Why do vegans live longer? The real reasons why a plant-based diet can increase longevity

1. Vegans and vegetarians don’t eat meat

Yes, this is stating the extremely obvious, but this is of course the main difference between meat-eaters and those on a plant-based diet. And it’s an important difference, because:

Processed meats like hams, sausages, salamis, bacon, smoked and canned meat are class-1 carcinogens: the same classification as tobacco smoking, asbestos, and radioactive barium.

• All meat, including white meat like chicken⁷, contain high levels of saturated fat and cholesterol, which is associated with cardiovascular risk⁸. Dairy and eggs are also high in saturated fat, so vegans benefit even more from these effects.
• Processed meat has been classified as a class-1 carcinogen (cancer-causing) by the World Health Organisation⁹ – this means the evidence is just as strong as it is with smoking and asbestos, both also class-1 carcinogens! It’s also classified all red meat (beef, lamb, pork, goat etc.) as class-2 carcinogens, meaning they are probably cancer-causing.
• Meat and dairy contain hormones and antibiotics, given to livestock to increase rates of weight gain and feed efficiency, and these can impact human health in a number of ways¹⁰.

2. Vegans and vegetarians tend to eat more healthy foods

This is almost by default – if you don’t eat meat, you tend to replace those calories with more vegetables, fruits, grains, pulses, beans, nuts and seeds.

It may also be that vegetarians and vegans pay more attention to their health.

Of course it isn’t always the case (some vegans live on junk food), but on average, consumption of these nutritious, whole plant-foods, tends to be higher.

And this comes with a vast array of health benefits:

• Fruit and vegetables contain protective bioactive compounds such as antioxidants, polyphenols, fibre, vitamins and minerals, which work through numerous complex mechanisms to reduce antioxidant stress, lower blood levels of VLDL and LDL cholesterol (the bad types), and help to maintain a healthy weight. So it’s no surprise that higher consumption has been associated with reduced risk of type 2 diabetes¹¹, lower risk of developing several cancers¹², reduced risk of cardiovascular disease¹³, and lower risk of becoming overweight¹⁴. In fact, higher intake of fruit and vegetables is associated with a reduced overall mortality risk, by any cause¹³.
• Whole grains are also rich in phytochemicals, antioxidants, vitamins, trace minerals, fibre, and protein. In fact, because they’re so nutritious, increased intake of whole grains is associated with lower blood pressure, reduced risk of cardiovascular disease¹⁵, reduced risk of some cancers^16,17, reduced risk of developing diabetes¹⁸, and having a lower body weight¹⁹. (More about the benefit of whole grains here).
• Consuming your protein from plant-based sources such as beans, legumes, pulses, and soy can actually lower VLDL and LDL-cholesterol by specific mechanisms, as well as by displacing meat consumption^20,21. So while a high protein intake from animal sources increases cancer death risk and diabetes mortality, replacing it with plant-based protein sources eliminates these risks²².
• Nuts and seeds pack an impressive variety of vitamins and minerals, and are a great source of protein and fibre. High nut consumption has been shown to lower total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol and is associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer mortality^23,24.

So, by avoiding meat and instead replacing animal foods with more whole plant foods, it’s possible to improve your health in a huge variety of ways (as well as the obvious benefits to the environment and animal welfare issues).

Of course, you hear the occasional story about someone who tried a vegan diet and didn’t feel great, or of an avid meat-eater who had steak for lunch every day and lived to a ripe old age.

Everyone is different and has different experiences, lifestyles, and genetics.

But the growing body of high quality scientific evidence of the health benefits of a plant-based diet, as well as reports of so many vegan athletes surpassing their competitors, is a pretty compelling reason to at least give a plant-based diet a go.

Feeling inspired to go vegan to improve your health? Make the transition simple with these delicious and healthy vegan recipes.

Featured photo © Alessandro Biascioli via Adobe Stock

References

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2. Glick-Bauer, M. C., & Yeh, M. (2014). The health advantage of a vegan diet: Exploring the gut microbiota connection. Nutrients, 6(11), 4822-4838.
3. Yokoyama, Y. D., Takegami, M., Miyamoto, Y., Barnard, N., Nishimura, K., Watanabe, M., Okamura, T. (2014). Vegetarian diets and blood pressure a meta-analysis. JAMA Internal Medicine, 174(4), 577-587.
4. Huang, Tao, Yang, Bin, Zheng, Jusheng, Li, Guipu, Wahlqvist, Mark L., & Li, Duo. (2012). Cardiovascular Disease Mortality and Cancer Incidence in Vegetarians: A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review. Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism, 60(4), 233-240.
5. Dinu, M., Abbate, R., Gensini, G., Casini, A., & Sofi, F. (2017). Vegetarian, vegan diets and multiple health outcomes: A systematic review with meta-analysis of observational studies. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 57(17), 3640-3649.
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7. Wang, Y., Lehane, C., Ghebremeskel, K., & Crawford, M. (2010). Modern organic and broiler chickens sold for human consumption provide more energy from fat than protein. Public Health Nutrition, 13(3), 400-408.
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9. WHO International Agency for Research on Cancer (2015). Q&A on the carcinogenicity of the consumption of red meat and prcessed meat. Accessed 11.10.17 at: https://www.iarc.fr/en/media-centre/iarcnews/pdf/Monographs-Q&A_Vol114.pdf
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16. Aune, D., Chan, D., Lau, R., Vieira, R., Greenwood, D., Kampman, E., & Norat, T. (2011). Dietary fibre, whole grains, and risk of colorectal cancer: Systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of prospective studies. BMJ : British Medical Journal, 343, BMJ : British Medical Journal, 2011, Vol.343.
17. Skeie, G., Braaten, T., Olsen, A., Kyrø, C., Tjønneland, A., Landberg, R., . . . Lund, E. (2016). Intake of whole grains and incidence of oesophageal cancer in the HELGA Cohort. European Journal of Epidemiology, 31(4), 405-414.
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20. Jenkins, D., Mirrahimi, A., Srichaikul, K., Berryman, C., Wang, L., Carleton, A., . . . Kris-Etherton, P. (2010). Soy protein reduces serum cholesterol by both intrinsic and food displacement mechanisms. The Journal of Nutrition, 140(12), 2302S-2311S.
21. Ha, V., Sievenpiper, J., De Souza, R., Jayalath, V., Mirrahimi, A., Agarwal, A., . . . Jenkins, D. (2014). Effect of dietary pulse intake on established therapeutic lipid targets for cardiovascular risk reduction: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Canadian Medical Association. Journal, 186(8), E252-62.
22. Levine, Suarez, Brandhorst, Balasubramanian, Cheng, Madia, . . . Longo. (2014). Low Protein Intake Is Associated with a Major Reduction in IGF-1, Cancer, and Overall Mortality in the 65 and Younger but Not Older Population. Cell Metabolism,19(3), 407-417.
23. Del Gobbo, L., Falk, M., Feldman, R., Lewis, K., & Mozaffarian, D. (2015). Effects of tree nuts on blood lipids, apolipoproteins, and blood pressure: Systematic review, meta-analysis, and dose-response of 61 controlled intervention trials. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 102(6), 1347-56.
24. Grosso, G., Yang, J., Marventano, S., Micek, A., Galvano, F., & Kales, S. (2015). Nut consumption on all-cause, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality risk: A systematic review and meta-analysis of epidemiologic studies. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 101(4), 783-793.