: 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
To the doctor and the soon to be one, what about an article I read the other day linking attitude and heart disease? I don't have it in front of me, but it was something about feelings of helplessness or sadness.
Will we one day find that emotions are as big a part of our health as our diet? Would this explain the people we all know who live horrible lifestyles but live to be 100?
