The Daily Telegraph

SHOULD YOU REALLY GO VEGGIE (OR VEGAN)?

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A vegetarian diet has been found to confer a number of health benefits – not least a reduced risk of heart disease, high blood pressure and stroke, type 2 diabetes, obesity and some types of cancer.

A study of more than 1.5 million people conducted by physicians at the Mayo Clinic in Arizona last year found that adopting a vegetarian diet for at least 17 years could add 3.6 years to your life.

On the other hand, a separate study by researcher­s from Cornell University in the US last year found that longterm vegetarian­ism could lead to genetic mutations that raise the risk of heart disease and cancer.

Previous research has also found that vegetarian population­s are almost 40 per cent more likely to suffer colorectal cancer than meat eaters.

A diet that avoids meat and dairy products means that vegans frequently consume fewer calories than omnivores, and are broadly at less risk of obesity, strokes and ischemic heart disease. Some studies have linked veganism with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes.

However, vegans must select foods carefully to ensure they receive adequate nutrition.

The NHS warns: “If you don’t plan your diet properly, [vegans] could miss out on essential nutrients such as calcium, iron and vitamin B12.”

Vegan supplement­s and fortified foodstuffs – such as iodized salt, plant milks with extra calcium, and mushrooms grown in B12-rich soils – are widely available.

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