Vegetarian diet associated with poorer health (higher incidences of cancer, allergies, mental health disorders, vitamin deficiencies).

[kiny]

http://www.plosone.org/article/authors/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0088278;jsessionid=4436435FE80B0219C219A5C4B04764E8

Nutrition and Health – The Association between Eating Behavior and Various Health Parameters: A Matched Sample Study

April 2014

Nathalie T. Burkert ,Johanna Muckenhuber, Franziska Großschädl, Éva Rásky, Wolfgang Freidl

Institute of Social Medicine and Epidemiology, Medical University Graz, Austria



Population-based studies have consistently shown that our diet has an influence on health. Therefore, the aim of our study was to analyze differences between different dietary habit groups in terms of health-related variables.

The sample used for this cross-sectional study was taken from the Austrian Health Interview Survey AT-HIS 2006/07. In a first step, subjects were matched according to their age, sex, and socioeconomic status (SES). After matching, the total number of subjects included in the analysis was 1320 (N = 330 for each form of diet – vegetarian, carnivorous diet rich in fruits and vegetables, carnivorous diet less rich in meat, and carnivorous diet rich in meat). Analyses of variance were conducted controlling for lifestyle factors in the following domains: health (self-assessed health, impairment, number of chronic conditions, vascular risk), health care (medical treatment, vaccinations, preventive check-ups), and quality of life. In addition, differences concerning the presence of 18 chronic conditions were analyzed by means of Chi-square tests.

Overall, 76.4% of all subjects were female. 40.0% of the individuals were younger than 30 years, 35.4% between 30 and 49 years, and 24.0% older than 50 years. 30.3% of the subjects had a low SES, 48.8% a middle one, and 20.9% had a high SES.

Our results revealed that a vegetarian diet is related to a lower BMI and less frequent alcohol consumption. Moreover, our results showed that a vegetarian diet is associated with poorer health (higher incidences of cancer, allergies, and mental health disorders), a higher need for health care, and poorer quality of life. Therefore, public health programs are needed in order to reduce the health risk due to nutritional factors.

 

[VeganOstomy]

Unfortunately, this is another extremely misleading study... the actual pure vegetarians (not eating fish, eggs or dairy) made up only 0.2% of the study group.

There are RD's who've already ripped this study apart, so I won't repeat the other flaws in the study's design.

 

[nogutsnoglory]

It's unclear from this study if the diet was primarily meat analogues which are unhealthy or more plant based and raw vegan.

 

[VeganOstomy]

It's unclear from this study if the diet was primarily meat analogues which are unhealthy or more plant based and raw vegan.

The study bulked up people who ate eggs, dairy and fish under "vegetarian". Almost half the "vegetarians" were under the age of 30 and it's not noted how long they had been "vegetarian" for or why (the author writes that they could have had health problems before turning to vegetarianism).

It's perhaps one of the most poorly designed studies, but it's certainly making headlines.

 

[vonfunk]

It seems a fair amount of Europe considers fish to be a vegetable.

 

[VeganOstomy]

It seems a fair amount of Europe considers fish to be a vegetable.

Depending on who you talk to, chicken isn't meat either :shifty-t:

 

[Orchid]

It seems a fair amount of Europe considers fish to be a vegetable.

Well you know them salmon they just steam right up.

 

[vonfunk]

My old room mate was raised by her very German grandparents, as such her definition of vegetarian doesn't seem to fit with reality.

 

[Orchid]

It's called Pescetarianism and it's pretty common in some parts of the world!

 

[D Bergy]

I enjoy a Finnish salad now and then.

A plate of sausages.

Dan

 

[vonfunk]

I'm aware, we had a bunch of conversations about what she was but she refused to call herself anything but a vegetarian.

 

[sid]

I find it funny how the study concludes that vegetarian diet lead to poor health.
I am not sure if they even understand what is a pure vegetarian diet. Hope they come down to my country someday to understand how vegetarians eat.

 

[D Bergy]

Take all studies with a grain of salt.

They are often wrong, flawed, faked or biased.

Even the best only give you a very limited picture of the subject.

Here is an interesting article on common myths about peer reviewed studies.

http://michaelnielsen.org/blog/three-myths-about-scientific-peer-review/

Dan

 

[xmdmom]

I read this intriguing comment to the article you cited, here http://www.plosone.org/annotation/listThread.action?root=78839

"The same data-source (Austrian Health Interview Survey AT-HIS 2006/07) was analyzed from the same authors, but resulting in the very antithesis of this study: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00508-013-0483-3

In the other study, published in February 2014, Nathalie T. Burkert and the other authors concluded:
"Our results show that a vegetarian diet is associated with a better health-related behavior, a lower BMI, and a higher SES. Subjects eating a carnivorous diet less rich in meat self-report poorer health, a higher number of chronic conditions, an enhanced vascular risk, as well as lower quality of life."

To my understanding of serious scientific, if someone get results A and !A regarding to the same data-source, then there seems to be something wrong with the methods. Under that conditions it seems very unclear (or even more than that to me), if the results can have a value at all.

Maybe the authors can comment on that? Why can one and the same data-source result in almost exact contrary results?"

 

[kiny]

I dont't know. It's rare to see a negative study about anything, you don't get money to post a negative conclusion. Regarding the diets themselves, B12, carnosine and creatine are needed for healthy brain function, I am more surprised by people who argue that vegan diets would not result in more mental illnesses.

It is those exact micronutrients and complex amino acids found only in meat that allowed us to develop a brain that can outsmart every animal on the planet. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10918988

 

[Orchid]

Don't forget the complex fatty acids rare in vegetables that the brain requires for it's upkeep. While vegetarianism is a valid life choice, it's one that needs to be discussed with a professional nutritionist because of the risks of making yourself comically sick by forgetting one of them many substances required by the human body rare outside of meat and animal products.

 

[VeganOstomy]

I am more surprised by people who argue that vegan diets would not result in more mental illnesses.

It's unfortunate that dementia like Alzheimer's is so common these days, even with 98% of the population eating animal products.

There are many factors which can lead to mental illness in old age, but we know that what people have been doing up to now isn't working. There are parts of the world where dementia is relatively low and lifespan is high and those populations tend to eat very little meat.

You can certainly screw yourself up by not eating properly, but even things like obesity contribute to dementia, and it's best to improve all aspects of your life, not just focus on diet.

 

[sid]

I dont't know. It's rare to see a negative study about anything, you don't get money to post a negative conclusion. Regarding the diets themselves, B12, carnosine and creatine are needed for healthy brain function, I am more surprised by people who argue that vegan diets would not result in more mental illnesses.

It is those exact micronutrients and complex amino acids found only in meat that allowed us to develop a brain that can outsmart every animal on the planet. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10918988

thats really interesting point you brought up Kiny, but I will tell what I have been seeing around me. Both my grandparent and my mom are pure vegetarians. And I mean 'PURE'. They don't even touch an item like an egg forget about eating them. (In Hinduism its not allowed to have non veg as it doesn't allow killing animals.). My grandmother lived for 106 years and my grandfather lived for 96 years..all healthy no problems. They did not even had the idea that there was somethng called vit. b12 that could be less in their bodies. As a matter of fact here in my place its very common to see people who are pure vegetarians...and I dnt think even they go for any kind of supplementation. I guess Milk alone does the work them.