Mixed
Adherence to vegetarian or vegan dietary patterns is associated with a significantly reduced risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) compared to regular meat-eating.
To lower your risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes, shift your diet towards plant-based foods. You do not need to be strictly vegan; even reducing meat intake and increasing fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains yields significant benefits. Ensure you monitor key nutrients like B12 and Iron, especially if you are vegan.
Both vegetarian diets and prudent diets allowing small amounts of red meat are associated with reduced risk of diseases, particularly CHD and type 2 diabetes.
Why this rating
Based on multiple prospective cohort studies and meta-analyses, though observational data cannot prove causation and confounding (lifestyle factors) is noted.
Source
Vegetarian diets, low-meat diets and health: a review
Claire T. McEvoy et al. · Public Health Nutrition · 2012
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