Diet, Life Expectancy, and Chronic Disease: Studies of Seventh-Day Adventists and Other Vegetarians

by Gary E. Fraser

Overview

Research into the role of diet in chronic disease can be difficult to interpret. Measurement errors in different studies often produce conflicting answers to the same questions. Seventh-day Adventists and other groups with many vegetarian members are ideal study populations because they have a wide range of dietary habits that adds power and clarity to research findings. This book analyzes the results of such studies, focusing on heart disease and cancer. These studies support the benefits of a vegetarian diet and in addition provide evidence about the effects of individual foods and food groups on disease risk that is relevant to all who are interested in good health. Fraser places the findings in athe broader context of well-designed nutritional studies of the general population. He discusses the degree of confidence we can have in particular relationships between diet and disease based on the strength of the evidence. While this is a scholarly book, it is written in clear English and contains an extensive glossary so that it should be accessible to a wide audience.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780195113242
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	05/29/2003
Pages:	392
Product dimensions:	9.52(w) x 6.56(h) x 1.25(d)

About the Author

Loma Linda University

Table of Contents

1. Why We Study the Health of Adventists2. Coronary Heart Disease Rates in Adventists and Others3. Cancer Rates in Adventists and Others4. The Longevity of Adventists as Compared to Others5. Diet and the Risk of Coronary Heart Disease6. Diet and the Risk of Cancer7. Diet, Other Risk Factors, and Aging8. Vegetarianism and Obesity, Hypertension, Diabetes, and Arthritis9. Social Support, Religiosity, Other Psychological Factors and Health10. Coronary Heart Disease Mortality in British, German, and Indian Vegetarians11. Cancer and All-Cause Mortality in British and German Vegetarians12. Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease and Cancer in Vegetarians13. Risk Factors and Disease in Vegans14. Changing a Population's Diet: A Behavioral View of the Adventist Experience15. Shifting to a Vegetarian Diet: Practical Suggestions from a NutritionistConclusion

Editorial Reviews

"This book is...for all those who wish to use diet to treat chronic disease. It can be read with enjoyment from cover to cover, but will be returned to frequently as a reference work to browse through chapters on specific topics. It is a book which stands to benefit the health of all readers, be they physician, medical student, or patient." —The Lancet

"Fraser's book will surely buttress the accumulating evidence in favor of vegetarianism as a healthful dietary option. He convincingly demonstrates that not only do vegetarians live longer than non-vegetarians, but they also probably enjoy a better quality of life. This book will have strong appeal to a wide range of health professionals who are interested in areas such as preventive cardiology, nutrition, cancer prevention, health education and promotion, 'wellness' and lifestyle interventions, public health, and epidemiology." - The New England Journal of Medicine

From the Publisher