More than 70,000 Seventh-day Adventists’ diets were examined for this study which determined that vegetarian diets were associated with reduced death rates particularly in men rather than women. Via questionnaire, the subjects were categorized into five groups: non-vegetarian, semi-vegetarian, pesco-vegetarian (includes seafood), lacto-ovo-vegetarian (includes dairy and egg products) and vegan (excludes all animal products). Results found that all vegetarian groups tended to be older, more highly educated and more likely to be married, to drink less alcohol, to smoke less, to exercise more and to be thinner compared to non-vegetarians--although it was NOT a direct cause-and-effect relationship. Mortality (by any cause) was about 12% lower in vegetarians than non-vegetarians in this sample of subjects. Overall, results demonstrate an association of vegetarian dietary patterns with lower mortality compared with the non-vegetarian dietary pattern.
Reference: Orlich et al. Vegetarian dietary patterns and mortality in Adventist health study2.
JAMA Intern Med. July 2013; 173(13): 1230.
