Do vegetarians and or vegans live longer than meat eaters?!

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there are some studies which show vegos to be at lower risk for some diseases, but not much to back up the idea that we have increased longevity due to diet. Vegans haven't been around in large enough numbers to study this, i fact we all should volunteer for whatever studies our local university is doing because there is much more work to be done to show that veganism is 100% safe.

Humans are undoubtedly omnivores, as we can survive when consuming both animal and plant products. But omnivore is just a general description, we do not endanger ourselves by avoiding animal products so it isn't all that relevant to our species.

vegan biologist

No, they don't live longer. They like to make that claim, but when you look at the research, it's not true.

Humans are truly omnivores. If we were "meant" to live on veggies, veggies would contain vitamin B12. They don't.

Who says so? From VeganHealth: "...The overwhelming consensus in the mainstream nutrition community, as well as among vegan health professionals, is that plant foods do not provide vitamin B12, and fortified foods or supplements are necessary for the optimal health of vegans, and even vegetarians in many cases..."

Humans require vitamin B12 and it is only available in animal products, meat/eggs/dairy. Every reliable, serious veg*n internet site (VeganHealth, VRG, the Vegan Society) will tell you that if you don't eat animal products, you need to supplement B12 with either shots, pills or highly processed foods fortified with B12.

A lack of B12 is serious. From VeganHealth:

"Overt B12 Deficiency

B12 protects the nervous system. Without it, permanent damage can result (e.g., blindness, deafness, dementia). Fatigue, and tingling in the hands or feet, can be early signs of deficiency.

Vitamin B12, like folate (aka folic acid), is needed to help red blood cells divide. In some cases, vegans may get so much folate that even with B12 deficiency, their blood cells continue to divide properly. In other cases, their blood cells will fail to divide properly and they will become fatigued and suffer from macrocytic (aka megaloblastic) anemia.

Mild B12 Deficiency

Homocysteine is a byproduct of protein metabolism. Elevated homocysteine levels are linked with increased risks of heart disease and stroke. From 1999 to 2003, there were many studies comparing the homocysteine levels of vegans and vegetarians who do not supplement their diet with vitamin B12 to those of non-vegetarians (more info). In every study, the vegans or vegetarians had higher homocysteine levels than the meat-eaters and in the range associated with heart disease and stroke."

http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/vita…

Vegetarians, moderate vegetarians, and vegans live longer. Your intestines are the same relative length as any other herbivore, and your stomach isn't as acidic as a carnivore or an omnivore...

Look at your dog, an omnivore. Look at a tiger, a carnivore. Their teeth are different than yours, they don't chew food to the same degree we and other herbivores do.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/07/13…

A human can process in their body some meat, but because meat gets toxic after a period of time, and our digestive system isn't fast enough, there are some toxicity issues that cause certain cancers and injure the pancreas when we eat humans eat meat.
http://www.tierversuchsgegner.org/wiki/i… Here's an interesting comparative anatomy between humans, herbivores, carnivores and omnivores.

The logic of course is that just because cows eat some bugs in the grass they're grazing upon, that doesn't make them also omnivores. Because a human body can handle some cigarette smoke, that doesn't mean smoking is good for you.

"If a group of beings from another planet were to land on Earth -- beings who considered themselves as superior to you as you feel yourself to be to other animals -- would you concede them the rights over you that you assume over other animals?" George Bernard Shaw

No, not necessarily. My mother in law is vegetarian and 87, her father was vegetarian and lived to be 96. My wife's religous leader is a 92 year old vegan. My wife's cousin was vegetarian and died of a brain tumor at about 60, his son (also vegetarian)died of kidney failure (complication of diabetes) a week or so ago and he was only 38. I personally don't see any evidence that vegetarians live longer (or shorter) than anyone else on the average.

Yeah, I think it's pretty obvious that humans evolved as omnivores. Most of our "evolutionary cousins", the great apes are omnivorous. But I think we were built to eat mainly a plant based diet supplemented by some meat; the way chimpanzees and gorillas eat. However, humans have the abililty to think abstactly and have discovered it is possible to live healthfully on a vegetarian diet. We are not bound by instinct as other animals are.

Vegetarian since 1984, married to a Registered Dietitian and live long vegetarian.

It is possible to live a long healthy life as a vegan, vegetarian, or meat eater, if you look after your health with exercise, good mental outlook, and healthy eating.

