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Vegetarians and vegans have lower BMI, cholesterol and blood pressure than comparable meat-eaters, and lower risks of several common diseases, according to a new review of one of the world's biggest studies of plant-based eaters.
Professor Tim Key, Dr. Keren Papier and Dr. Tammy Tong of the University of Oxford's Cancer Epidemiology Unit summarise two decades of results from EPIC-Oxford, which has followed around 65,000 people, many of them vegetarian or vegan, since the 1990s. The review is published in the Proceedings of the Nutrition Society.
Vegetarians in the study have a relatively low risk of ischaemic heart disease, diabetes, diverticular disease, kidney stones and cataracts. Vegans have a lower risk of diabetes, diverticular disease and cataracts, with too few cases yet for other conditions. The review also reports a higher risk of stroke and bone fractures in vegetarians, and of fractures in vegans, so vitamin B12, vitamin D, calcium and iodine are worth getting right.
Overall, the health of people following plant-based diets appears to be generally good, with advantages but also some risks, and the extent to which the risks may be mitigated by optimal food choices, fortification and supplementation is not yet known.
That is how the authors conclude in the abstract.
EPIC-Oxford is the same study that found vegetarians have 22% lower risk of heart disease, and it sits alongside the Oxford UK Biobank study linking meat to heart disease, diabetes and pneumonia.
Eat your greens, take your B12 and enjoy the benefits.