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People like proof.
Show me the numbers. Vegetarians
truly believe that they are healthier, they feel it and see it every single day
that they live it. But is it really
true, or is it a placebo-like effect that they simply believe because they want
to? Well, you be the judge. We’ve done the work so you don’t have to. The evidence is overwhelming, so if you want
proof, we have proof.
Read on…
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LIVE TO EAT,
OR…
EAT TO LIVE
Dietary factors play a role in five of the ten leading
causes of death in the United States, namely:
·
Heart disease
·
Cancer
·
Stroke
·
Diabetes
·
Atherosclerosis (1)
Balanced vegetarian diets have now been shown to reduce
risk of:
·
Heart disease
·
Type-2 diabetes
·
High blood pressure
·
Obesity
·
Cancer (2)
Seventh-Day Adventists are discouraged from eating meat,
and it is estimated that about half strictly adhere to this practice. In a study that compared health and
mortality rates between vegetarian and non-vegetarian Seventh-Day Adventists,
researchers discovered that the vegetarians had lower incidents of:
·
Heart disease
·
Type-2 diabetes
·
High blood pressure
·
Osteoporosis
·
Some forms of cancer (3)
In a 1997 position paper on vegetarian diets, the American
Dietetic Association conclude that, compared to non-vegetarians, vegetarians
experience:
·
Lower blood cholesterol levels
·
Lower death rates from heart disease
·
Lower rates of high blood pressure
·
Lower rates of type-2 diabetes
·
Lower rates of certain types of cancer
·
Lower obesity rates
Major
health organizations have recently reached an unprecedented consensus on
chronic disease prevention and treatment.
All advocate a diet that is low in total fat and saturated fat and
generous in complex carbohydrates from whole grains, legumes, fruits, and
vegetables (2).
Many
studies have shown that vegetarians have lower death rates from CAD (coronary
artery disease) than non-vegetarians, with differences being especially marked
among men (2).
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Death
rates of vegetarians and non-vegetarians were compared in an analysis of five
prospective studies with combined data on 76,172 men and women. In this analysis vegetarians were shown to
have a 24% lower mortality rate from heart disease than non-vegetarians (4).
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An
Oxford University study of 6,000 vegetarian and 5,000 non-vegetarian controls,
after being adjusted for body mass index, smoking, and social class, concluded
that the death rate from heart disease was 28% lower for the vegetarians than
it was for non-vegetarians (5).
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In a
United Kingdom study that compared 6,115 non-meat eaters to meat-eating
controls, non-meat eaters were shown to have a significantly lower standardized
mortality rate of heart disease than their meat-eating counterparts (6).
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In a
large study of California Seventh-day Adventists, lifetime risk of heart
disease was reduced by 37% in male vegetarians compared to non-vegetarians (7).
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In a
large study of California Seventh-day Adventists, men who ate beef at least
three times a week had a significantly greater risk of heart disease than
vegetarian men. (7).
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Individuals
eating a traditional Mediterranean diet --- mostly vegetarian and consisting
primarily of pasta, greens, vegetables, fruit, cheese, and wine, have
significantly lower heart disease rates than individuals eating traditional
(meat-based) American and northern European diets (8).
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Individuals
with high intakes of dietary fiber are less likely to die from CAD than
individuals with low intakes (9).
Dietary fiber is the indigestible portion of plant cell walls, and is
found only in plant foods.
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Vegetarian
diets may also influence risk of heart disease through
other
mechanisms such as higher concentrations of antioxidants, phytochemicals, and
dietary folate. As Fraser states
“…vegetables and fruits … are chemical powerhouses that produce dozens if not
hundreds of unique compounds, many of which are biologically active. A limited list of such compounds would
include flavonoids, coumarins, phytates, various carotenes, phytosterols,
tocotrienols, lycopenes, saponins, and waxes.
Most of these are not essential for life, and hence would not be
considered vitamins. However, they may
be able to affect significantly the quality and duration of life.” (2)
REVERSING HEART
DISEASE?
