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THE MYTHS OF VEGETARIANISM THE MYTHS VEGETARIANISM Anthropological studies showing that no tribal peoples are strictly vegetarian suggest we need to include animal foods in our diets to maintain good health. Part 2 of 2 Mate #7: Vegetarians live longer and have more energy and endurance than meat-eaters. A vegetarian guidebook published in Great Britain made the following claim: You and your children don't need to eat meat to stay healthy. In fact, vegetarians claim they are among the healthiest people around, and they can expect to live nine years longer than meat-eaters (this is often because heart and circulatory diseases are rarer). These days almost half the population in Britain is trying to avoid meat, according to a survey by the Food Research Association in January 1990.” In commenting on this claim of extended lifespan, author Craig Fitzroy astutely points out that: The "nine-year advantage" is an oft-repeated but invariably unsourced piece of anecdotal evidence for vegetarianism. But anyone who believes that by snubbing mum's Sunday roast they will be adding a decade to their years on the planet is almost certainly indulging in a bit of wishful thinking.” And that is what most of the claims for increased longevity in vegetarians are: anecdotal. There is no proof that a healthy vegetarian diet, when compared to a healthy omnivorous diet, will result in a longer life. Additionally, people who choose a vegetarian lifestyle typically also choose not to smoke; they choose to exercise; in short, they choose to live a healthier lifestyle. These things also are factors in one's longevity. In the scientific literature, there are surprisingly few studies done on vegetarian longevity. Russell Smith, PhD, in his massive review study on heart disease, showed that as animal product consumption increased among some study groups, death rates actually decreased!” Such results were not obtained among vegetarian subjects. For example, in a study published by Burr and Sweetnam in 1982, analysis of mortality data revealed that, although vegetarians had a slightly (0.11%) lower rate of heart disease than non- vegetarians, the all-cause death rate was much higher for vegetarians.*” Despite claims that studies have shown that meat consumption increased the risk for heart disease and shortened lives, the authors of those studies actually found the opposite. For example, in a 1984 analysis of a 1978 study of vegetarian Seventh Day Adventists, H. A. Kahn concluded: Although our results add some substantial facts to the diet-disease question, we rec- ognize how remote they are from establishing, for example, that men who frequently eat meat or women who rarely eat salad are thereby shortening their lives." A similar conclusion was reached by D. A. Snowden.” Despite these startling admis- sions, the studies nevertheless concluded the exact opposite and urged people to reduce animal food intake in their diets. Further, both of these studies threw out certain dietary data that clearly showed no connection between eggs, cheese, whole milk and fat attached to meat (all high-fat, high-cholesterol foods) and heart disease. Dr Smith commented: In effect, the Kahn [and Snowden] study is yet another example of negative results which are massaged and misinterpreted to support the politically correct assertions that vegetarians live longer lives.* It is usually claimed that meat-eating peoples have a short lifespan, but the Aborigines of Australia, who traditionally eat a diet rich in animal products, are known for their JUNE - JULY 2002 NEXUS ¢ 35 Email: drbyrnes1 @hotmail.com www.nexusmagazine.com