Mortality among German vegetarians versus 'health-conscious' non-vegetarians.

In 1976, 1,225 vegetarians and 679 'health-conscious' non-vegetarians in Germany were recruited for a long-term study. The group being studied included vegans (3 percent), lacto-ovo vegetarians (61 percent), and non-vegetarians (36 percent). Twenty-one years later, researchers determined which of the subjects had died and what had caused their deaths. Overall, this group had a much lower rate of death than the general population, mainly because of many fewer deaths from heart disease. Vegetarians had lower rates of death from heart disease than non-vegetarians, even in this study where non-vegetarians were health-conscious. Death rates from cancer were similar in both groups. Individuals who were moderately or highly physically active were less likely to die from cancer or heart disease than those who were more sedentary. There was a trend of increased risk of dying from heart disease as meat consumption increased. Eating fish more than once a month was also associated with an increased risk of death from heart disease. Many results of this study are in accord with studies of British vegetarians and of Seventh-day Adventist vegetarians in the United States.

Chang-Claude J, Hermann S, Eilber U, Steindorf K. 2005. Lifestyle determinants and mortality in German vegetarians and health-conscious persons: results of a 21-year follow-up. Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 14:963-68.