Vegetarians experience a lower prevalence of 36 per cent of the metabolic syndrome than non vegetarians, suggests new research from Loma Linda University, published in the journal Diabetes Care. Because metabolic syndrome can be a precursor of the heart disease, diabetes, and stroke, the results indicate that vegetarians can reduce the risk of developing these conditions.
Metabolic syndrome is defined as exhibitor at least three of the five risk factors total: hypertension, low HDL cholesterol, high levels of glucose, high triglycerides and a waist circumference that is unhealthy. The Loma Linda University study found that of 25% of vegetarians who had metabolic syndrome, the number increased dramatically to 37% for semi-vegetarians and 39% for non-vegetarians. They claim the results adjusted for factors such as age, sex, race, physical activity, calorie consumption, smoking and alcohol consumption.
"For the high rate of metabolic syndrome in the United States and their harmful effects on health, we wanted analyse ways of life that could be effective in the prevention and treatment of this disease," said Chief Investigator Nico s. Rizzo, a Doctor.
"I was not sure that there could be a significant difference between vegetarians and non-vegetarian, and I was surprised how much contrast numbers", he continues. "It indicates that such a lifestyle of factors such as diet may be important in the prevention of metabolic syndrome."
The study examined more than 700 random adult Adventist health study 2 at Loma Linda University, a long-term study on life style and health nearly 100,000 seventh-day Adventist Christians through the United States and Canada.
Thirty - five percent of the subjects in this small substudy was vegetarian. On average, vegetarians and semi-vegetarians weres three years more non-vegetarian. Despite this age, slightly superior, vegetarians had lower triglycerides, the levels of glucose, blood pressure, waist circumference and BMI (BMI). Semi-Vegetarians also had a BMI circumference and size significantly lower than those who ate meat more regularly.
"This work demonstrates once more that good number of major cardiovascular risk factors that are part of the metabolic syndrome, improves the diet," says Gary Fraser, MD, PhD, main researcher of the study at Adventist Health 2."Trends toward a vegetarian diet is a reasonable choice.
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