Diet, Life Expectancy, and Chronic Disease: Studies of Seventh-Day Adventists and Other Vegetarians

DIET, LIFE EXPECTANCY, AND CHRONIC DISEASE: STUDIES OF SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS AND OTHER VEGETARIANS By Gary Fraser

Many of the more than 13 million members of the Seventh-day Adventist faith are vegetarian or eat very little meat. Seventh-day Adventists also tend to eat more fruits, vegetables, and nuts than the general population. Since Seventh-day Adventists often follow health-promoting diets, they are an ideal population to compare to the general public to study the effects of diet on health.

Researchers, especially those at Loma Linda University in California, have published more than 320 scientific papers on the health status of Seventh-day Adventists. Much of their research has been reviewed in Vegetarian Journal. Research on Seventh-day Adventists allows us to point out the benefits of a vegetarian diet, including a longer life, lower blood cholesterol levels, and a lower risk of heart disease, hypertension, obesity, diabetes, colon cancer, and prostate cancer.

Gary Fraser, a researcher at Loma Linda University, has written a book that summarizes the results of studies on Seventh-day Adventists, as well as studies of other vegetarians. Diet, Life Expectancy, and Chronic Disease provides detailed and well-documented information, not only on vegetarianism and studies of vegetarians but also on the role of diet in health. This book was mainly written for health professionals, but it is so clearly written that others who want to know more about studies of vegetarian health could also use it. A glossary of technical terms is included, and each chapter ends with a concise summary of information presented in that section. Data on both lacto-ovo vegetarians and vegans is included, although it is clear from this book how little research has been conducted on vegans. It also includes a chapter on making the change to a vegetarian diet.

I found Diet, Life Expectancy, and Chronic Disease fascinating and recommend it to readers who want to learn more about the research supporting the benefits of vegetarian diets.

Diet, Life Expectancy, and Chronic Disease (ISBN 0-19-511324-1) is published by Oxford University Press. It has 371 pages and retails for $59.95. Look for this book in your local bookstore or online at <www. oup-usa.org>.

COPYRIGHT 2005 Vegetarian Resource Group
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning