Do Vegetarians Have The Answer To Weight Loss And Wellness?

If ethical reasons aren’t enough to make you consider vegetarianism, perhaps wellness ones will do it for you, as research suggests that you can dramatically impact your wellbeing and your weight by ditching meat and fish in favour of a vegetarian diet.

According to the study of 44,500 people in England and Scotland, which was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, if you are a vegetarian you are 32% less likely to die or need hospital treatment as a result of heart disease. Scientists at the University of Oxford analysed data from 15,100 vegetarians and 29,400 people who ate meat and fish, and surmised that the difference in heart wellness may occur because of the health boost that vegetarians have from differences in cholesterol levels, blood pressure and body weight.

Heart disease kills 94,000 people in the UK each year, which is more than any other disease, and 2.6 million people live with the condition. It occurs when the arteries that nourish your heart muscle contain fatty deposits, which blocks up your heart’s own blood supply. If these vessels become blocked completely, you can experience angina or even a heart attack. During the 11-year study, 169 participants died from heart disease and 1,066 needed hospital treatment. These people were more likely to have been meat and fish eaters than vegetarians.

According to Dr Francesca Crowe, ‘The main message is that diet is an important determinant of heart health. I’m not advocating that everyone eats a vegetarian diet. The diets are quite different. Vegetarians probably have a lower intake of saturated fat so it makes senses there is a lower risk of heart disease.’

Tracy Parker, from the British Heart Foundation, added ‘This research reminds us that we should try to eat a balanced and varied diet – whether this includes meat or not. But remember, choosing the veggie option on the menu is not a shortcut to a healthy heart. After all, there are still plenty of foods suitable for vegetarians that are high in saturated fat and salt.’ Therefore, she advised, ‘If you’re thinking of switching to a vegetarian diet, make sure you plan your meals carefully so that you replace any lost vitamins and minerals, such as iron, that you would normally get from meat.’