Strokes

You probably know that eating meat, eggs, and dairy products can result in clogged arteries and eventually lead to heart attacks, the number one cause of death in America today. But all the cholesterol and saturated fat in animal products also clog the arteries in your brain, which can lead to strokes. Strokes are the third-leading cause of death in the United States after heart disease and cancer—affecting one American every 45 seconds and killing one American every three minutes.

The good news is that going meat-free can reduce your risk of suffering from strokes and can protect you against heart disease and several types of cancer. In fact, researchers have found that a pure vegetarian diet is the only lifestyle change that has been shown to consistently reverse atherosclerosis, the hardening of the arteries that often causes strokes and heart attacks.On average, vegetarians have significantly lower blood pressure than meat-eaters do. People with high blood pressure are far more likely to suffer from strokes. Researchers who tracked 72,000 women over a period of 14 years recently confirmed the fact that those who adhered to diets rich in fruits, vegetables, and grains were less likely to suffer from strokes in comparison to those who ate the typical American meat-heavy diet.If you want to protect yourself against strokes and other serious chronic diseases, the science indicates that going meat-free is one of the best steps that you can take.

You can start living healthier today by requesting a free vegetarian starter kit and trying our delicious meat-free recipes.

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Cancer: Killing Animals Is Killing Us

Since President Richard Nixon declared a "war on cancer" in 1972, that "war" has become a losing battle. Every year, billions of dollars are spent on cancer research, detection, and treatment in the United States, yet cancer remains one of our nation's top killers.

Fortunately, there's something we can do about it. According to the World Health Organization, up to 40 percent of all cancers are preventable, and one-third of all cancer deaths in the U.S. can be attributed to nutritional factors, according the American Cancer Society (ACS).

Vegan diets maximize the foods that help us fight cancer—fiber-packed grains and beans and phytochemical-packed fruits and vegetables—and minimize the foods that cause cancer. Combine these two factors, according to the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, and the scientific evidence is clear: "Vegetarians are about 40 percent less likely to get cancer than nonvegetarians, regardless of other risks such as smoking, body size, and socioeconomic status."

One study compared cancer rates of vegetarians and meat-eaters in 34,000 Americans. The results showed that those who avoided meat, fish, and poultry had dramatically lower rates of prostate, ovarian, and colon cancer compared to meat-eaters.

Eating Chickens Can Lead to Bladder Cancer According to a major 2006 Harvard study of 135,000 people, people who frequently ate grilled skinless chicken had a 52 percent higher chance of developing bladder cancer compared to people who didn’t.

An 11-year-long German study involving more than 800 vegetarian men found their cancer rates were less than half those of the general public. The lowest cancer rates were found in those who had avoided meat for 20 years or more. Studies in Japan and Sweden also have shown lower risk among vegetarians. A 2007 study of more than 35,000 women published in the British Journal of Cancer found that women who ate the most meat were more likely to develop breast cancer than women who consumed the lowest amount of meat. It seems that with every bite of meat, we increase our risk of cancer. Luckily, we can eliminate animal products from our diets and replace them with vegetable proteins that can protect our health instead of harm it.

Dr. T. Colin Campbell, arguably the foremost epidemiological researcher alive today, argues that animal proteins are the prime carcinogen in meat and dairy products. Says Dr. Campbell, "[H]uman studies also support this carcinogenic effect of animal protein, even at usual levels of consumption. … No chemical carcinogen is nearly so important in causing human cancer as animal protein."

But fat is a culprit, too: Higher-fat diets raise estrogen levels, whereas plant-based diets keep them at a safe level, which doesn't promote the growth of cancer cells. Luckily, fiber-a nutrient plentiful in vegetarian diets-helps our bodies eliminate excess estrogen, thus cutting cancer risk.

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Heart Disease

A Meat-Based Diet Is Dangerous for Your Heart's Health

The heart is arguably the hardest working muscle in the body, pumping blood, oxygen, and nutrients to all the body’s organs. A healthy heart is a prescription for a healthy body.

Eating animal-based foods impairs the heart’s ability to do its job. Meat and dairy products are high in cholesterol and saturated fat. As these fatty substances, or “plaques,” build up inside the walls of arteries, blood flow to all areas of the body is impeded. This artery damage is called atherosclerosis. It often begins very early in life and develops gradually. When too little blood reaches various regions of the body, normal immune systems are impaired, setting people up for a number of diseases, most notably heart disease. Heart disease is the number one health problem in the United States today and, according to the American Heart Association, the single leading cause of death. Most heart disease is diet-related—caused by animal products. Research shows a highly significant correlation between the consumption of even small amounts of animal-based foods and the increasing prevalence of heart disease.

