From: <M.a.r.k P.r.o.b.e.r.t [email hidden]>
Sent: Thursday, April 01, 2004 7:45 AM
Subject: Re: Meet them, don't eat them
Quoted message said:"Toby Joe" <[email hidden]> wrote
Quoted message said:Quoted message said:Quoted message said:I am a member of an alternative group to PETA, but we still call it
PETA.*P*eople *E*ating *T*asty *A*nimals.
a.k.a Prion Early Testing Assoc.
I wonder what Koko or N'kisi would have to say about it all:
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
Who eats gorillas and parrots?
According to the info at this link, it is healthier not to:
www.purifymind.com/VegetarianHealth.htm
"Research has proven that vegetarians suffer less from many of the dieases
linked to a modern Western diet: obesity, coronary heart disease,
hypertension, type II diabetes, diet-related cancers, diverticular disease,
constipation and gall stones (British Medical Association,1986; Dwyer,
1988)."
Also from the site:
MORTALITY
Epidemiological studies provide clear evidence that vegetarians have a
reduced general and cause-specific mortality (McMichael, 1992). In an
11-year study of 1,900 vegetarians in Germany, Chang-Claude (1992) found
mortality from all causes was reduced by one-half compared with the general
population. This was mainly attributable to reduced cardiovascular disease
in both men and women. A longer duration of vegetarianism was associated
with a lower risk, pointing to a real protective effect of the lifestyle
(Chang-Claude, 1993). A 12-year follow-up study of 6,115 British
vegetarians and 5,015 meat-eaters found all cause premature mortality to be
20 per cent lower among the vegetarians after adjusting for the confounding
effects of smoking, body mass index and socioeconomic status (Thorogood,
1994). Cancer mortality was 39 per cent lower and ischaemic heart disease
28 per cent lower among the vegetarians. A 21-year study of Californian
Seventh-Day Adventists also revealed a significant association between meat
consumption and all causes of mortality (Kahn, 1984). While other factors
influencing health such as socioeconomic differences, smoking and physical
activity may play a confounding role in these studies, there is sufficient
evidence to suggest that a reduced risk of mortality is directly linked to
a vegetarian diet.
CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE
Cardiovascular disease is the main cause of premature mortality in Britain,
with most deaths being caused by coronary heart disease. Vegetarians have a
significantly lower incidence of coronary heart disease than meat-eaters.
Burr and Butland (1988) found mortality from heart disease was 29 per cent
lower in a study of more than 6,000 British vegetarians compared with a
control group of health-conscious meat-eaters. A study of more than 25,000
Seventh-Day Adventists noted a definite dose-related link between meat
consumption and heart disease (Snowdon, 1984). Among men aged 45 to 64,
those who ate meat daily were three times more likely to die from heart
disease than those who did not eat meat.
The degenerative processes leading to heart disease can begin at an early
age. Atherosclerosis, the forming of fibrous plaques on arterial walls and
one of the first stages in the development of cardiovascular disease, has
been observed in young children and adolescents. The Coronary Artery Risk
Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study examined the relationship
between diet and health in more than 5,000 young adults aged 18 to 30
(Slattery 1991). Vegetarians were found to have a greatly improved
cardiovascular fitness and a lower risk of heart disease. One way that a
vegetarian diet is thought to protect against heart disease is the lower
cholesterol levels seen in vegetarians. Raised cholesterol is widely
recognised as a primary risk factor for heart disease and studies have
consistently demonstrated serum cholesterol levels in vegetarians as being
around 10 per cent lower than in non-vegetarians (Burr, 1981; Knuiman and
West, 1982; Thorogood, 1990). This figure may result in a 20 to 50 per cent
reduction in the incidence of heart disease (Law, 1994). The lower serum
cholesterol levels in vegetarians is largely due to lowered
low-density-lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. This is the cholesterol fraction
associated with heart disease. Healthy eating advice aimed at reducing the
risk of heart disease often encourages the use of lean meat cuts. However,
in a comparison between a vegetarian diet and a lean meat diet (Kestin,
1989), the vegetarian diet was shown to lower cholesterol more effectively
and so lessen the risk of cardiovascular disease. The California Lifestyle
Heart Trial indicated that a low-fat vegetarian diet together with other
lifestyle changes such as increased exercise and stress management can
actually reverse the progress of heart disease by reducing cholesterol
plaques in arteries (Ornish, 1990). Barnard (1992) has shown a low-fat
vegetarian diet can achieve high levels of compliance and acceptability
among patients with heart disease.
