Vegetarians are at a higher risk of suffering stroke
A recent study published in the British Medical Journal revealed that people who don’t eat meat are at a higher rate risk of suffering from a stroke when compared to the non-vegetarians. This study conducted by the scientists of Oxford University identified a higher rate of haemorrhagic stroke as the cause for it.
The study's result published in Daily Mail shows that vegetarians and vegan had low levels of cholesterol and key vitamins- such as vitamin B12 which is the main reason behind the increased risk. The study also suggested that meat-eaters had a higher level of coronary heart disease, which is the main cause of heart attacks and angina.
According to the scientists behind this study fish-eating or vegetarian adults had a lower risk of ischaemic heart diseases, but the vegetarians have a higher rate of stroke. Vegetarians were on a 22% lower risk of suffering heart diseases while people who consume fish but not meant were at 13% lower risk. The difference could be partly due to lower body weight, blood pressure and diabetes among vegetarians.
Lead researcher Dr Tammy Tong, from the Nuffield Department of Population Health at Oxford, feels that additional studies in other large scale setting with a high proportion of non-meat eaters are needed to confirm the generalisability of the results.
Writing in the British Medical Journal leading nutritionist Dr Emma Derbyshire had warned against the growing trend of Veganism in the world. She suggested that plant-based diets lack key nutrients which affect the development of unborn baby’s brain in pregnant women.
