Pescotarians even healthier than vegetarians

Many people know that vegetarians are healthier. Is a waiver of animal products so advisable?

08/07/2013

The main arguments for a vegetarian diet include: environmental protection, not killing animals and your own health. Whether the renunciation of meat or even completely on animal products is really healthier for the human organism, there is no clear evidence and the experts also disagree.

It has long been undeniable that fish with its valuable omega-3 fatty acids is good for humans. These can not be produced by the body itself. So a supply of food is essential if you want to achieve a life-prolonging effect. Pescetarism, in addition to the consumption of fruits and vegetables, also includes fish and is apparently the healthiest nutritional style.

Most studies on a vegetarian diet and the associated health effects have so far all little meaning. Although they came to the conclusion that vegetarians live longer on average and less often affected by specific chronic diseases, but this behavior can not be clearly written the diet. It could also be due to the generally healthier lifestyle of many vegetarians.

Germans eat too little fish
According to the 2012 DGE Nutrition Report, adults eat significantly less than the recommended amount of weekly 80g to 150g low-fat plus 70g high-fat marine fish. In particular, young people take far too little fish.

The Viennese nutritionist Ibrahim Elmadfa came to the conclusion that vegans, contrary to popular belief, develop no deficiency symptoms. Even though they completely dispense with animal products, they consume less vitamin B12, calcium and vitamin D than normal eaters.

By way of explanation, the nutritionist states that vegetarians and vegans are leading a generally healthier lifestyle, thus reducing the need for increased health-promoting products. Lots of exercise, low alcohol and the typical diet for them has enormous positive effects. Especially the stay outdoors promotes the body's own vitamin D production

These behaviors make accurate scientific analysis of different dietary styles difficult and do not allow clear results. Michael Orlich and his research team from the Californian Linda University has examined as a possible answer to this problem a group of subjects with a uniform nutritional style but different diet.

A study with Adventists brings light into the darkness
The religious community of homogeneous lifestyles has been studied more closely. In total, there were 73,000 Adventists. These do not consume pigs or horse meat and do not consume alcohol or tobacco. Most of them also eat vegetarian. Only about 15% eat meat and meat gives Orlich.

For six years, the group was closely studied and found that among vegetarians 12% fewer people died than with the meat eaters. Men, in contrast to women, contributed to this result. Especially in cardiovascular diseases are less vegetarians. In cancer, however, the researchers could make no difference.

Milk not as healthy for men as adopted
Overall, the vegetarians did not fare much better than the meat eaters. One reason could be the similar number of calories consumed daily and the milk is not as healthy for men as it has been for a long time.

In one study, nearly 21,000 physicians were given three portions of milk daily. The prostate cancer risk increased by 34 percent. A supervisor from Boston and Chicago suggests that the high calcium levels of milk increase the risk and decrease the body's own production of vitamin D. This is considered an effective protection factor of the prostate gland.

The best performers in the Adventist study were the Pesco vegetarians. Their death rate was 19 percent lower than that of the butchers. Among men, it was even 27 percent lower. So who focuses his menu on fruits, vegetables and fish, lives the longest. The fact that fish have a life-prolonging effect is mainly due to omega-3 fatty acids.

These protect against diabetes as well as against heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular diseases. Thus, over 18 times more people die of sudden cardiac death than in Japan. There is daily fish on the menu and there is much less meat on the plate. (Fr)

Picture: twinlili