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Practical Issues > Health - Index > Vegan Index Are Vegetarian Diets Unhealthy? "Significant athersclerosis is rare in peoples whose diet over the life span is predominantly vegetarian and low in calories, total lipids, saturated lipids and cholesterol." "The study measured testosterone levels in 696 Oxford University men. Of the study participants, 233 were vegan (ate no animal products) and 237 were vegetarian (ate milk and dairy products). The remaining 237 subjects were men who ate meat on most days of the week...vegans had higher testosterone levels than vegetarians and meat-eaters." "Scientific data suggest positive relationships between a vegetarian diet and reduced risk for several chronic degenerative diseases and conditions, including obesity, coronary artery disease, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and some types of cancer." "Vegetarians often have lower mortality rates from several chronic degenerative diseases than do nonvegetarians." "Vegan diets are appropriate for all stages of the life cycle, including during pregnancy and lactation." "Vegan diets can meet the nutrient and energy needs of pregnant women. Birth weights of infants born to well nourished vegetarian women have been shown to be similar to birth-weight norms and to birth weights of infants of nonvegetarians." "Vegetarian diets low in fat or saturated fat have been used successfully as part of comprehensive health programs to reverse severe coronary artery disease." "Vegetarian diets offer disease protection benefits because higher concentration of antioxidants such as vitamins C and E, carotenoids, and phytochemicals." "Vegetarian diets offer disease protection benefits because of their lower saturated fat, cholesterol, and animal protein content and often higher concentration of folate which reduces serum homocysteine levels." "Mortality from coronary artery disease is lower in vegetarians than in nonvegetarians." "Vegetarian diets have been successful in arresting coronary artery disease." "Serum cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels are usually lower in vegetarians." "Vegetarians have a lower incidence of hypertension than nonvegetarians." "Type 2 diabetes mellitus is less likely to be a cause of death in vegetarians than nonvegetarians." "Incidence of lung and colorectal cancer is lower in vegetarians than in nonvegetarians." "Reduced colorectal cancer risk is associated with increased consumption of fiber, vegetables, and fruit." "Breast cancer rates are lower in populations that consume plant-based diets." "Some plant proteins may increase survival rates and decrease proteinuria, glomerular filtration rate, renal blood flow, and histologic renal damage compared with a nonvegetarian diet." |