One study by Dr. Dean Ornish and his colleagues showed
alarming results when it revealed that a low-fat vegetarian diet (about 10%
calories from fat), when combined with other lifestyle changes such as
non-smoking, stress management, and moderate exercise actually reversed the
progression of CAD without the use of drugs (10).
An Oxford University study of 6,000 vegetarian and 5,000
non-vegetarian controls, after being adjusted for body mass index, smoking, and
social class, concluded that the death rate from cancer was 39% lower for the
vegetarians than it was for non-vegetarians (5).
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In a United Kingdom study that compared 6,115 non-meat
eaters to meat-eating controls, non-meat eaters were shown to have a
significantly lower standardized mortality rate of cancer than their
meat-eating counterparts (6).
Perhaps the crown jewel of the vegetarian treasure chest
is the versatile soybean. Soy is the
key ingredient in most of the meat substitutes that vegetarians enjoy and
embrace.
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In 1999, the United States Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) authorized use the health claim that consuming 25 grams of soy protein
daily, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may reduce the
risk of coronary heart disease.
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The National Cancer Institute has noted that soybeans are
among the foods that have the highest anti-cancer activity (12).
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In a meta-analysis of 38 controlled clinical studies, soy
protein was shown to significantly reduce blood levels of total cholesterol,
LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol), and triglycerides (13).
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The isoflavonoids of genistein and daidzeine (found in soy
foods) act as antioxidants, protecting LDL cholesterol from oxidation and
slowing the atherogenic process (14).
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The isoflavonoid genistein has been shown to inhibit the
growth of many types of cancer cells, including breast, colon, leukemia, lung,
and prostrate (15).
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The estrogenic activity of soy isoflavonoids helps prevent
loss of bone minerals (16).
The following tidbits were gleaned from the Pulitzer Prize
nominated book Diet For A New America, by John Robbins.
This will absolutely amaze you.
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Number of U.S. medical schools:
125
Number of U.S. medical schools with a required course in
nutrition:
30
Training in nutrition received during four years of
medical school by the average U.S. physician:
2.5 hours
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How frequently a heart attack strikes in the U.S.:
Every 25 seconds
How frequently a heart attack kills in the U.S.:
Every 45 seconds
Most common cause of death in the United States:
Heart attack
Risk of death by heart attack by average American man:
50%
Risk of death by heart attack by average American man who
is also purely vegetarian:
4%
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Rise in blood cholesterol from consuming one egg per day:
12%
Rise in
heart attack risk from 12% rise in blood cholesterol:
24%
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Meat,
dairy, and egg industries claim that there is no reason to worry about your
blood cholesterol as long as it is “normal”.
Your
risk of dying of a disease caused by clogged arteries if your blood cholesterol
is “normal”:
Over 50%
Your
risk of dying of a disease caused by clogged arteries if you do not consume
saturated fat and cholesterol:
5%
Leading
sources of saturated fat and cholesterol in the average American diet:
Meat,
dairy products, and eggs
Hmm…
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Hollywood
celebrity paid by the meat industry to tout beef as
“Real
food for real people”:
James
Garner
Medical
event experienced by Hollywood celebrity James Garner in April of 1988:
Quintuple
coronary artery bypass surgery
Ouch.
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World
populations with high meat intakes who do not have correspondingly high rates
of colon cancer:
None
World
populations with low meat intakes who do not have correspondingly low rates of
colon cancer:
None
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Milk
industry’s original advertisement campaign slogan:
“Everyone
needs milk.”
The
United States Federal Trade Commission’s ruling on the Milk industry’s original
advertisement campaign slogan:
“False,
misleading, and deceptive”
Milk
industry’s current advertisement campaign slogan:
“Milk. It does a body good.”
That clears
it up.
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What the
meat industry tells us:
“Today’s
meats are low in fat.”
What the
meat industry shows us:
A
serving of beef that they claim has only 300 calories
What the
meat industry doesn’t tell us:
·
The serving of beef that they show is only three
ounces, or half of an average serving
·
It has been surgically defatted with a scalpel
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What the
dairy industry tells us:
“Whole
milk is 3.5% fat.”
