as Benjamin Franklin,
to modern pop icons such as Paul McCartney and Bob Marley. Science is
also on the side of vegetarian foods. A multitude of studies have
proven the health benefits of a vegetarian diet to be remarkable.
"Vegetarian" is defined as avoiding all animal flesh, including fish
and poultry. Vegetarians who avoid flesh, but do eat animal products
such as cheese, milk, and eggs are ovo-lacto-vegetarians (ovo = egg;
lacto = milk, cheese, etc.). The ranks of those who eschew all animal
products are rapidly growing; these people are referred to as pure
vegetarians or vegans (vee' guns). Scientific research shows that
ovo-lacto-vegetarians are healthier than meat-eaters, and vegans are
healthier than ovo-lacto- vegetarians.
Preventing Cancer
+++++++++++++++++
A vegetarian diet helps to prevent cancer. Numerous epidemiological
and clinical studies have shown that vegetarians are nearly fifty
percent less likely to die from cancer than non-vegetarians.1
Similarly, breast cancer rates are dramatically lower in nations, such
as China, that follow plant- based diets. Interestingly, Japanese
women who follow Western-style, meat- based diets are eight times more
likely to develop breast cancer than women who follow a more
traditional plant-based diet.2 Vegetarians also have lower rates of
colon cancer than meat-eaters.3
Animal products are usually high in fat and always devoid of fiber.
Meat and dairy products contribute to many forms of cancer, including
cancer of the colon, breast, prostate, and other organs. Colon cancer
has been directly linked to meat consumption. High-fat diets also
encourage the body's production of estrogens, in particular,
estradiol. Increased levels of this sex hormone have been linked to
breast cancer. One recent study linked dairy products to an increased
risk of ovarian cancer. The process of breaking down the lactose
(milk sugar) into galactose evidently damages the ovaries.4
Vegetarians avoid the animal fat that is linked to cancer and get
abundant fiber and vitamins that help to prevent cancer. In addition,
blood analysis of vegetarians reveals a higher level of Natural Killer
Cells, specialized white blood cells that attack cancer cells.5
Beating Heart Disease
+++++++++++++++++++++
Vegetarian diets also help prevent heart disease. Animal products are
the main source of saturated fat and the only source of cholesterol in
the diet. Vegetarians avoid these risky products. Additionally, fiber
helps reduce cholesterol levels,6 and animal products contain no
fiber. One study even demonstrated that a low-fat, high-fiber,
plant-based diet combined with stress reduction techniques, smoking
cessation, and exercise could actually reverse atherosclerosis --
hardening of the arteries.7 Heart diets that include animal products
are much less effective, usually only slowing the process of
atherosclerosis.
Lowering Blood Pressure
+++++++++++++++++++++++
Back in the early 1900's, nutritionists noted that people who ate no
meat had lower blood pressure.8 It was also discovered that vegetarian
diets could, within two weeks, significantly reduce a person's blood
pressure.9 These results were evident regardless of the sodium levels
in the vegetarian diets.
Preventing and Reversing Diabetes
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Non-insulin-dependent (adult-onset) diabetes can be better controlled
and sometimes even eliminated through a low-fat, vegetarian diet along
with regular exercise. Because such a diet is low in fat and high in
fiber and complex carbohydrates, it allows insulin to work more
effectively. The diabetic person can more easily regulate glucose
levels. While a vegetarian diet cannot eliminate the need for insulin
in people with insulin-dependent (childhood-onset) diabetes, it can
often reduce the amounts of insulin used. Some scientists believe that
insulin dependent diabetes may be caused by an auto-immune reaction to
dairy proteins.
Gallstones, Kidney Stones, and Osteoporosis
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Vegetarian diets have been shown to reduce one's chances of forming
kidney stones and gallstones. Diets that are high in protein,
especially animal protein, tend to cause the body to excrete more
calcium, oxalate, and uric acid. These three substances are the main
components of urinary tract stones. British researchers have advised
that persons with a tendency to form kidney stones should follow a
vegetarian diet.10 Similarly, high- cholesterol, high-fat diets -- the
typical meat-based diet -- are implicated in the formation of
gallstones.
For many of the same reasons, vegetarians are at a lower risk for
osteoporosis. Since animal products force calcium out of the body,
eating meat can promote bone loss. In nations with mainly vegetable
diets (and without dairy product consumption), osteoporosis is less
common than in the U.S. -- even when calcium intake is also less than
in the U.S.11
Asthma
++++++
A 1985 Swedish study demonstrated that asthmatics who practice a vegan
diet for a full year have a marked decrease in their need for
medications, and in their frequency and severity of asthma attacks.
Twenty-two of the twenty-four subjects reported improvement by the end
of the year.12 Dairy allergies may be part of the reason.
