A 2004 entry from the New York Times Science Q & A addresses the question of life expectancy for vegetarians. Having been a vegetarian for almost 30 years now, this is an area of great interest to me. After all, the logical answer seems internally contradictory: the longer I am a vegetarian, the greater the health benefits I derive from it. And yet, the longer I am a vegetarian... Well, the article, in its dry, scientific manner, completes the bleak prognosis in its last sentence:
"A study published last year (2003) in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reviewed data from six studies that included people who ate meat less than once a week. The study also looked at new findings on the life expectancy of longtime vegetarians in the Adventist Health Study.
The authors of the Journal study found that a very low meat intake was associated with a significant decrease in death risks in four studies, and a nonsignificant decrease in the fifth study; they found virtually no association in the sixth.
[NBC: Hmmm.]
Two studies also indicated that being on a vegetarian diet for a longer time contributed to a significantly greater decrease in mortality risk.
[NBC: Yeah!]
In all the studies, the protective effect seemed to weaken after the ninth decade."
[NBC: Bummer. Like so many things, the news starts off great, and then, wham. Although, there is that hedge: the authors say the benefits of vegetarianism only "seemed" to weaken after the 9th decade of life. So when you turn 90, if you are a gambler, keep eating veggies.
If you are an ethical hedonist, grab a steak knife and pitchfork and plow up to a side of beef.
Of course, that doesn't address the land issues.
I love science.]
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