Say No to Drugs by Saying Yes to More Plants

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A study of 15,000 American vegetarians suggests their lower chronic disease rates translate into fewer surgeries (including hysterectomies) and medications (including aspirin, sleeping pills, tranquilizers, antacids, pain-killers, blood pressure medications, laxatives, and insulin).

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You’ll note in this study of 15,000 American vegetarians, not only did eating vegetarian appear to have a favorable effect on the prevalence of allergies, but several chronic diseases as well. This is what they referring to. After controlling for factors like smoking rates, vegetarians were found to have significantly less coronary artery disease, fewer strokes, less high blood pressure, less diabetes, less diverticulosis, etc., and significantly fewer diseases overall.

They also noted that the non–vegetarians were more likely to have gone in for surgery for things as varied as varicose veins and hemorrhoids, to even more hysterectomies, as well as more likely to be on medications. Those eating meat had about twice the odds of being on aspirin, sleeping pills, tranquilizers, antacids, painkillers, blood pressure medications, laxatives, and insulin.

So, if you don’t like taking drugs or don’t like paying for drugs, we may be able to cut our odds of needing medications in half by choosing to eat vegetarian.

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 MaryAnn Allison.

Please consider volunteering to help out on the site.

Image thanks to Brian Hansen / flickr

You’ll note in this study of 15,000 American vegetarians, not only did eating vegetarian appear to have a favorable effect on the prevalence of allergies, but several chronic diseases as well. This is what they referring to. After controlling for factors like smoking rates, vegetarians were found to have significantly less coronary artery disease, fewer strokes, less high blood pressure, less diabetes, less diverticulosis, etc., and significantly fewer diseases overall.

They also noted that the non–vegetarians were more likely to have gone in for surgery for things as varied as varicose veins and hemorrhoids, to even more hysterectomies, as well as more likely to be on medications. Those eating meat had about twice the odds of being on aspirin, sleeping pills, tranquilizers, antacids, painkillers, blood pressure medications, laxatives, and insulin.

So, if you don’t like taking drugs or don’t like paying for drugs, we may be able to cut our odds of needing medications in half by choosing to eat vegetarian.

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 MaryAnn Allison.

Please consider volunteering to help out on the site.

Image thanks to Brian Hansen / flickr

Doctor's Note

Check out my other videos on chronic diseases and also my other videos on plant-based diets. 

For further context, see my associated blog posts: Plant-Based Benefits Extend Beyond the Top Killers; Poultry and Penis Cancer; Kiwi Fruit for Irritable Bowel Syndrome; Treating Crohn’s Disease With Diet; and Plant-Based Diets for Fibromyalgia.

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