Dear Will:I could list the studies here, but that would not be the
best use of this space (and would bore other readers).
Dean Ornish, MD has many listed in his book on reversing
heart disease (and so does McDougal). Ornish has done
original research on reversing heart disease with a
strict vegetarian diet of less than 10% total fat--VERY
different from the typical American and UK diet, as you
know.
What do vegetarians die from? When mammals age, there
is a normal progression of factors that will result
in their deaths, eventually. Shrinking of the brain,
reduction of blood supply to organs (even without
atherosclerosis), mostly due to fragility of blood
vessel walls, cancer and infections. We all die. But
most of us have a CLEAR CHOICE of how long it will
take for that to occur.
Risk factors are the key words. Most studies done
on vegetarian diets don't necessarily include other
aspects like exercise, non-smoking, etc. But some
are now including those. (Like Ornishs').
The morality of risk factor issues I have no problem
with. If a person decides to become vegetarian, exercise
and happens to live much longer due to those choices,
than they may use more of societies' services. But
many probably are personally financially comfortable
and don't threaten younger persons' incomes. True,
they use resources, but most have "downsized" their
personal expenses anyway--and contribute strongly
to the service economies. (Like retirement communities
that bring in lots of money to local businesses).
So I don't necessarily buy the concept that living
a long time is expensive to younger people. When
people die young they do make room for more people,
but population control is the key to solving world
environmental damage--more than any other issue.
Michael M. Rosenblatt