Common Concerns
+++++++++++++++
Some people still worry about the ease with which a vegetarian diet
can provide all essential nutrients. The fact is, it is very easy to
have a well-balanced diet with vegetarian foods. Vegetarian foods
provide plenty of protein. Careful combining of foods is not
necessary. Any normal variety of plant foods provides more than enough
protein for the body's needs. Although there is somewhat less protein
in a vegetarian diet than a meat- eater's diet, this is actually an
advantage. Excess protein has been linked to kidney stones,
osteoporosis, and possibly heart disease and some cancers. A diet
focused on beans, whole grains, and vegetables contains adequate
amounts of protein without the "overdose" most meat-eaters get.
Calcium is easy to find in a vegetarian diet. Many dark, green, leafy
vegetables and beans are loaded with calcium, and some orange juices
and cereals are calcium-fortified. Iron is plentiful in whole grains,
beans, and fruits.
Vitamin B12
+++++++++++
Vitamin B12 is a genuine issue for vegans, although very easy to deal
with. Traditionally, getting this vitamin has not been difficult. In
cultures with plant-based diets, the microorganisms that produce B12
grow in the soil and cling to root vegetables, and traditional Asian
miso and tempeh contain large amounts of the vitamin. But with
industrialized production and improved hygiene, this source of B12 has
been eliminated. Meat-eaters get B12 through microorganisms living in
the animals they eat.
Although cases of B12 deficiency are very uncommon, it is important to
make sure that one has a reliable source of the vitamin. Good sources
include all common multiple vitamins (including vegetarian vitamins),
fortified cereals, and fortified soy milk. It is especially important
for pregnant women and breast-feeding mothers to get enough vitamin
B12.
Special Concerns: Pregnancy, Infants, and Children
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
During pregnancy, one's nutritional needs increase. The American
Dietetic Association has found vegan diets adequate for fulfilling
nutritional needs during pregnancy, but pregnant women and nursing
mothers should supplement their diets with vitamins B12 and D. Most
doctors also recommend that pregnant women supplement their diet with
iron and folic acid, although vegetarians normally consume more folic
acid than meat-eaters.
Vegetarian women have a lower incidence of pre-eclampsia in pregnancy,
and significantly more pure breast milk. Analyses of vegetarians'
breast milk show that the levels of environmental contaminants in
their milk are much lower than in non-vegetarians.13 Studies have also
shown that in families with a history of food allergies, when women
abstain from allergenic foods, including milk, meat, and fish, during
pregnancy, they are less likely to pass allergies on to the infant.14
Mothers who drink milk pass cow antibodies along to their nursing
infants through their breast milk. These antibodies can cause colic.
Vegetarian children also have high nutritional needs, but these, too,
are met within a vegetarian diet. A vegetarian menu is
"life-extending." As young children, vegetarians may grow more
gradually, reach puberty somewhat later, and live substantially longer
than do meat-eaters. Do be sure to include a reliable source of
vitamin B12.
Further Reading
+++++++++++++++
For more information on vegetarian diets, PCRM recommends:
The Power of Your Plate, by Neal Barnard, MD
The McDougall Plan, by John McDougall, MD
Dr. Dean Ornish's Program for Reversing Heart Disease, by Dean Ornish,
MD.
References:
+++++++++++
1. Phillips RL. Role of lifestyle and dietary habits in risk of cancer
among Seventh-Day Adventists. Cancer Res (Supple) 1975;35:3513-22.
2. Trichhopoulos D, Yen S, et al. The effect of Westernization on
urine estrogens, frequency of ovulation, and breast cancer risks: a
study in ethnic Chinese women in the Orient and in the U.S.A. Cancer
1984;53:187-92.
3. Phillips RL, 1975.
4. Cramer DW, Willett WC, et al. Galactose consumption and metabolism
in relation to the risk of ovarian cancer. The Lancet 1989;2:66-71.
5. Malter M, Schriever G, Eilber U. Natural killer cells, vitamins,
and other blood components of vegetarian and omnivorous men. Nutrition
and Cancer 1989;12:271-278.
6. Sacks FM, et al. Plasma lipids and lipoproteins in vegetarians and
controls. New Engl J Med 1975;292:1148-52.
7. Ornish D, Brown SE, et al. Can lifestyle changes reverse coronary
heart disease? The Lancet 1990;336:129-33.
8. Salie F. Influence of vegetarian food on blood pressure. Med Klin
1930;26:929-931.
9. Donaldson AN. The relation of protein foods to hypertension. Calif
West Med 1926;24:328-331.
10. Robertson WG, Peacock M, et al. Should recurrent calcium oxalate
stone formers become vegetarians? British J Urology 1979;51:427-431.
11. Hegsted DM. Calcium and osteoporosis. J Nutr 1986;116:2316-2319.
12. Lindahl O, Lindwall L, et al. Vegan regimen with reduced
medication in the treatment of bronchial asthma. J Asthma
1985;22:45-55.
13. Hergenrather J, Hlady G, et al. Pollutants in breast milk of
vegetarians (letter). New Engl J Med 1981;304:792.
14. Allergies in infants are linked to mother's diets. New York Times,
30 August 1990.
For more information, contact:
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
P.O. Box 6322
Washington, DC 20015
(202) 686-2210
