Vegetarianism: the future of health and the planet

Study: vegetarians have lower risk of cardiovascular disease

According to a study conducted by scientists at the University of Oxford, the future may be vegetarian. To reach this conclusion, they analyzed the diets of 45,000 volunteers from England and Scotland, comparing the levels of cardiovascular disease in meat-eaters and vegetarians. The results of this study appear to be very encouraging.

As part of the study, the scientists examined in detail the diet of the experimental participants, their physical exercise, as well as other factors contributing to or, conversely, impairing health, including smoking, alcohol consumption, education level and social environment. Noticeably, about a third of the participants were vegetarians.

Published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the results of the study suggest that vegetarians have a 32% lower risk of cardiovascular disease compared to meat-eaters. This is an important finding, given that high blood cholesterol levels are often behind such diseases. The researchers also confirm a long-known fact: vegetarianism prolongs life.

What's more, other studies suggest that people in general have reduced their meat consumption in recent years. In the UK, for example, the number of vegetarians has increased by 50% in the past year. This trend not only benefits health, but also the economy. Vegetarian products are on average 60% cheaper than meat products, making them accessible to the general population.

It is important to note that vegetarianism also has an environmental aspect. Environmentalists are urging a switch to a vegetarian diet, claiming that it will help reduce the emission of harmful climate gases. Thus, vegetarianism becomes not only a key to better health, but also an important step towards saving the planet.