What the
dairy industry does not tell us:
That the
above percentage is based on weight
What the
dairy industry does not want us to know:
By calories, whole milk is about 50% fat.
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Percentage
of chlorinated hydrocarbon pesticide residues supplied by:
·
Meat: 55%
·
Dairy products: 23%
·
Vegetables: 6%
·
Fruits: 4%
·
Grains: 1%
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The meat
industry tells us:
There is
no need to be concerned about the levels of dioxins and pesticides found in
today’s beef because the levels are so small.
What the
meat industry does not want us to know:
One
ounce of dioxin can kill ten million people
Enjoy
that steak.
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The USDA
tells us:
“Your
meat is inspected”
What the
USDA does not tell us:
Less
than 1 out of 250,000 (a quarter million) slaughtered animals is
tested for toxic chemical residues
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The dye
used for many years by the USDA to stamp meats “Choice”, “Prime”, or “U.S. No.
1 USDA”:
Violet
Dye No. 1
Current
status of U.S. Violet Dye # 1:
Banned
as a proven carcinogen
Please
visit our on-line store:
Please
visit our other on-line sites:
Contact us at:
BahiaBeachEnterprises@yahoo.com
(1) United States Dept. of Health and Human Services, 1990.
(2) Gustafson, Nancy, MS, RD, LD Vegetarian Nutrition, Eureka, CA, Nutrition Dimension, 3rd ed., 2000.
(3) Snowdon DA. Animal product consumption and mortality because of all causes combined, coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancer in Seventh-Day Adventists. Am J Clin Nutr 48 (suppl): 739-748, 1988.
(4) Key TJ, Fraser GE, Thorogood M, et al. Mortality in vegetarians and nonvegetarians: detailed findings from a collaborative analysis of 5 prospective studies. Am J Clin Nutr 70(suppl):516S-24S, 1999.
(5) Appleby PN, Thorogood M, Mann JI, et al. The Oxford Vegetarian Study: an overview. Am J Clin Nutr 70(suppl)525S-31S, 1999.
(6) Thorogood M, Mann J, Appleby P. et al. Risk of death from cancer and ischemic heart disease in meat and non-meat eaters. Br Med J 308:1667-1670, 1994.
(7) Fraser GE. Associations between diet and cancer, ischemic heart disease, and all-cause mortality in non-Hispanic white California Seventh-Day Adventists. Am J Clin Nutr 70(suppl):532S-8S, 1999.
(8) Keys A. Mediterranean diet and public health: personal reflections. Am J Clin Nutr 61(suppl):1321-1333, 1995.
(9) Kromhout D, Bosschieter EB, Lezenne-Coulander D. Dietary fiber and 10 year mortality from coronary heart disease, cancer, and all causes. Lancet 2: 518-22, 1982.
(10) Ornsh D. Dean Ornish’s Program for Reversing Heart Disease. New York: Random House, Inc., 1990.
(11) Gustafson, Nancy, MS, RD, LD Vegetarian Nutrition, Eureka, CA, Nutrition Dimension, 3rd ed., 2000.
Fraser GE. Diet and coronary heart disease: beyond dietary fats and low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol Am J Clin Nutr 59(suppl): 1117-1123, 1994.
(12) Caragay AB. Cancer-preventive foods and ingredients. Food Tech 46.65-68, 1992.
(13) Anderson JW, Johnstone BM. Cook-Newell ME. Meta-analysis of the effects of soy protein intake on serum lipids. New Engl J Med 333:276-282, 1995.
(14) Lissin LW, Cooke JP. Phytoestrogens and cardiovascular health. J Am Coll Cardiol 35:1403-10, 2000.
(15) Adlercreutz H, Mazur W. Phyto-estrogens and Western diseases. Am Med 29:95-120, 1997.
(16) Messina M, Messina V. Soyfoods, soybean isoflavones, and bone health: a brief overview. J Ren Nutr 10:63-8, 2000.