Eating a vegetarian diet can give you extra protection if you’re a smoker or drink excessively.
Compared with meat eaters, vegetarians have healthy biomarkers that are not affected by smoking or drinking. Healthy biomarkers—including cholesterol and inflammation levels—suggest a lower chance of developing cancer, heart disease or other age-related chronic conditions.
Researchers from Glasgow University assessed the health and diets of more than 177,000 people aged between 37 and 73; of these, just over 4,000 participants were vegetarian. Even after accounting for age, obesity, smoking and alcohol consumption, the vegetarians scored higher with 13 biomarkers that predict the risk of diabetes, heart disease, cancer, liver, bone and joint health and kidney function.
It’s not clear if eating meat is the main culprit, or if it’s because vegetarians eat a healthier diet that includes more vegetables, fruits and nuts, the researchers say.
(Source: proceedings of the European Congress on Obesity, May 9, 2021)
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