Veggie Diet Less Healthy?

[sunsoul]

Quite a comprehensive study has been undertaken in Austria. The findings were that a veggie diet is less healthy than a normal diet.. Vegetarians typically suffered more from physical and mental illnesses:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/ar...at-eaters.html

The table in the article is quite detailed.

[Tobi]

Being vegetarian -and particularly vegan -does mean a bit more thought has to go into making sure that is a proper balanced diet, with every essential nutrient supplied. Sometimes this means a little work, research, and making sure necessary supplements are taken daily.
It would be easier to be unhealthy on a strict vegetarian/vegan diet, than on a diet including meat/fish/eggs/dairy -if the nutrition wasn't planned carefully.
It's possible to be a vegan and eat nothing but junk food!

No. Inadequate scientific study. The tiny sample size of a few vegetarians that might as well be eating potato chips all the time can not be extrapolated to the entire world of non meat eaters. I did not see anywhere in the article that showed exactly what their daily meals were, for every meal, of every day, of a 10+ year period. My parents have been vegetarian since the 1960s, and I was raised mostly vegan, and we are in excellent health. It takes a lot of conscious effort to eat the right foods to get exactly what one needs nutritionally, but yeah, anyway, the article is silly.

[sunsoul]

Originally Posted by Three Legged Mongoose

No. Inadequate scientific study. The tiny sample size of a few vegetarians that might as well be eating potato chips all the time can not be extrapolated to the entire world of non meat eaters. I did not see anywhere in the article that showed exactly what their daily meals were, for every meal, of every day, of a 10+ year period. My parents have been vegetarian since the 1960s, and I was raised mostly vegan, and we are in excellent health. It takes a lot of conscious effort to eat the right foods to get exactly what one needs nutritionally, but yeah, anyway, the article is silly.

Although I agree with some of your sentiments, you are doing exactly what you are criticising the study for - using a small sample! Just because your family have remained healthy doesn't disprove much.

The sample size is quite small but it certainly raises questions that need to be addressed. If 300 vegetarians are less healthy than 300 omnivores then the data needs to be looked at quite seriously.. Personally, most of the vegetarians that I know do not eat potato chips all day!

[sunsoul]

This is the link to the full scientific study, conducted by University of Graz:

http://www.plosone.org/article/fetch...esentation=PDF

Other, larger studies have shown little difference between the health of vegetarians and omnivores. It is certainly true that a vegetarian or vegan diet lessens the likelihood of obesity, high blood pressure and heart disease.
I would take the results of this study with a pinch of salt.

Whilst searching online I found another study which compares the environmental damage caused by different diets. Unsurprisingly, the omnivorous diet causes considerably more environmental damage.

[knightofalbion]

Lead researcher Nathalie T Burkett saying meat-eaters live longer and are healthier than vegetarians.
Which is strange because in this study lead researcher Nathalie T Burkett says that vegetarians live longer and are healthier than meat-eaters...
http://link.springer.com/article/10....508-013-0483-3

[sunsoul]

Originally Posted by Ecthalion

Other, larger studies have shown little difference between the health of vegetarians and omnivores. It is certainly true that a vegetarian or vegan diet lessens the likelihood of obesity, high blood pressure and heart disease.
I would take the results of this study with a pinch of salt.

Whilst searching online I found another study which compares the environmental damage caused by different diets. Unsurprisingly, the omnivorous diet causes considerably more environmental damage.

Please add some links to these other studies if you could. It would be nice to compare.

Why exactly would you take these results with a pinch of salt? 1200 were surveyed and 300 of them were vegetarians. Not exactly a tiny amount of people..

[knightofalbion]

Google 'Dr Garth Davis'. He exposes this (not even published) study for exactly what it is...

Originally Posted by sunsoul

Please add some links to these other studies if you could. It would be nice to compare.

Why exactly would you take these results with a pinch of salt? 1200 were surveyed and 300 of them were vegetarians. Not exactly a tiny amount of people..

Because it goes against other studies. Do an internet search - there are plenty of studies out there.