OBESITY
Obesity is a major health problem in the UK and its incidence is increasing
in both adults and children. Around 12 per cent of women and 8 per cent of
men are clinically obese (Gregory, 1990) and many more are overweight.
Obesity predisposes sufferers to a range of conditions including
cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes, and hormone-dependent cancers
such as breast cancer. Vegetarians are typically leaner than meat-eaters
and obesity is less common in vegetarian populations. Body mass index (BMI)
for vegetarians is lower than in meat-eaters and closer to desirable levels
(Thorogood, 1989). Levin (1986a) found the prevalence of obesity to be 5.4
per cent in a vegetarian group compared with 19.5 per cent in
non-vegetarians. This may be due to vegetarians' lower energy intake
overall, with a lower proportion of energy being supplied by fat.
HYPERTENSION
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, can contribute to heart disease,
strokes and kidney failure. Both cross sectional populaton studies
(Armstrong, 1977; Rouse, 1983) and controlled trials in hypertensive
subjects (Margetts, 1986) provide evidence that vegetarians have lower
blood pressure than non-vegetarians. The reason for this is unclear.
Studies suggest that the effect is not due to changes in any specific
nutrient intake but the overall effect of combined nutrient change (Beilin,
1990).
DIABETES
Around one million people in the UK suffer from diabetes. Of these, about
75 per cent have type II diabetes (non-insulin dependent). Snowdon (1985)
found vegetarians had a substantially lower risk of type II diabetes than
non-vegetarians. The link between meat consumption and incidence of
diabetes remained after contributory factors such as weight, physical
activity and other dietary factors were accounted for. Dietary
recommendations for diabetics encourage a high intake of complex
carbohydrates and fibre and low consumption of total and saturated fat
(British Diabetic Association, 1982). Vegetarian diets tend to match these
recommendations more closely. The relative leanness of vegetarians also
protects against diabetes, obesity being a major risk factor.
GALL STONES
Gall stones are composed af cholesterol, bile pigments and calcium salts.
They form in the gall bladder and can cause severe pain. A study of more
than 750 women found that non-vegetarians were almost twice as likely to
develop gall stones as vegetarians (Pixley, 1985).
DIVERTICULAR DISEASE AND BOWEL FUNCTION
Diverticular disease is widespread in the UK. Symptoms include abdominal
pain and a disturbed bowel habit, usually constipation but sometimes
diarrhoea. Gear (1979) found it to be significantly less frequent among
vegetarians, probably due to the higher fibre content of vegetarian diets.
The high fibre content of vegetarian diets has also been linked with
decreased incidence of constipation, appendicitis, irritable bowel
syndrome, haemorrhoids and varicose veins (Dickerson, 1985).
CANCER
Cancer is second only to coronary heart disease as a cause of death in
Britain. Accounting for around 25 per cent of all premature deaths with
lung, breast and colo-rectal cancers being the most common. It is estimated
that at least one third all cancers are directly related to diet. Research
has indicated that vegetarian diets may offer protection against
diet-related cancer. PLANT FOODS AND CANCER
Plant foods contain a number of substances which are believed to protect
against cancer. Indoles, lignans, isoflavones, protease inhibitors and
others have all been shown to be potent anti-carcinogens and may play an
important role in the lower cancer incidence among vegetarians. In
contrast, cooked meat and fish contains carcinogens known as heterocyclic
amines (HA's). These are present at high levels in the urine of people
consuming cooked meats and have been shown to be metabolically active in
humans. Evidence suggests meat-derived HA's may play a role in breast,
colon and pancreatic cancer (Snyderwine 1994).
