When it comes to diets, there is a plethora of healthy alternatives that will not only help a person lose weight but make them feel better. A new study now suggests that sticking to a plant-based diet could also prevent premature deaths.
Plants vs. Meat
The study's findings were presented at the Fourth International Vatican Conference "Unite to Cure" event. Walter Willett, professor of epidemiology and nutrition at Harvard University, stressed during the panel discussion that a vegetarian diet is highly underrated. New figures conducted by Harvard showed that at least 200,000 deaths can be prevented if a person cuts meat out of their diet.
David Jenkins, who is responsible for creating the glycemic index, stated that people would do much better if they followed the "Simian" diet rather than trying a paleo diet which allows people to still eat meat. Jenkins and his team recreated a diet that contained 63 servings of fruits and vegetables. When they gave this gave diet to a test group, they saw a 35 percent drop in their cholesterol levels in just two weeks.
Clinical researcher and health advocate Neal Barnard also offered the same sentiments during the discussion and suggested that people need to wake up to the benefits of a vegetarian diet. He continued that a low-fat diet has done more against certain ailments such as diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis. Barnard also stated that if a vegetarian diet is properly executed, it could drastically improve a person's overall health.
Is Vegetarian The Way To Go?
While the ongoing debate between vegetarians and meat-eaters don't seem to ever go away, these new findings may open the eyes of those who don't want to incorporate more fruits and vegetables in their diet.
The doctors who presented their new research are not exactly suggesting for a person to go completely vegan, but they emphasize that consuming a lot more of healthy food such as vegetables could help prevent or fight obesity, hypertension, and cancer.
"When we start to look at it we see that healthy diet is related to a lower risk of almost everything that we look at. Perhaps not too surprising because everything in the body is connected by the same underlying processes," Dr. Willet stated.
