Transcript Document

Good health
without animal products
Vienna, April 30
Animal products are not needed for
excellent health
The longest living group of people in the world are US
Seventh Day Adventists.
US Adventist vegetarians who drink milk live
about two years longer than non-vegetarians.
US Adventist vegans (no animal products at all) do
slightly better than other vegetarians.
Vegans in the USA and the UK have lower levels of
overweight and obesity than people eating animal
products and have lower cholesterol levels and lower
risk of heart disease.
Death rates updated
• Two recent studies have added to knowledge on death rates
in vegetarians and vegans.
Meat eater
Vegetarian
Vegan
US Adventists
(2003 - 668 vegans)
1.00
0.87
0.84
Germany
(2005 - 60 vegans)
1.00
1.08
1.59
• US Adventist vegans show good B12 levels and low
homocysteine. B12 supplements or fortified foods are widely
used.
• German vegans show poor B12 levels and high
homocysteine. Vegan B12 supplements are difficult to obtain.
Not all vegan diets are healthy
A vegan diet based on chips, white bread,
hydrogenated margarine and soft drinks will not be
healthy.
As with any diet making healthy choices is important.
The potential weaknesses in a vegan diet can be
different from those of a conventional diet.
For instance, vegans in a small study in Germany did
less well than vegans in the US Adventist study. The
key difference appears to be that the US Adventists got
enough vitamin B12 while the German vegans did not.
A recipe for a healthy vegan diet
• Eat a wide variety of whole, lightly processed foods.
• Include plenty of brightly coloured fruit and vegetables –
ideally 500 grams (about a pound) a day or more.
– Oranges, berries, apricots, cherries, nectarines, tomatoes, green
leafy vegetables, beetroot, carrots, sweet potatoes…
• Eat regular small amounts of nuts and oils, preferably
those rich in monounsaturates, such as almonds,
cashews and macadamias, and olive and rapeseed oil.
(Use more of these foods if you tend to be underweight.)
• Limit use of highly processed foods, particularly those
containing hydrogenated fats or a lot of salt.
A recipe for a healthy vegan diet
• Get at least 3 micrograms of vitamin B12 per day from
fortified foods or supplements.
• Include a good source of plant omega-3s, e.g. a
teaspoon of flaxseed oil OR two tablespoons of ground
flaxseed OR two tablespoons of rapeseed oil per day.
• Get an adequate amount of
– Selenium (10 Brazil nuts a week or a supplement)
– Iodine (15 grams of kelp a year or two kelp tablets a
week or an iodine supplement)
– Vitamin D (summer sunlight plus winter holiday
further south or fortified foods or supplement)
This should promote all round good health.
Homocysteine and health
• Elevated homocysteine predicts increased risk of
heart disease, stroke, dementia, osteoporosis,
depression and death from all causes combined.
• In contrast to cholesterol, homocysteine usually
increases from meat eaters to vegetarians to vegans.
• Typical vegan homocysteine levels are consistent with
a 40% increase in mortality from heart disease and
from all causes combined, potentially cancelling out
the predicted benefit of their lower cholesterol.
• This rise in homocysteine is not observed in
vegetarians and vegans consuming 3 micrograms
or more of vitamin B12 per day.
Homocysteine levels in different dietary groups
Homocysteine levels, micromoles per litre
30
25
20
15
10
5
Ta
iw
an
G
20
er
03
m
an
y
20
Ita 02
ly
G
20
er
m
02
an
y
20
Ta
01
iw
an
20
Sl
ov
01
ak
Au ia 2
00
st
ra
0
li a
19
99
C
hi
le
19
9
U
SA 9
19
99
0
Vegans
Vegetarians
Meat eaters
desired
B12 levels in different dietary groups
Vitamin B12 levels, picomoles per litre (pmol/l)
Ta
iw
an
G
20
er
03
m
an
y
20
02
Ita
ly
G
20
er
02
m
an
y
20
Ta
01
iw
an
20
Sl
01
ov
ak
ia
Au
20
st
00
ra
li a
19
99
C
hi
le
19
99
U
SA
19
99
450
400
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
Vegans
Vegetarians
Meat eaters
desired
Folate levels in different dietary groups
Folate levels, nanomoles per litre (nmol/l)
40
35
30
Vegans
25
Vegetarians
20
Meat eaters
15
desired
10
5
20
Sl
01
ov
ak
ia
20
Au
00
st
ra
li a
19
99
C
hi
le
19
99
U
SA
19
99
an
20
01
Ta
iw
an
y
20
02
G
er
m
20
02
Ita
ly
er
m
G
Ta
iw
an
an
y
20
03
0
The bottom line: Death rates
• Pooled analysis of four studies of Western vegetarians up to
1997 (adjusted for smoking, age and sex) – one UK, two US
Adventist and one German study
Regular
meat
eater
Occasional
meat eater
Fish
eater
Vegetarian Vegan
Heart
disease
1.00
0.8
0.66
0.66
0.74
All
causes
1.00
0.84
0.82
0.84
1.00
• The participants in the studies were rarely obese and
generally didn’t smoke – overall death rates were about 60%
that of the general population.
Ischaemic Heart Disease deaths per 100000 per year
Overall death rates per 100000 per year (35-69)
(35-69)
2500
200
180
2000
160
140
1500
120
China Study 2
China Study 2
100
China Study 1
1000
China Study 1
80
60
500
40
20
0
0
0
1
2
3
4
0
5
1
2
3
4
5
Percent calories from animal protein
Percent calories from animal protein
Stroke deaths per 100000 per year (35-69)
Diabetes deaths per 100000 per year (35-69)
800
18
700
16
600
14
500
12
China Study 2
400
10
China Study 2
China Study 1
300
8
200
6
100
4
0
2
0
1
2
3
4
Percent calories from animal protein
5
China Study 1
0
0
1
2
3
4
Percent calories from animal protein
5
Breast cancer deaths per 100000 per year
(35-69)
50
Colorectal cancer deaths per 100000 per year (35-69)
80
45
70
40
60
35
50
30
China Study 2
25
China Study 1
20
China Study 2
40
China Study 1
30
15
20
10
10
5
0
0
0
1
2
3
4
Percent calories from animal protein
5
0
1
2
3
4
Percent calories from animal protein
5