The latest study to debunk the vegan longevity myth comes out of Graz, Austria. Using data from the Austrian Health Interview Series, researchers from the Institute for Social Medicine and Epidemiology compared omnivores with vegans, ovo-lacto vegetarians and pesco-vegetarians (near vegetarians who consumed some fish, eggs and/or milk) of similar sex, age and socio-economic status. They found the vegetarians suffered from more chronic conditions including allergies, asthma, anxiety, depression, diabetes, migraines, osteoporosis, heart disease and cancer. They had more doctors visits, a higher need for health care, dimmer assessments of their own health, and poorer social relationships. While the researchers did not report they were home crying because they “weren’t invited anywhere fun or dangerous,” they found vegetarian drinking was less likely to involve alcohol.
We had a arch-vegaNazi keyboard played on one of my bands. He was alright to be around - as long as talk never turned to food. Then he was insufferable.
I always thought it hilarious that he and his spindly-boned wife were all the time extolling the gargantuan heal benefits of the lifestyle - all the while they were pallid and sickly looking and never seemed to have any energy or spark.
Do vegetarians live longer? Two words: Linda McCartney.
CC