“Vegetarians are 'less healthy and have a lower quality of life than
meat-eaters’,'' The Independent reports. A study from Austria suggests there is
an association between a vegetarian diet and an increased risk of certain
chronic diseases.
But before any meat eating readers start feeling smug, the study provides no
proof that vegetarians are in poorer health than meat eaters.
This was an Austrian survey which simply took a group of 330 people put into
a general “vegetarian” category (some in this category were not exclusively
vegetarian). They were matched with groups of people from three “carnivorous”
categories; ranked in terms of total meat consumption.
The groups were then compared on a range of different health and lifestyle
measures to see if any differences were observed.
The researchers found various differences; both good and bad.
The “vegetarians” had lower body mass index (BMI) and
alcohol intake, but they also had increased prevalence of three chronic
diseases: “allergies”, “cancer” and “mental illness”.
The study has numerous limitations, including the cross sectional survey
design, where data is taken at a single point in time, so it cannot prove cause
and effect.
It could be the case, for example, that people with certain cancers could
chose to adopt a vegetarian diet to try and improve their health, rather than a
vegetarian diet increasing the risk of developing cancer.
However, as the research included a relatively small sample of only 330
vegetarians, the prevalence of the 18 diseases questioned in this group could
differ from another group, meaning these associations with the three diseases
could purely be due to chance.
Overall the decision to follow a vegetarian diet or one containing meat
remains a personal lifestyle choice, often based on ethical as well as health
reasons.
Staying healthy on a vegetarian diet
It's important to vary what you eat. Some nutrients are found in smaller
amounts in vegetarian sources or are less easily absorbed by the body than those
in meat or fish.
Contrary to popular belief, most vegetarians have enough protein and calcium
in their diet (found in dairy products and pulses).
However, if you don't plan your diet properly, you could miss out on
essential nutrients. For example, vegetarians need to ensure they get enough
iron (found in pulses and dark-green vegetables) and vitamin B12 (found in milk
and eggs) in their diets.
What did the research involve?
The researchers analysed the diet, health and lifestyle of 15,474 Austrian
people aged over 15 years (55% female) who took part in the Austrian Health
Interview Survey (AT-HIS) which ran from March 2006 to February 2007. The
surveys are carried out every eight years and include a representative sample of
the Austrian population (response rate for this survey 63%).
In face-to-face interviews people were asked about socio-demographic
characteristics, health related behaviours (including smoking, alcohol and
physical activity), BMI, diseases and medical treatments, and also psychological
health.
Without a clear definition of the categories being given, people were asked
whether they considered their diet to be:
- vegan
- vegetarian including milk and/or eggs
- vegetarian including fish and/or milk/eggs
- carnivorous but rich in fruits and vegetables
- carnivorous but less rich in meat
- carnivorous rich in meat.
What were the basic results?
The researchers found that the “vegetarians” had lower BMI (22.9kg/m2)
compared to the three other carnivore groups (23.4 in those with less rich meat,
23.5 in those rich in fruit and veg, and 24.9 in those rich in meat). Looking at
lifestyle behaviour, vegetarians drank less alcohol, drinking on 2.6 days of the
week in the past month than those in the three carnivore groups who drank on 3
to 4.8 days. They didn’t differ on smoking or physical activity.
Looking at health and disease they found that “vegetarians” tended to
self-report poorer health and higher levels of functional impairment. They also
reported more chronic diseases overall. Looking at specific diseases, those
significantly more common among the vegetarians were:
- “allergies” (31% prevalence compared to between 17 and 20% in the different carnivorous groups)
- “cancer” (5% prevalence compared to 1 to 3%)
- “mental illness” (anxiety and depression only: 9% prevalence compared to 4 to 5%)
“Urinary incontinence” was significantly less common in “vegetarians” (2% vs.
3 to 6% in the different carnivorous groups).
Vegetarians consulted doctors more than those eating a carnivorous diet less
rich in meat, but were vaccinated less than all the other carnivore groups. They
also made less use of preventative check-ups than those eating a carnivorous
diet rich in fruit and vegetables.
They also found that “vegetarians” had a lower quality of life in the domains
of “physical health” and “environment” than those consuming a carnivorous diet
less rich in meat.
Lower quality of life regarding “social relationships” were also reported in
“vegetarians”.
Conclusion
Despite the media headlines, the results from this Austrian cross sectional
survey provide no proof that vegetarians are in poorer health than meat eaters.
The study has simply compared a group of people with a “vegetarian” diet with
three different groups of people following “carnivorous” diets on a range of
different health and lifestyle measures to see if any differences are observed.
