Vegetarianism in the news

Evidence from top athletes suggests that people with a specialised diet, such as vegetarian and vegan, can compete successfully in endurance sports. It’s about getting a good balance of carbs, protein and fats.

Professor Ron Maughan said that “when everything else is equal, nutrition can make the difference between winning and losing”. For more details see the BBC article here.

A study in the journal Nature Medicine has shown that carnitine, a chemical found in red meat, results in higher levels of cholesterol and an increased risk of heart disease when broken down by bacteria in the gut. The risk applies to all red meat, including lean cuts, as well as supplements containing carnitine.

Reducing the number of bacteria that feed on carnitine could, in theory, reduce the health risks. Vegetarians naturally have lower levels of these bacteria. For more information see the BBC article here.

A huge study of half a million people across Europe has shown that men and women with a high consumption of processed meat, such as sausages and bacon, are at an increased risk of early death, in particular due to cardiovascular diseases and cancer.

The European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)-Oxford study reported in the BMC Medicine journal that over 3% of all deaths could be prevented if processed meat consumption were below 20g/day.

Read about it on the BBC.

Quorn has seen sales more than double in the second half of February as Britons choose vegetarian burgers, mince and sausages as a result of the horse meat scandal. Other specialist brands such as Fry’s, Cauldron Foods, VeggieDay and supermarket meat-free foods have also seen a boom in sales.

See the article here.

The Centre for Ecology and Hydrology in Edinburgh released a report this week called ‘Our Nutrient World’ which addresses the challenge to produce more food and energy with less pollution.

Globally, 80% of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) is used to fertilise livestock feed crops, but this provides only 20% of the N and P in the human diet, which is very inefficient.

Therefore, the lead author has called for us all to eat less meat, alongside making the use of fertiliser in growing crops more efficient. It is recognised that our personal choices make a big difference and avoiding over consumption of animal products will reduce N and P pollution whilst benefitting our health.

See the article here.

New research has shown that the horse meat scandal is transforming the buying habits of consumers. See the article here.

24% of shoppers will buy less processed meat and 21% have already started buying less meat in general.  4.1 million people said they would stop buying processed meat altogether.

The survey stated that vegetarianism seems set for a boost, with 6% of adults claiming they know someone who has turned vegetarian as a result of the crisis.

Ditching meat and fish in favour of a vegetarian diet can have a dramatic effect on the health of your heart, research suggests.Read the article on the BBC.

The largest study ever conducted in the UK comparing rates of heart disease between vegetarians and non-vegetarians has found that vegetarianism can reduce the risk of heart disease by up to a third.

The European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)-Oxford study reported yesterday in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that the risk of hospitalisation or death from heart disease is 32% lower in vegetarians than in people who eat meat and fish.

Read the Vegetarian Society's press statement on the results of the research.