Photo: Ella Olsson via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0, cropped.
Vegetarians have around half the risk of dying from kidney failure and from diabetes, according to a new analysis of 88,400 Seventh-day Adventists. Estimated at age 65, vegetarians had 48% lower renal failure mortality, 49% lower diabetes mortality, 27% lower ischaemic heart disease mortality, 43% lower infectious disease mortality and 11% lower mortality overall than non-vegetarians.
The study, from Loma Linda University's Adventist Health Study team led by Dr. Grace Abris and Professor Gary Fraser, is published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Participants across North America joined between 2002 and 2007 and were followed through 2015, giving 971,424 person-years and 12,515 deaths. Vegans, lacto-ovo vegetarians and pesco-vegetarians each had lower total mortality too. At age 85, vegetarians showed somewhat higher stroke and dementia death rates, which the authors say needs further investigation.
The authors conclude in the paper:
Vegetarian diets are associated with lower risk for all-cause and many cause-specific mortalities, especially among males and in younger subjects.
Adventists have given us some of the best long-term data on plant-based eating. Oxford researchers found vegetarians had a 22% lower risk of heart disease over 18 years, and a healthy plant-based diet has been linked to 14% lower risk of chronic kidney disease.
More plants, healthier kidneys and a longer life. Great news!