For Daisy: B12 is only ever created by certain bacteria, it is a vegetarian vitamin. It is in animal products, either because it is made by bacteria living in the animal's guts and absorbed into their bodies, or else it is ingested because animals tend to live in dirtier conditions. Humans living in poverty who simply can't afford much meat or animal products, don't get B12 deficient because their living conditions are dirtier, they don't wash their food (they often don't have enough water anyway!), don't wash their hands after the loo, and they get it the natural way from basically eating dirty food. In Western societies we have a major germ phobia, everything is washed and disinfected including our food, which also washes away any B12, and so Western vegetarians and vegans have to supplement with B12, which can be cultured from bacteria in a hygienic way.

But the question: do vegetarians and vegans live longer - there has only been one study on this as far as I've ever heard, on Seventh Day Adventists, a group often chosen for vegetarian studies as some of them are vegetarian for religious reasons, some of them are not, but they have similar lifestyles otherwise. I think the study found the vegetarians lived about 2 years longer on average, and vegans maybe a year shorter on average, than meat eaters - so there was only a few years in it anyway - and I don't know how big the study was. This took into account all causes of death including accidents etc, so is not just death by diseases with dietary influence.

It is true, however, that vegetarians and vegans (who eat predominantly non-refined foods) have a lower incidence of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, osteoporosis, stroke, auto-immune diseases, dementia, and quite a few other degenarative diseases, which are some of the biggest causes of death and disablement in Western countries. This has been the finding of many studies, notably The China Study - less meat and dairy usually means less disease. And vegos aren't really any more likely to get any other diseases, as far as I know. Even B12 deficiency - it is so extremely rare even among vegans, who are mostly sensible enough to supplement, and even if they don't many somehow manage to avoid deficiency - most people with B12 deficiency are elderly meat-eaters, as our bodies naturally absorb less B12 as we get older. B12 is a non-issue really, which some meat-eaters with a thing against the idea of avoiding animal products, seem to like to bring up thinking it's some kind of trump card against vegetarianism. Vegan websites mention it because it is one factor to CONSIDER when planning a vegan diet, it in no way means a vegan diet is not healthy. And it is just about the only 'health' trump card meat eaters seem to have - enough iron, protein, and other nutirents can be easily obtained with virtually no, or no, planning, from a diet with a good variety of plant foods - vegans are no more likely to be deficient in these than the general population. Indeed, meat eaters are more likely to be deficient in some nutrients which vegetarians don't seem to have a problem with.

I think the jury is out about whether any group lives longer, there are so many factors involved, but from long human experience you can be healthy on vegan, vegetarian, or omnivorous diet.

We are omnivores of course, for 3 million years or so our species has had a varied diet including meat. However our digestive system is much more aligned with vegetarian animals. Our closest relatives, other apes, are either pure vegetarians, or nearly vegetarian, eating meat only very rarely, which they kill with their impressive long canine teeth, which we lack and have lacked since at least the time our own ancestors were eating a virtually vegetarian diet on the plains of Africa, before they developed tools and the ability to kill animals (as our bodies themselves without tools are not designed to kill - no claws, not very fast, etc). Our ancestors for many more millions of years before tools, had big molars (for grinding up coarse grasses etc) but not big canines, and ate vegetarian - and this is widely accepted among anthropologists.

vegan who doesn't particularly want a long life.

Nah, see, back in caveman days man only ate meat on rare occasions - not enough to make a huge evolutionary impact on us. That's why we have more molars than canines, and why our stomachs don't produce enough hydrochloric acid to effectively digest meat. Not like a tiger's tummy does.
Also up until the late '40s, Americans didn't eat that much meat. It was only when the invention of the refrigerator came to that Americans began to chow down on meat more often. And of course, after WWII's "Meatless Mondays" were over. In addition to that, farmers became more effcient in farming as tractors and other tools became more affordable and cutting edge.

Okay, as for v/v living longer, I can't say for sure, but I can guarantee that they'll reach old age in much better condition than meat-eaters. Plus, take into consideration that medicine is keeping a lot of people who should be dead alive.

no idea. probably equally likely to live long but things that matter is the quality of the meat and food. grass fed meat is best but really hard to find. other things that matter is drug consumption. things like advil, tylenol, motrin,etc. people really should not take these unless it is absolutely necessary.

Living in northern Europe I've seen many 100 year olds who ate cheese, sausage, ham and other meats every day of their lives. I've also known 85 year olds who smoked a pack a day for 60 years and lived to tell about it in good health. There are many factors to life besides what you eat.

Their is not actual proof that vegetarians and vegans live longer, just made up and twisted facts by PETA and similar organisations. Science says we are omnivores.

no problem with live together eaten time. but vegeterians doesn't disturb.