Do Vegans Live Longer? Here’s What the Science Says | The Beet

Eating healthier is all the rage, especially among the younger generation. In what could be considered as surprising as a teenager applying sunscreen, younger people are avoiding meat and dairy products and adopting a mostly plant-based diet to live longer.

More than 54 percent of Millennials in this country now identify themselves as flexitarians and consumers of all ages are looking for ways to reduce their meat and dairy intake. This coincides with a growing number of consumers shopping with climate change in mind, seeking products and foods that have a lower carbon footprint, a group now known as “climatarians.”

As Americans spend time and money investing in their longevity, food choices are coming front and center in the fight against aging and disease. A body of evidence is now emerging that supports the idea of ​​eating plant-based foods for the sake of health, longevity, and disease prevention, but is it true that vegans actually live longer?

If all studies are based on reality, those who enter old age with intact faculties and largely intact health should also be the people who eat more plant-based foods, less meat and dairy, and who identify as vegetarian, flexitarian, plant based. or completely vegan. We set out to answer the question: Do vegans live longer?

This is what we found.

Eat plant-based for longevity

First, we look at a recent study from England. Eating plant-based is linked to reduced risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, certain cancers, and type 2 diabetes compared to health data for meat eaters. The study, which divided people into four groups, from vegans to people who ate more than 5 servings of meat a week, linked frequent meat consumption to pancreatic cancer.

This recent study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reviewed data on diet and disease in England and found that “mortality from all causes was 12 percent lower in all vegetarians combined (including occasional carnivores and people who ate fish but not meat) than in non-vegetarians.” vegetarians”.

When the authors excluded data from participants who were known to have switched diet groups at least once during follow-up, “vegetarians and vegans had significantly lower all-cause mortality than regular meat eaters,” they wrote.

One sentence in particular suggests that there is a link between meat consumption and pancreatic cancer, specifically:

“For specific causes of death, compared to regular meat eaters, low meat eaters had 30 to 45 percent lower mortality from pancreatic cancer, respiratory disease, and all other causes of death, fish eaters had 20% lower mortality from malignant cancer and 20% higher mortality from circulatory disease, and vegetarians and vegans had 50% lower mortality from pancreatic cancer and lymphatic/hematopoietic tissue cancers.”

However, there is more work to be done, they concluded.

Meanwhile, a growing body of scientific evidence indicates that adopting a plant-based diet while maintaining a healthy lifestyle, such as exercising daily and not smoking, can help you live better. Y more extensive.

Can eating vegan help you live longer?

While experts believe more research is needed before veganism can conclusively claim to extend life expectancy, several studies suggest benefits for a longer, healthier life.

Eliminating meat reduces cancer risk

Red and processed meat products are listed as carcinogenic by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, posing significant risks to the health and longevity of consumers following the traditional Western diet. Major health organizations, including the CDC and the American Heart Association, have warned of the dangers of the conventional Western diet.

Recent research has linked meat consumption to the development of cancer. This week, a new study revealed that eating plant-based can protect your body from several digestive cancers including liver, esophagus, gastric and colorectal. This new research is complemented by several additional studies indicating that plant-based diets can substantially reduce cancer risk by reducing consumption of common carcinogens.

• Giving up meat reduces the risk of cancer in 14 percent
• Eating processed meat increases the risk of colon cancer by 29 percent.
• A healthy plant-based diet lowered your breast cancer risk by 14 percent.
• Plant-based diets trump keto when tested for cancer prevention.

Aim for 75 percent or more of your plate to come from plant foods

“Try to make 75 percent of your plate different colored vegetables,” said Dr. Kien Vuu the beet when discussing how to live longer and improve general well-being. “The richer the colors of vegetables and fruits, the more polyphenols they contain, and those antioxidants are great for our bodies.”

Adopting a plant-based diet can be tricky at first, especially when the Western diet, which emphasizes fatty foods and high sodium intake, teaches Americans to rely on meat for protein. Although you can rely exclusively on legumes and vegetables for your protein, plant-based brands have made it easier than ever to switch to vegan alternatives with meat-free protein products.

Despite some high levels of sodium or preservatives, plant-based proteins make meatless eating accessible to more American consumers. In general, many of these meat alternatives tend to be low in calories and saturated fat, supplemented with gut-healthy ingredients like fiber and essential nutrients.

“Vegan diets have been linked to reduced risk of multiple chronic health conditions associated with heart disease, type 2 diabetes, certain cancers, and obesity,” Brooke Jacob, registered dietitian and program manager for ChristianaCaresaying living science.

“Due to its possible links to disease prevention, it is not surprising that vegans may live longer, as following a vegan diet is linked to a lower incidence of chronic disease. However, more research is needed to definitively conclude that vegans live longer than non-vegans.”

Bottom Line: Eat Plant-Based to Stay Healthy in Old Age

Do vegans live longer? Right now, experts believe we can’t say for sure whether a diet rich in legumes, vegetables, and fruits will help you see 100 candles on your cake. However, scientific studies show that eating a plant-based diet can lower your risk of cancer, heart disease, and other lifestyle-related diseases like type 2 diabetes. Staying disease-free improves longevity and will help you age more healthily and stay healthy for many decades.

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