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Diverticular Disease
Diverticular disease affects the colon and symptoms include lower
abdominal pain and disturbed bowel habit. It occurs frequently in western
countries where intake of dietary fibre is low. Gear (1979) found diverticular
disease to be less frequent in vegetarians, 12% of vegetarians studied
having diverticular disease compared with 33% of non-vegetarians. This
is thought to be due to the increased fibre of vegetarian diets.
Gall Stones
Gall stones are composed of cholesterol, bile pigments and calcium
salts. They form in the gall bladder and can cause severe pain. A study
of over 750 women found the incidence of gall stones to be less frequent
in vegetarians. 25% of non-vegetarians compared with 12% of vegetarians
had gall stones. After controlling for age and body weight, non-vegetarians
were found to have a relative risk of gall stones almost twice that of
the vegetarians (Pixley, 1985).
Vegetarians are leaner, and consume more dietary fibre and less dietary
cholesterol, all of which is believed to protect against gall stone formation.
Kidney Stones
Kidney stones form in the kidney and can cause considerable pain when
passing down the urinary tract. Prevalence of kidney stones is lower in
vegetarians (Peacock, 1969).
A high intake of animal protein increases the urinary loss of calcium
and oxalate, known risk factors in kidney stone formation. Meat is also
high in purines which leads to increased uric acid in the urine. Urinary
uric acid is also a risk factor for kidney stones.
Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is the loss of calcium from bone tissue, leading to bones
that are brittle and liable to fracture. It is most commonly seen in postmenopausal
women.
Some studies have suggested that vegetarians may be at lower risk of
osteoporosis than non-vegetarians. Sellmeyer's study (2001) found that
elderly women with a high dietary ratio of animal to vegetable protein
intake had more rapid femoral neck bone loss and a greater risk of hip
fracture than those with a low ratio.
Marsh (1988) found bone loss to be considerably less in postmenopausal
women who were vegetarian than those who were non-vegetarian. The non-vegetarian
diet contained higher amounts of sulphur, which derived from animal protein.
Dietary sulphur increases the acidity of urine, which results in increased
urinary calcium loss. Increased urinary calcium loss is related to increased
calcium loss from bone tissue.
Hip fractures associated with osteoporosis has been shown to be higher
in countries consuming a diet high in animal protein (Abelow, 1992).
Appendicitis
The Oxford Vegetarian Study found that people who do not eat meat
have a 50% lower risk of requiring an emergency appendicectomy that those
who do (Appleby, 1995).
Other Diseases
A vegetarian diet has been claimed to reduce the risk of gout, hiatus
hernia, constipation, haemorrhoids, and varicose veins. These diseases
are linked to diets low in fibre and high in saturated fat.
Food Poisoning & Pesticide Residues
Over 50,000 cases of food poisoning are
reported every year and the actual incidence of food poisoning is estimated
to be ten
times this figure.
Meat, eggs and dairy products are the primary sources of food poisoning.
Professor Richard Lacey of the University of Leeds has stated that "More
than 95% of food poisoning is derived from meat and poultry products". Pesticide residues in foods include PCB's and dioxins. These are found
in highest concentrations in meat, fish and dairy products. Studies have
shown these toxic chemicals can be passed on from pregnant women to infants
during both pregnancy and lactation and may damage the developing nervous
systems. Hall (1992) has stated a vegetarian diet minimises the risk
of contamination.
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Studies have shown that vegetarian diets can be successfully used
to treat the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis and other rheumatic diseases.
Kjeldsen-Kragh (1991) found that rheumatoid arthritis patients following
a vegetarian diet suffered considerably fewer swollen and tender joints
and less stiffness or pain.
Nephrotic Syndrome
Nephrotic syndrome is a kidney condition involving high levels of
protein in the urine which may lead to progressive kidney damage as well
as promoting atherosclerosis and heart disease. Studies have shown a low
protein vegan diet can be used to reduce the symptoms of nephrotic syndrome
(D'Amico, 1992).
The China Health Project
The China Project on Nutrition,
Health & Environment is a massive
study involving researchers from China, Cornell University in Ithaca, New
York, and the University of Oxford, into the relationships between diet,
lifestyles and disease-related mortality in 6500 Chinese subjects from
65 mostly rural or semi-rural counties.
The rural Chinese diet is largely vegetarian or vegan, and involves
less total protein, less animal protein, less total fat and
animal fat, and more carbohydrate and fibre than the average Western
diet. Blood cholesterol levels are significantly lower. Heart disease,
cancer, obesity, diabetes, and osteoporosis are all uncommon. Areas in
which they are becoming more frequent are areas where the population
has moved towards a more Western diet with increasing consumption of
animal products.
The China Health Project
has clearly demonstrated the health benefits of a diet based on plant
foods. One of the Project's co-ordinators, Dr
Colin Campbell of Cornell University, has stated that "We're basically
a vegetarian species and should be eating a wide variety of plant foods
and minimising our intake of animal foods." |
