Adventist Longevity a Myth?

[Dr. Shane]

Here is what I found and perhaps where the preacher was getting his information.

Vegetarian Death Rates

Quote:

There was also a sub-section that separated the vegetarian group into lacto-ovo vegetarians and vegans. The Health Food Shoppers Study was left out of this portion of the analysis because it did not distinguish between lacto-ovo vegetarians and vegans (6). Compared to 31,766 people who ate meat at least once per week:

• Occasional meat eaters (8,135 people who ate meat less than once per week) had a 20% reduced rate of dying of heart disease and a 10% reduced rate of overall mortality.

• Those who ate no meat other than fish (2,375 people) had a 34% reduced rate of dying from heart disease and an 18% reduced rate of overall mortality.

• Lacto-ovo vegetarians (23,265 people) had a 38% reduced rate of dying from lung cancer, a 34% reduced rate of dying from heart disease, and a 15% reduced rate of mortality.

• Vegans (753 people) had a heart disease rate of .74 (.46, 1.21) and a mortality rate of 1.00 (.70, 1.44). There were no statistically significant differences between the vegans and the regular meat-eaters for any causes of death.

[dialoguewithus]

Very interesting study. I'm pretty much vegan EXCEPT I take fish oil supplements. I read that flax oil isn't nearly as effective for the heart. The supplements are refined to remove any mercury and the risk of pathogens is likely very low. I also take B12 and other vitamins. As for B12, that's an interesting issue, since it could indicate that a vegan diet, by itself, isn't healthy. As for supplements in general, I think they would benefit anyone, due to soil depletion, lack of perfect balance in the diet, pollution, etc. They are effective for many medical conditions, regardless of what the pharma industry and their chums at FDA say.

[Woody]

What %age of Americans die from mercury?

[fccool]

I think that taking longevity as an indicator of healthy life is a misleading statistic to begin with. There are many genetic and environmental factors that play into the statistic besides simply being a vegetarian.

Even the fact that one is vegetarian does not guarantee the healthy lifestyle. There are a number of factors that religious communities benefit from apart from vegetarianism.

I think that a "quality" of life is much better indicator than longevity. You can live long, and be in and out of hospitals and in pain, or you can live a very energetic life-style with healthy diet and come down with anurism, just like one of my aunts.

Certainly, healthy living has its benefits, but in the end... I'll take quality over quantity.

[Dr. Shane]

I'll take quality over quantity.

Me too but I think the Adventist goal is to have both.

[dialoguewithus]

Woody,

The % of Americans who die from mercury is unknown. I don't think there have been many studies on the hazards, although it is considered the second-most poisonous nonradioactive metal known to man. There are obviously powerful vested interests which do what they can to gloss over the health risks from coal plants, ag chemicals, etc. But it is generally admitted that most Americans' main exposure is from dentistry. Hand-consolidated silver fillings are mercury-free and there are other mercury amalgams which contain less than the standard 50% content. It's interesting, and very sad, than the dangers of lead were known for well over a century before the U.S. banned it from paint and gasoline.

[dialoguewithus]

Omega-3s have many health benefits. The following species are both high in healthy omega-3s and low in mercury: Herring, Atlantic Mackerel (not King Mackerel), freshwater Trout, and Salmon (wild, not farmed).

The USDA says only 4% of Americans get the RDA of essential vitamins. An early Congressional report stated only 1% of Americans were getting enough minerals from dietary sources. It's undoubtedly even worse now, due to an estimated 85% depletion of the minerals in our soils. Non-organic practices accelerate and stimulate plant growth, even when essential nutrients are lacking in both fertilizer and soil.

The majority of Americans are considered Vit. D deficient. Vitamin D is a potent antioxidant which helps prevent rickets, cancer, osteoporosis, Parkinson’s Disease, dementia, Multiple Sclerosis, heart attacks, infection, and perhaps autism.

Concerning mercury, what doesn't rain down due to air pollution (as from coal plants) seems to generally come from agricultural runoff, dentistry (from dentists' wastewater and human waste), and from small-scale gold mining (mostly in developing countries, I think). Plus there's batteries, florescent lights, etc.

[phkrause]

Omega-3s have many health benefits. The following species are both high in healthy omega-3s and low in mercury: Herring, Atlantic Mackerel (not King Mackerel), freshwater Trout, and Salmon (wild, not farmed).

I agree, also in that 3abn cooking program, they mentioned a number of plant based foods, or it might have been grains of some kind, that had a large amount of omega-3s and 6s, that had a lot more than fish. I'm going to see if I can find the dvd that I recorded and than will let everyone know.

[Gerr]

Many vegans have issues with vitamin B12 deficiency which is more scary to me than mercury in fish.

The B12 concern can be easily solved just by taking B12 tablets or Red Star yeast without the risk of Mercury.

If you can find the Review article, I'd like to read it.

[Dr. Shane]

The article was in the July 2008 issue. I scanned it and then threw away my copy. Later I noticed the third column came out real blurry so what I have isn't all that good.

I had Gillian Barret Syndrome so all my B vitamins are very important to me. Living in the tropics, I am not too concerned about Vitamin D. I get lots of that.

[Dr. Shane]

they mentioned a number of plant based foods, or it might have been grains of some kind, that had a large amount of omega-3s and 6s, that had a lot more than fish.

Walnuts have a lot of omega-3 but what they have discovered is that the omega-3s in walnuts provide different benefits than the omega-3s in fish oil. Walnuts cannot substitute fish and fish cannot substitute walnuts. Both are recommended to be part of the diet to maximize the benefits.

