ROME (dpa-AFX) - A recent umbrella review of more than 20 years of data found that vegetarian food helps to maintain health and reduce overall risk of developing cancer, heart disease and even death.
Researchers said, 'Our study evaluates the different impacts of animal-free diets for cardiovascular health and cancer risk showing how a vegetarian diet can be beneficial to human health and be one of the effective preventive strategies for the two most impactful chronic diseases on human health in the 21st century.'
For the research, a team led by medical doctor Angelo Capodici of the University of Bologna in Italy considered scientific data about vegetarian and vegan diets published between 2000 and 2023.
Lead author Dr. Angelo Capodici noted that plant-based diet provides a 'protective' layer from certain cancers, such as 'liver, colon, pancreas, lung, prostate, bladder, melanoma, kidney and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.'
The plant-based diet also controls cholesterol and blood sugar levels, and helps to maintain body mass index.
Moreover, people who depend on this type of diet have a lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease.
However, the team noted, 'It has also been described that vegetarians, in addition to reduced meat intake, ate less refined grains, added fats, sweets, snacks foods, and caloric beverages than did non-vegetarians and had increased consumption of a wide variety of plant foods'.
Researchers said that sometimes depending on only plant-based diet could lead to deficiency of certain vitamins and minerals, leading to several health conditions such as allergies and gastrointestinal diseases.
'Diets that emphasize consumption of unhealthy plant foods, such as fruit juices, refined grains, potato chips, and even sodas' might offset the positive effects of a vegetarian diet, warned study coauthor Dr. Federica Guaraldi.
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