I have to admit, that was kind of fun.\u00a0 See, what I did with the headline for this post was to look at a couple of observational studies and jump to the kind of unsubstantiated cause-and-effect conclusions so beloved by media health writers \u2013 and particularly beloved by many vegetarian zealots.<\/p>\n
Take T. Colin Campbell \u2013 please.\u00a0 He and his vegan pals show up in vegan propaganda films like Forks Over Knives<\/em> and solemnly inform the world that in countries with high rates of meat consumption, people are more likely to die of cancer.\u00a0 Must be the animal protein causing the cancer, ya see.\u00a0 (Unfortunately, this unscientific claptrap is persuasive to reviewers like Roger Ebert, who apparently knew a lot about good filmmaking but almost nothing about good science.)<\/p>\n There could be all kinds of reasons other than animal protein causes cancer!<\/em> that people who live in countries with high rates of meat consumption are more likely to die of cancer.\u00a0 I\u2019ll give you just one:\u00a0 Animal protein is expensive compared to other foods, so people in prosperous countries eat more of it than people in poor countries do.\u00a0 People in prosperous countries also have longer lifespans because of better medical care \u2013 which means they live long enough to die from the diseases of old age, including cancer.<\/p>\n T. Colin Campbell, Neal Barnard, John McDougall … I\u2019m sure they\u2019re all intelligent enough to understand that correlation doesn\u2019t prove causation.\u00a0\u00a0 I\u2019m also sure they don\u2019t care, at least not when they can dig up a correlation that supports their vegetarian agenda.\u00a0 That\u2019s because they consider eating animal foods immoral.\u00a0 It\u2019s a sin, you see, so if they need to tell little white lies in order to stop people from sinning, that\u2019s okay.\u00a0\u00a0 Nothing wrong with portraying correlation as causation if it supports the true cause.<\/p>\n So in that spirit, let\u2019s take a look at the studies that inspired my headline.\u00a0 Here are some quotes from an online article<\/a> about a study linking vegetarianism to poor health:<\/p>\n Vegetarians may have a lower BMI and drink alcohol sparingly, but vegetarian diets are tied to generally poorer health, poorer quality of life and a higher need for health care than their meat-eating counterparts.<\/span><\/p>\n I think the only correct interpretation of that finding is that if you\u2019re going to be a vegetarian, you should also try to stay fat and drunk.<\/p>\n A new study from the Medical University of Graz in Austria finds that vegetarians are more physically active, drink less alcohol and smoke less tobacco than those who consume meat in their diets. Vegetarians also have a higher socioeconomic status and a lower body mass index. But the vegetarian diet \u2014 characterized by a low consumption of saturated fats and cholesterol that includes increased intake of fruits, vegetables and whole-grain products \u2014 carries elevated risks of cancer, allergies and mental health disorders.<\/span><\/p>\n Vegetarians were twice as likely to have allergies, a 50 percent increase in heart attacks and a 50 percent increase in incidences of cancer.<\/span><\/p>\n Wow.\u00a0 More physically active, more economically prosperous, less likely to drink, less likely to smoke, and less likely to be fat \u2026 yet still more likely to be in poor health, including more likely to develop cancer or suffer a heart attack.\u00a0 Has T. Colin Campbell been informed of this finding?<\/p>\n The cross-sectional study from Austrian Health Interview Survey data and published in PLos One<\/span><\/a> examined participants\u2019 dietary habits, demographic characteristics and general lifestyle differences.<\/span><\/p>\n Many past studies have instead put an emphasis on the health risks associated with red meat and carnivorous diets, but this study points the other dietary direction. However, the researchers do caution that continuing studies will be needed to substantiate some of the rather broad dietary distinctions, associations presented in this current research.<\/span><\/p>\n No, no, no, we don\u2019t need to be cautious.\u00a0 If we find an association we like in an observational study, we can treat it as cause-and-effect and trumpet it from the hilltops \u2026 or in a book called The China Study.<\/em><\/p>\n Overall, vegetarians were found to be in a poorer state of health compared to other dietary groups. Vegetarians reported higher levels of impairment from disorders, chronic diseases, and \u201csuffer significantly more often from anxiety\/depression.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n So a vegetarian diet will give you mental problems as well.\u00a0 But as a health writer, I don\u2019t want to rely on a single study to reach that conclusion.\u00a0 So let\u2019s look at another one.\u00a0 In this study from Germany<\/a>, vegetarians were found to have higher rates of depression, anxiety, hypochondria and eating disorders.<\/p>\n Now, if we wanted to be careful, we\u2019d have to consider all kinds of possible explanations.\u00a0 It could be that people who are sick or depressed or have an eating disorder are more likely to try a vegetarian diet, hoping for a dietary cure.\u00a0 It could be that more vegetarians are obsessed with being thin, which makes them more likely to semi-starve themselves, which in turns leads to poor health and depression.\u00a0 Eating or not eating meat may have nothing to do with it, at least not directly.<\/p>\n But I\u2019m not in the mood to be careful.\u00a0 I more in the mood to channel the spirits of Campbell, Bernard, McDougall, and the other great vegan zealots.\u00a0 So I\u2019ll just declare that according to the recent research, a vegetarian diet will make you sick and crazy.<\/p>\n Heh-heh-heh … like I said, that was kind of fun.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"