[Dr. Shane]

The article was in the July 2008 issue.

Correction: the article was in Adventist World - NAD, not the Review.

[Gerr]

In the LLU Adventist study, walnuts have been shown to be beneficial for cardiovascular health. One source I saw mentioned that the optimal ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 is 1:1 -1:4. Flaxeed oil has a 1:3, so it seems to me that this would do well if supplement is to be taken.

BTW, some supplements that have been extracted/isolated from the natural foods that they are normally found in, have yielded disappointed results when given by themselves. For example, Vit E in some studies have shown to increase cardiac risk when the opposite was expected. Taking beta carotene by itself as a supplement is not as beneficial as when taken as it naturally occurs in food. TC Campbell of "The China Study" fame believes that the best way to meet the body's nutritional needs is the consumption of a variety of whole plant foods. He believes that somehow each individual nutrient enhances the effect of the other. He uses the analogy of an orchestra where each instrument makes the other sound better.

[CoAspen]

Quote:

...best way to meet the body's nutritional needs is the consumption of a variety of whole plant foods.

A well, Duh!, statement!! Society seems to always want a 'pill' method to health. Basic food groups, water, exercise and all in moderation still hasn't changed! Rather amazing isn't it!!

[phkrause]

Originally Posted By: Shane

Many vegans have issues with vitamin B12 deficiency which is more scary to me than mercury in fish.

The B12 concern can be easily solved just by taking B12 tablets or Red Star yeast without the risk of Mercury.

If you can find the Review article, I'd like to read it.

Gerry here's the link:

http://www.adventistworld.org/article.php?id=347

[Gerr]

Thanks, PK. Good article.

N. Carolina, where I live now, has more pigs than people. Fresh water pollution from hog effluent has become a real problem here. Eating fish from our rivers here would be problematical.

[LifeHiscost]

After a brief (very brief) cursory search on statistical evidence as to life expectancy for the different religious persuasions, my tentative conclusions lead me to believe religiosity is not a strong determinate to extended years, worldwide. However there is a difference between religiosity (even Christian) and committed living with dependence upon the sustaining grace of Jesus Christ.

OTOH looking at my own life's accepted disciplines according to religious health principles, I've found life without chronic pain a joy. I'm not yet old enough to relate to the 80 year benchmark of retirement looked forward to by the next generation that are seeing Social Security as their best present life in this world's hope, but it is altogether possible, if not probable, that I could give up the ghost before that time. However as of this moment, brief episodes of personal health trauma caused from lack of personal discipline are my most serious physical concern.

And still, looking back on a large part of my life lived with the care of the body seen as the temple of God, I still see God's intervention directly responsible for my still being alive, with quality of life.

What has all this to do with longevity? John the Baptist, if not Jesus, is the best evidence that some of the good and best do die young.

And yet, the longevity that accrues as a direct result of living for Christ is still the best option. Even if we are cut off at the tender age of?????, eternal life still makes me almost willing to commit to early expiration. Only the hope of being responsible for someone else's longevity, by choice of their belief, keeps me with a desire for living, with the death that is constantly around us every moment of every single day.

One of my personal friends believes I can be especially morbid

at times. So be it.

"And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with great (transcendent and overwhelming) power and [all His kingly] glory (majesty and splendor).

Now when these things begin to occur, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption (deliverance) is drawing near." Luke 21:28,29 AMP

God blesses!

[LifeHiscost]

The results from the current study started being released two or three years ago. These results were one of the principle reasons my wife and I decided to incorporate fish into our diet. Of course it isn't just about diet. There are many lifestyle issues like exercise, sleep, water consumption, stress management, family involvement, role of faith and sense of purpose and belonging.

And probably the neighborhood one lives in also.

http://www.bestplaces.net/crime/

God blesses!

[LifeHiscost]

For the omega's 3,6,9, you might research chia seed. It is suppose to be high in the omegas as well as being excellent fiber. Seems to be some difference of opinion as to whether it is better than flax seed, but it doesn't have to be ground, as I understand flax seed does.

God blesses!

[phkrause]

How we live vs. how we're born

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Stunning stat: Our environment and lifestyle are about 10 times more important than our genes when it comes to longevity. That's the conclusion of researchers who analyzed the data of some 500,000 people for a study published in Nature Medicine today. ? Zoom in: The researchers landed on 25 environmental factors linked to how rapidly we age, The Guardian reports. They range from things that happen before we're even born, like whether our mothers smoked, to parts of our adult lives, like whether we live with a partner and household income. Study authors found that these factors — taken together — explain about 17% of the variation in people's longevity. At the same time, our genetic predisposition for major diseases explains less than 2% of that variation. ? Between the lines: Of those 25 factors, researchers concluded that smoking, socioeconomic status, physical activity and living conditions had the most impact on aging and risk for premature death. "Smoking was associated with 21 diseases; socioeconomic factors such as household income, home ownership and employment status were associated with 19 diseases; and physical activity was associated with 17 diseases," they write. ? The big takeaway: Just two of the 25 factors the researchers found — ethnicity and relative height at age 10 (being shorter is a bit better) — aren't at all modifiable. But while the other factors can all technically be controlled, many aren't easy to change. They're proxies for wealth and status, like years of education, income and gym use, Bloomberg reports. The bottom line: It's good news. There's a great deal we can control when it comes to how long we'll stay healthy — from how much sleep we get to how much we move to what we eat.