Vegetarians Live Longer Than Meat Easters By Four Years

Experts suggest that removing meat from your diet can add up to four years to a person's life. Several other studies show that eating plant-based diets can increase life expectancy compared to people who prefer eating meat.

A research analyzed six studies that showed the effects of meat diets and vegetarian diets to mortality. Research has shown that going vegetarian for at least 17 years can extend a person's life expectancy by 3.6 years.

Physicians from the Mayo Clinic in Arizona conducted the study, which found that death from all causes was higher for people who eat meat regularly. Researchers observed that 1.5 million deaths have been due to the mentioned cause.

The data reinforces what previous studies have known for a while which is that diet has a great potential to harm or heal the body, according to the Brookshield Laurent, from New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine. Laurent explains that evidence from the study can help physicians to counsel patients about the important role of diets that can lead to preventive care.

Eating red and processed meats on a daily basis has been linked to rising mortality rates. Excess consumption of red meat may increase the risk of heart disease, chronic inflammation, kidney disease, appendicitis, certain cancers and other disorders.

One of the largest studies of vegetarian and vegans found that people on plant-based diets have a significantly longer life expectancy by nearly eight years. The same difference was noticed among smokers and non-smokers.

In a similar 2014 study from U.S. and European populations, the smallest increases in red meat consumption found steep rises in mortality. Researchers considered the link between eating processed meats as well as unprocessed meat, according to Daily Mail.

Research showed that aside from increasing the risk for all causes of mortality, possible links with cardiovascular diseases and ischemic heart diseases were also noticed. A further review found that a low meat intake decreased the risk of mortality on all causes by 25 to 50 percent.

New advice from the World Health Organization suggests that 50 grams of processed meat a day can increase the risk of bowel cancer by 18 percent, according to Telegraph. Physicians from the study recommend physicians to advise patients to limit their intake of animal products and eat more vegetables.