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Enjoy that Steak! Meat-Eaters Healthier Than Vegetarians, Study Says

A study found that overall, vegetarians are less healthy than other dietary groups.

By Brian Slupski

A new study found that meat-eaters are, overall, healthier than their eating vegetarian counterparts, a study found.

Sure, vegetarians have a lower Body Mass Index (BMI), exercise more, drink less, tend to have a higher socioeconomic status and are less likely to smoke. But, they have a greater risk of cancer, allergies and "suffer significantly more often from anxiety/depression," CBS Atlanta reported.

The study was conducted by the Medical University of Graz in Austria. The study found that "While, generally speaking diets based on plants, like vegetarian diets, seem to be associated with a certain health benefit...restrictive and monotonous vegetarian diets include the risk of nutritional deficits."

CBS Atlanta reported that the study found that vegetarians were 50 percent more likely to have allergies and a 50 percent increase in incidences of cancer.

The study included interviews with 15,474 individuals aged 15 and older. The study broke people into several categories: Vegetarian, carnivorous diet rich in fruits and vegetables, carnivorous diet less rich in meat, and carnivorous diet rich in meat.

A screen grab of health finding for each group from the study is attached to this post.

"...There seems to be proof that lifestyle factors like physical activity may be more crucial in lowering disease rates than individual dietary habits," the study noted.

The study concludes, "Austrian adults who consume a vegetarian diet are less healthy (in terms of cancer, allergies, and mental health disorders) have a lower quality of life, and also require more medical treatment."


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