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Why Vegetarians Live Longer?

Do vegetarians live longer is a question that will get equivocal positive and negative answers. And for sure, positive answers will be from vegetarian people and negative answers will be from non-vegetarians.

There is no harm if you eat meat in moderation, but the truth is that going vegetarian is the best for your overall well being. There are many studies that prove that vegetarians live longer with a healthy body than non-vegetarians, which will make us think of the benefits of being a vegetarian.

Why Vegetarians Live Longer?

You might have laughed at least once on your vegetarian friend who tells that paneer tastes like chicken, but think again once more. His paneer is healthier that your meat. A new study published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine claims that vegetarians live longer without the incidence of life threatening diseases.

This is a topic of debate as well as scientific research. Most studies focus on the rate of incidence of diseases in both groups. Here are some of the reasons why it is believed that vegetarians live longer than non-vegetarians. Go through this and understand the benefits of being a vegetarian.

Low blood pressure: Vegetarian diet gives importance to both cooked and raw vegetables. Most of these are devoid of extra fat or cholesterol. And, they don’t demand too much of salt for their preparation. This is one of the reasons why vegetarians live longer with low blood pressure and its associated complications.

Healthy heart:
Since your lifestyle and food habits can influence your heart health, benefits of being a vegetarian is extended to this aspect as well. Vegetarian have a comparatively lower chances of increased cholesterol and clogged arteries.

Improve mental health: Vegetables and fruits provide many nutrients that are essential for your mental health and emotional stability. Most of the vegetarians stick on to meat dishes alone and they will lack many the essential nutrients in their diet. Moreover, the use of hormones in commercially available meat products will make changes in our body hormones as well.

Lower risk of cancer: Nowadays, researches are primarily focusing on finding out cure for cancer from vegetables and fruits. Vegetarians are considered to be having a lower risk of cancer when compared to those who take non-vegetarian foods daily. This is one of the reasons why vegetarians live longer.

Less chance to have obesity: Obesity can be hereditary, but while considering obesity due to wrong food habits, vegetarians are lucky! Vegetarians have a lower chance of becoming overweight. The increased calories in non-vegetarian food put those who consume von-veg food in the high risk category for obesity.

Lower chance for hormonal imbalance: There are many studies that prove that meat and meat products are one of the major reasons for hormonal imbalance in non-vegetarians. Polcystic ovarian disease that is one among the diseases due to hormonal imbalance is an example. This again proves the benefits of being a vegetarian.

Decreased metabolic syndrome: A study published in the journal Diabetes Care indicates that a vegetarian diet is linked with decreased metabolic risk factors. Since metabolic syndrome is the main cause of many chronic disorders, a decreased risk of metabolic syndrome in vegetarians adds to the causes why vegetarians live longer.

Consider the benefits of being a vegetarian and make a wise choice.

Story first published: Saturday, July 26, 2014, 13:28 [IST]
Read more about: vegetarian nutrition