

Vegetarians are 'less healthy than meat-eaters', scientists say - workhere-io
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/vegetarians-are-less-healthy-and-have-a-lower-quality-of-life-than-meateaters-scientists-say-9236340.html

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srd
This study seems to not have been performed as rigorously as you'd expect:
[http://www.realclearscience.com/journal_club/2014/04/04/stud...](http://www.realclearscience.com/journal_club/2014/04/04/study_finds_vegetarians_have_poorer_health_lower_quality_of_life_108583.html)

To quote the relevant part: "All of the data, including diet information, is
self-reported. Thus, we have no idea precisely what vegetarians or the various
meat-consuming groups were actually eating. The data is also cross-sectional.
"Therefore, no statements can be made whether the poorer health in vegetarians
in our study is caused by their dietary habit or if they consume this form of
diet due to their poorer health status," the authors admit. Moreover, the
study was based in Austria, and the Austrian diet and lifestyle significantly
differs from the American diet and lifestyle.

Even if the study wasn't severely limited, it wouldn't be enough to overturn
prior evidence. In a 2009 review, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
(formerly the American Dietetic Association), the largest organization of food
and nutrition professionals in the U.S., declared that "appropriately planned
vegetarian diets, including total vegetarian or vegan diets, are healthful,
nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits in the prevention and
treatment of certain diseases." More recently, a 2012 review published in the
journal Public Health Nutrition, found that vegetarian diets have not shown
any adverse effects on health. "

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sirsar
I have a hard time drawing the conclusion that eating a vegetarian diet
directly decreases quality of life.

    
    
        Participants who ate less meat also had poorer health practices, such as avoiding
        attending doctors appointments for preventative check-ups and measures such as
        vaccines, the authors found.
    

Perhaps this means that vegetarians, on average, overestimate the benefits of
vegetarianism, and thus decrease their health by taking fewer vaccines.

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jds375
The conclusion section goes onto to link this to lower-quality of life as
well. Still a bit skeptical of the findings... I always see articles regarding
this with very differing opinions. Relevant article:
[http://www.plosone.org/article/fetchObject.action?uri=info:d...](http://www.plosone.org/article/fetchObject.action?uri=info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0088278&representation=PDF)

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patcheudor
First thing that popped into my mind after diving into the details of the
study: correlation does not equal causation. Excuse me while I wheel my fridge
to the curb because everyone I've ever known who's had cancer or a heart-
attack also has a fridge.

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JoeAltmaier
Major point: "{vegetarians} appeared to carry elevated risks of cancer,
allergies and mental health problems such as depression and anxiety". Maybe
its not causal - those things could drive a person to try a different diet.

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jamesbritt
How representative are the Austrians vegetarians of vegetarians in general?

This result seems pretty specific to a region (which is essentially what the
study says at the end).

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thaifighter
Did it factor in the effects on the body of ingesting all the added steroids,
antibiotics, and hormones?

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mynewwork
Another example of poor reporting of a poorly designed study. People will read
this and come away thinking a vegetarian diet was shown to be less healthy.
Yet the exact same study and data could have been written up as "People with
health issues more likely to choose a vegetarian diet" which would invert the
implied causal relationship.

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jamesbritt
From the report:

 _Potential limitations of our results are due to the fact that the survey was
based on cross-sectional data. Therefore, no statements can be made whether
the poorer health in vegetarians in our study is caused by their dietary habit
or if they consume this form of diet due to their poorer health status. We
cannot state whether a causal relationship exists, but describe ascertained
associations. Moreover, we cannot give any information regarding the long-term
consequences of consuming a special diet nor concerning mortality rates._

