Vegetarianism for longevity

from Myles Spar, MD

Did you know that a diet consisting of whole, plant-based foods is the only one that’s ever been shown to reverse heart disease? And that eating meat can decrease your life expectancy? ​​​​​​​ ​​​​​​​Researchers studied former vegetarians to determine how eating and/or avoiding certain foods affected their cardiovascular health. They found that, among lapsed vegetarians who started eating meat, the odds of developing heart disease increased by 146 percent. They also experienced a 152 percent increase in stroke risk and a 231 percent increase in odds for weight gain. Transitioning from vegetarianism to meat-eating over the course of 12 years was associated with a decrease in life expectancy of 3.6 years. Is it any wonder so many men are switching to a plant-based diet to improve their health?