Cardiovascular Disease Mortality and Cancer Incidence in Vegetarians: A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review

Abstract

Background: Prospective cohort studies have examined mortality and overall cancer incidence among vegetarians, but the results have been inconclusive. Aims: The objective of the present meta-analysis was to investigate cardiovascular disease mortality and cancer incidence among vegetarians and nonvegetarians. Methods: Medline, EMBASE and Web Of Science databases were searched for cohort studies published from inception to September 2011. Studies were included if they contained the relative risk (RR) and corresponding 95% CI. Participants were from the UK, Germany, California, USA, the Netherlands and Japan. Results: Seven studies with a total of 124,706 participants were included in this analysis. All-cause mortality in vegetarians was 9% lower than in nonvegetarians (RR = 0.91; 95% CI, 0.66–1.16). The mortality from ischemic heart disease was significantly lower in vegetarians than in nonvegetarians (RR = 0.71; 95% CI, 0.56–0.87). We observed a 16% lower mortality from circulatory diseases (RR = 0.84; 95% CI, 0.54–1.14) and a 12% lower mortality from cerebrovascular disease (RR = 0.88; 95% CI, 0.70–1.06) in vegetarians compared with nonvegetarians. Vegetarians had a significantly lower cancer incidence than nonvegetarians (RR = 0.82; 95% CI, 0.67–0.97). Conclusions: Our results suggest that vegetarians have a significantly lower ischemic heart disease mortality (29%) and overall cancer incidence (18%) than nonvegetarians.

Recommended Dietary Pattern to Achieve Adherence to the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology (AHA/ACC) Guidelines: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association

“…Vegetarian diets are generally less prescriptive than the DASH diet, but compared with nonvegetarian diets, cardiovascular outcomes are typically favorable. [41][42][43][44] Care must be taken to ensure that individuals who wish to follow a vegetarian diet are including the recommended nutrient-dense foods rather than simply avoiding meat and resorting to sugar-added or SFA-laden foods.…”

Relative validity and reproducibility of a quantitative FFQ for assessing nutrient intakes of vegetarians in Taiwan

“…Therefore, the validity and reproducibility of an FFQ need to be confirmed in the population of its intended use, as the quantitative understanding of the tool's performance and limitations will be important in the interpretation of the future diet-health analysis (4) . A vegetarian diet has been shown to protect against heart diseases (5) , diabetes (6) and other chronic degenerative diseases (7) in the West. However, relatively little is known about vegetarians in Asia who may consume a different diet from vegetarians in the West and from the non-vegetarian general population in Asia.…”

Total Diet Approach to Cancer Prevention: A Narrative Review of the Literature Since 2011 Concerning the Association of Colorectal Cancer and Meat Consumption

“…Findings from a systematic review and meta-analysis exploring cancer incidence in vegetarians supported that vegetarians have significantly lower overall cancer incidence than non-vegetarians (RR 0.82, 95% CI 0.67-0.97) [43]. Although there is a cause and effect relationship between red and/or processed meat consumption and CRC, strong evidence exists to support a plantbased diet approach for overall cancer prevention.…”