COLON AND RECTAL CANCERS
Vegetarians have significantly lower rates of colon cancer than
non-vegetarians (Phillips, 1975; Chang-Claude, 1992) and incidence of both
colon cancer and rectal cancer has been strongly linked to meat consumption
(Willett, 1990; Bidoli, 1992). The protective effect of a vegetarian diet
against colon and rectal cancer is probably due to increased fibre intake
and increased consumption of fruit and vegetables together with a lower
intake of both saturated and total fat. Vegetarians have lower levels of
colonic bile acids and other faecal mutagens that can promote colon
carcinogenesis (Johansson, 1992; de Kok, 1992). Certain dietary components
which are present at increased levels in plant-based diets such as folate,
phytosterols and protease inhibitors, have been shown to inhibit colon
carcinogenesis and may play an important role in its lower incidence among
vegetarians (Troll, 1991; Rao, 1992; Giovannucci, 1993a). Vegetarian diets
also usually include high levels of antioxidant nutrients, the main ones
being beta-carotene, vitamin C, and vitamin E. Antioxidants protect the
body against damage from highly reactive molecules known as free radicals,
generated naturally as a result of oxygen metabolism. Environmental
pollutants, cigarette smoke and processed foods can all increase levels to
which the body is exposed. Mounting evidence suggests antioxidants exert a
considerable protective effect against both cancer and heart disease
(Diplock, 1993).
BREAST CANCER
Breast cancer accounts for around 15,000 deaths each year in the UK. Known
risk factors include age, obesity, early menarche, late menopause and
family history. Some studies have suggested a casual relationship between
dietary fat intake and breast cancer, populations with diets high in animal
fat and animal protein having the highest breast cancer mortality rates.
However, other studies have found little or no relationship between fat
intake and breast cancer, though it has been suggested that this may be due
to insufficient between-person variations in fat intake within populations
as well as methodological limitations (Rose, 1990; Hankin, 1993). Evidence
suggesting vegetarian women are at lower risk than non-vegetarian women is
limited as differences in the incidence of breast cancer between vegetarian
and non-vegetarian women are inconsistent. Mills (1989a) found no
difference during a six-year study. However, among women with a relatively
early menopause (48 years of age or younger) meat consumption and risk of
breast cancer were linked (Mills, 1988). Certain of the known risk factors
for breast cancer may be lessened on a vegetarian diet. Obesity is less
common and age of menarche may be delayed (Sabate, 1992). Vegetarian women
also have altered sex hormone profiles with lower levels of circulating
oestrogens (Goldin, 1982; Bennett, 1990). Adlercreutz (1992) has suggested
that lignans and isoflavonoid phytoestrogens, present at high levels on
vegetarian diets, may affect sex hormone metabolism and so protect against
breast cancer. It is also believed that dietary fibre may play a protective
role (Baghurst, 1994).
PROSTATE CANCER
Prostate cancer has been strongly linked to meat consumption. In a study of
nearly 48,000 men aged between 40 and 75, those eating red meat five or
more times a week were 2.6 times more likely to suffer from prostate cancer
than those who ate it once a week or less (Giovannucci, 1993b). Mills
(1989b) also noted a link between meat consumption and prostate cancer
risk.
LUNG CANCER
Vegetarian populations show lower mortality rates from lung cancer compared
with non-vegetarian populations. This is largely due to the fact that
vegetarians tend to be non-smokers but dietary factors may also play a
role. A high level of fruit and vegetable consumption has been shown to be
protective against lung cancer (Marchand, 1989; Fraser, 1991). Goodman
(1992) suggested that smokers who also had a high intake of animal fat and
animal protein had a greater risk of developing lung cancer than other
smokers.
OSTEOPOROSIS
Osteoporosis is a condition in which bone mass decreases, making bones more
susceptible to fracture. It is a major cause of bone fractures in
post-menopausal women and older people in general and is a considerable
public health problem. It is linked a number of risk factors, including
diet. Cross-cultural studies have suggested osteoporosis and associated hip
fracture may be related to high animal protein intake (Abelow, 1992).
Dietary protein has been shown to increase the loss of calcium from bones
and urinary calcium excretion. Calcium loss is greater on a diet high in
animal protein (Breslau, 1988). Animal protein has a higher sulphur content
than vegetable protein and this is believed to lead to raised metabolic
acid production and so increase bone calcium loss. Marsh (1980) found
vegetarian women aged between 50 and 89 years lost 18 per cent of bone mass
while a control group of non-vegetarian women had a 35 per cent bone loss
and suggested a vegetarian diet may be beneficial in protecting against
postmenopausal osteoporosis. Other studies have found no difference in bone
density and bone mineral content between vegetarians and non-vegetarians
(Hunt, 1989; Tesar, 1992).
Quoted message said:Quoted message said:http://www.gorilla.org/
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3430481.stm
--
http://costofwar.com/
www.unicef.org/sowc02/g31.htm