Vegetarian Diet and Metabolic Risk Factors

A recent study suggests that a vegetarian diet may be linked with a reduced risk of developing metabolic syndrome.

Vegetarianism is a dietary practice that restricts or excludes consumption of animal products. There are various types of vegetarian diets. Flexitarianism, for example, allows for occasional meat consumption, while veganism excludes consumption of all animal products, including diary and eggs.

In a recent study, researchers evaluated the dietary patterns of 773 individuals with an average age of 60 years-old from the Adventist Health Study 2. Nutrition questionnaires and vegetarianism classifications were used to compare dietary patterns with metabolic risk factors.

Metabolic risk factors included high density lipoprotein (HDL or "good" cholesterol),
triglycerides, glucose, blood pressure and waist circumference. Among the participants, 35 percent were classified as vegetarian, 16 percent as semi-vegetarian and 49 percent as non-vegetarian.

The researchers found that a vegetarian diet was associated with a significantly lower risk for all metabolic risk factors except HDL. Furthermore, a vegetarian diet was associated with a significantly lower risk of developing metabolic syndrome when compared with non-vegetarian dietary patterns.

The authors concluded that a vegetarian diet is associated with a reduced risk of metabolic syndrome and associated metabolic risk factors. Additional research is necessary to confirm these findings.

For more information about vegetarianism, please visit Natural Standard's Health & Wellness database.

References

Natural Standard: The Authority on Integrative Medicine. http://www.naturalstandard.com/
Rizzo NS, Sabaté J, Jaceldo-Siegl K, et al. Vegetarian Dietary Patterns Are Associated With a Lower Risk of Metabolic Syndrome: The Adventist Health Study 2. Diabetes Care. 2011 Mar 16. View Abstract

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