Vegetarians and Their Reduced Risk of Getting Heart Disease
Despite the reasons for adopting a vegetarian diet, the health benefits of eliminating meat from the diet is very easy to notice. By limiting the food consumption to fruits, vegetables and legumes, vegetarians can lower the levels of their blood fats, triglycerides and cholesterol compared with those who consume eat. The presence of high levels of fats can increase a person’s risk to having heart disease.
Vegetarian health varies depending on the type of vegetarian
Lacto ovo vegetarians, or those who refrain from eating meat yet still consume dairy products, have higher blood levels of saturated fats and cholesterols, than vegans, or those who refrain from all animal products and by-products. Still, cholesterol levels of lacto-ovo vegetarians are still lower than those of non-vegetarians.
Comparison of vegetarian health and health of meat-eaters
In a research, it was found that men who refrain from eating meat can reduce their risk of having heart disease by half compared with men who consume meat more than five times each week. The same study also observed that middle-aged men who eat meat have four times the risk of suffering a heart attack.
The results for the women vary. Because the risk in having a heart attack in women is reduced by the presence of female hormones, a vegetarian diet can only lower the risk of heart attack in older women. However, this doesn’t mean that there are no benefits in becoming a vegetarian while younger. A 1982 study made by British researchers concluded that the greater the meat consumption, the higher the risks of a heart attack.
By removing meat from the diet of both men and women, the intake of fats and cholesterols that are detrimental to the heart’s health is greatly reduced. However, new vegetarians should not make the mistake of increasing the intake of dairy products (which contain high quantities of fat) and eggs (which have high cholesterol content). To maximize the health benefits of becoming a vegetarian, a person should limit, if not eliminate, the consumption of eggs and dairy products.
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