Early Death Can Be Prevented by Changing Our Diet, Say Harvard Scientists
New findings from Harvard Medical School scientists recommend us to switch to a vegetarian diet if we want to live longer lives. They say that a third of early deaths could be prevented by changing our diet.
There is already a lot of study on how beneficial a diet without meat is, but their latest findings show an even better result. Scientists at Harvard have presented their study at the Unite to Cure Fourth International Vatican Conference last week and it’s going to be published in a peer-reviewed journal. Until then, there is no certainty that the numbers are entirely correct.
The Claims Are Quite Bold
Every year, there are almost 30 million deaths worldwide which can be prevented if people followed a healthy lifestyle. The deaths are caused by poor diet, smoking, and obesity.
Researchers from Harvard Medical School found that eating a plant-based diet is a way to live longer. One of the researchers in the study, Walter Willett, stated in an interview their findings:
“Looking at the question of how much could we reduce mortality shifting towards a healthy, more plant-based diet, not necessarily totally vegan, […] our estimates are about one-third of deaths could be prevented.”
At the Unite to Cure event, David Jenkins, from the University of Toronto in Canada was also there, presenting his research on lowland gorilla diets. These primates ate stems, leaves, vines, and fruit. When this diet was adjusted for human consumption, in just two weeks the cholesterol in humans was reduced by 35%.
A Proper and Powerful Vegetarian Diet
Eating a proper diet based on plants can lower blood pressure, lower body mass index, and reduce the risk of heart attack. Red meat can increase the risk of cancer. But vegetarians must also get protein, calcium, iron and vitamin B12, which are all provided by meats.
The research shows that cutting back on meat can help us avoid an early death, lose some weight and decrease the chance of developing cancer.
Neal Barnard, president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, said in the conference that “when these diets are properly constructed I think they are enormously powerful.”
Doris’s passion for writing started to take shape in college where she was editor-in-chief of the college newspaper. Even though she ended up working in IT for more than 7 years, she’s now back to what he always enjoyed doing. With a true passion for technology, Doris mostly covers tech-related topics.
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