One of the nenefits of being a vegetarian is that death rates in vegetarians are lower than non-vegetarians. In a study conducted by scientists who tracked 11,000 vegetarians and non-vegetarians for 7 years, it was found that death rates were much lower among the vegetarians.
Do specific factors in vegetables build a body less vulnerable to disease? Tests have shown some distinctive differences. Vegetarians have markedly lower blood cholesterol, especially the detrimental LDL type, and we all know that lower cholesterol i the risk of heart attacks.
Dramatic new evidence confirms that reducing destructive LDL type and raising HDL (good type) cholesterol can also unclog damaged coronary arteries.
In a startling discovery, experts who conducted studies on the fibre intake of vegetarians noticed that when diabetics take I fibre foods, not only did their blood sugar and insulin improve, their blood cholesterol and blood pressure also reduced remarkably. But triglycerides – another type of fat – went up. This made them conclude that the added fibre could be the main factor that is pushing down blood cholesterol.
This brought about the hypothesis that fibre deficiency is the main cause of modern ills and that fibre can cure or prevent almost anything that ails you, including diabetes, coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, haemorrhoids, varicose veinns, diverticular disease, hiatus hernia, gall stones, constipation. ltbjÉ bowel syndrome, appendicitis and cancer, especially of the colon.
The knowledge that fibres are good for health dates back to the classical Greeks. In the 19th century America, a vegetaran preacher, Sylvester Graham said the primary reason vegetable, fruits, legumes, and grains are healthful is the high content of fiber in them.