A major study published in February 2005 reconfirmed the link between meat consumption and heart problems. The study, which was published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, concluded that among the 29,000 participants, those who ate the most meat were also at the greatest risk for heart disease. The researchers also reported that a high intake of protein from vegetable sources like tofu, nuts, and beans lowers our risk of heart disease by 30 percent. Dr. Linda E. Kelemen, the scientist who headed the study, told reporters, “Not all proteins are equal”—while vegetable protein can help keep our hearts healthy, eating animal protein can put us in an early grave.

Tell-tale signs of heart disease include impotence, swollen feet and ankles, and shortness of breath. The most common symptom occurs when atherosclerosis prevents blood from flowing to the heart and the victim experiences chest pains. This is called “ischemia,” and it’s a warning sign that coronary heart disease has progressed to a dangerous point. Eventually, a heart attack results from the lack of blood flow to the heart. Sadly, 60 percent of children and young adults have early atherosclerotic damage that can lead to heart disease. And according to the National Center for Health Statistics and the American Heart Association, about 5.8 million men and 6.1 million women alive today have suffered from a heart attack or acute chest pain.

Mortality rates for heart disease are higher than those of all forms of cancer combined, and more than 700,000 people die from the disease every year.

Studies show that people who experience frequent heart attacks often have high cholesterol levels; many also smoke or have high blood pressure. When these factors are controlled, heart attacks become rare. Foods that are high in saturated fat and cholesterol, such as meat and dairy products, are the major contributors to high cholesterol levels. In fact, animal products are the only sources of dietary cholesterol.

Here’s the good news: Now that we know what causes heart attacks, we can prevent them. Studies have shown that a vegan (pure vegetarian) diet—rich in whole grains, fruits, and vegetables—can stop and even reverse heart disease. People following a plant-based diet have 2.5 times fewer cardiac events, including heart attack, stroke, bypass surgery, and angioplasty. By switching to a vegetarian diet, you can significantly reduce and even eliminate your chances of dying from heart disease.

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Eating for Life

Leading health experts agree that going vegetarian is the single-best thing we can do for ourselves and our families. Healthy vegetarian diets support a lifetime of good health and provide protection against numerous diseases, including our country’s three biggest killers: heart disease, cancer, and strokes. The American Dietetic Association states that vegetarians have “lower rates of death from ischemic heart disease; … lower blood cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure, and lower rates of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and prostate and colon cancer” and that vegetarians are less likely than meat-eaters to be obese.¹ Well-planned vegetarian diets provide us with all the nutrients that we need, minus all the saturated fat, cholesterol, and contaminants found in animal flesh, eggs, and dairy products.

Research has shown that vegetarians are 50 percent less likely to develop heart disease, and they have 40 percent of the cancer rate of meat-eaters.^3,4 Plus, meat-eaters are nine times more likely to be obese than vegans are.⁵

The consumption of meat, eggs, and dairy products has also been strongly linked to osteoporosis, Alzheimer's, asthma, and male impotence. Scientists have also found that vegetarians have stronger immune systems than their meat-eating friends; this means that they are less susceptible to everyday illnesses like the flu.⁷ Vegetarians and vegans live, on average, six to 10 years longer than meat-eaters.⁸

A plant-based diet is the best diet for kids, too: Studies have shown that vegetarian kids grow taller and have higher IQs than their classmates, and they are at a reduced risk for heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and other diseases in the long run.^10,11 Studies have shown that even older people who switch to a vegetarian or vegan diet can prevent and even reverse many chronic ailments.

Read our top nutrition tips for maximizing the health benefits of a vegetarian diet. It's never too late to turn over a new leaf—you can take control of your health today by going vegetarian. Request a free vegetarian starter kit today!

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¹ Ann Mangels, Virginia Messina, and Vesanto Melina, "Position of the American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada: Vegetarian Diets," Journal of the American Dietetic Association, Jun. 2003, pp. 748-65.
² Neal Barnard, M.D., The Power of Your Plate, Book Publishing Co.: Summertown, Tenn., 1990, p. 26.
³ Elizabeth Somer, "Eating Meat: A Little Doesn't Hurt," WebMD, 1999.
⁴ Neal Barnard, M.D., The Power of Your Plate, Book Publishing Co.: Summertown, Tenn., 1990, p. 26.
⁵ John Robbins, The Food Revolution, Conari Press: Boston, 2001, p. 58.
⁶ Neal Barnard, M.D., "Doctor in the House," PETA's Animal Times, Fall 2004, p. 7.
⁷ Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine with Amy Lanou, Healthy Eating for Life for Children, New York: John Wiley and Sons, 2002, p. 49.
⁸ Robbins, p. 14.
⁹ Benjamin Spock, M.D., Dr. Spock's Baby and Child Care: Seventh Edition, New York: Pocket Books, 1998, p. 333.
¹⁰ Charles Attwood, M.D., Dr. Attwood's Low-Fat Prescription for Kids, New York: Penguin Books, 1995, p. 84.
¹¹ Robbins, p. 85.

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