Vegetarians May Live Longer, Study of More Than 70,000 Seventh-day Adventists Finds

Vegetarian diets are associated with reduced death rates of more than 70,000 Seventh-day Adventists, with more favorable results for men than women, according to a study led by a Loma Linda University professor and announced this week.

Michael J. Orlich, M.D., of Loma Linda University, and colleagues examined all-cause and cause-specific mortality in a group of 73,308 men and women Seventh-day Adventists, according to a statement distributed by the school.

Vegetarian diets have previously been associated with reductions in risk for chronic diseases including hypertension, metabolic syndrome, diabetes mellitus and ischemic heart disease, according to the study background.

Researchers assessed dietary patients using a questionnaire that categorized study participants into five groups: nonvegetarian, semi-vegetarian, pesco-vegetarian that includes seafood, lacto-ovo-vegetarian that includes dairy and egg products, and vegan, which excludes all animal products.

The study notes that vegetarian groups tended to be older, more highly educated, and more likely to be married, to drink less alcohol, to smoke less, to exercise more and to be thinner.

"Some evidence suggests vegetarian dietary patterns may be associated with reduced mortality, but the relationship is not well established," the authors of the study wrote.

There were 2,570 deaths among the study participants during an average follow-up time of almost six years. The overall mortality rate was six deaths per 1,000 person years. 

"The adjusted hazard ratio (HR) for all-cause mortality in all vegetarians combined vs. nonvegetarians was 0.88, or 12 percent lower, according to the study results," the university's announcement stated.

Men in the study had associations with significant reduction in cardiovascular disease mortality and IHD death in vegetarians vs. nonvegetarians. In women, there were no significant reductions in these categories of mortality, study results indicate.

"These results demonstrate an overall association of vegetarian dietary patterns with lower mortality compared with the nonvegetarian dietary pattern," the authors concluded. "They also demonstrate some associations with lower mortality of the pesco-vegetarian, vegan and lacto-ovo-vegetarian diets specifically compared with the nonvegetarian diet."

The report was published online earlier this week by JAMA Internal Medicine, a JAMA Network publication. By Tuesday the study was being touted by the Wall Street Journal.