Flexitarians versus vegetarians: who lives longer?
Low Meat or No Meat?
What about vegetarians, though? Eating meat shortens our life, but who lives longer? Those eating low meat, or those eating no meat? Three choices: low meat, no meat, or they both live the same. Do you think eating a little meat will help you live longer? Is it like smoking—there’s no such thing as a safe level of meat consumption? Or do you think the latest science says no difference—that you appear to get the same longevity benefit from cutting down on meat as you get from cutting it out?
If you said low meat, you’re wrong. But if you said either no meat, or no difference, you’re right, and that’s because it depends on whether we’re talking about studies on American vegetarians, or British vegetarians. American vegetarians live longer than healthy meat-eaters, but British vegetarians do not.
Why do British vegetarians lose some of their advantage? Lots of theories, but my guess is that it’s because they appear less likely to supplement their diet with vitamin B12-fortified foods or supplements.
To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by veganmontreal.
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- P. N. Singh, J. Sabate, and G. E. Fraser. Does low meat consumption increase life expectancy in humans? American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 78(3):526, 2003.
- T. J. Key, P. N. Appleby, E. A. Spencer, R. C. Travis, A. W. Roddam, and N. E. Allen. Mortality in British vegetarians: results from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC-Oxford). Am. J. Clin. Nutr., 89(5):1613S1619S, 2009.
What about vegetarians, though? Eating meat shortens our life, but who lives longer? Those eating low meat, or those eating no meat? Three choices: low meat, no meat, or they both live the same. Do you think eating a little meat will help you live longer? Is it like smoking—there’s no such thing as a safe level of meat consumption? Or do you think the latest science says no difference—that you appear to get the same longevity benefit from cutting down on meat as you get from cutting it out?
If you said low meat, you’re wrong. But if you said either no meat, or no difference, you’re right, and that’s because it depends on whether we’re talking about studies on American vegetarians, or British vegetarians. American vegetarians live longer than healthy meat-eaters, but British vegetarians do not.
Why do British vegetarians lose some of their advantage? Lots of theories, but my guess is that it’s because they appear less likely to supplement their diet with vitamin B12-fortified foods or supplements.
To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by veganmontreal.
Please consider volunteering to help out on the site.
- P. N. Singh, J. Sabate, and G. E. Fraser. Does low meat consumption increase life expectancy in humans? American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 78(3):526, 2003.
- T. J. Key, P. N. Appleby, E. A. Spencer, R. C. Travis, A. W. Roddam, and N. E. Allen. Mortality in British vegetarians: results from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC-Oxford). Am. J. Clin. Nutr., 89(5):1613S1619S, 2009.
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Low Meat or No Meat?
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URLNota del Doctor
Want to know more about diet and longevity? Check out:
Caloric Restriction vs. Animal Protein Restriction
And check out my other videos on vegetarians and flexitarians.
For more context, also see my associated blog posts: Eating To Extend Our Lifespan and Poultry Paunch: Meat & Weight Gain.
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