British Medical Journal - BMJ
Editorials
Vegetarian diets and health
BMJ 2019; 366 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.l5272 (Published 04 September 2019)
Cite this as: BMJ 2019;366:l5272
Rapid response
Re: Vegetarian diets and health. Go plant-based for the planet (and your heart).
Vegetarian Diet and Neurological Diseases
People with many different dietary habits call themselves vegetarians. They are
1. Vegans (total pure vegetarians): They do not eat meat, poultry, fish, or any products derived from animals, including eggs, dairy products, and gelatin.
2. Lacto-ovo vegetarians: They do not eat meat, poultry, or fish, but do eat eggs and dairy products.
3. Lacto vegetarians: They eat no meat, poultry, fish, or eggs, but do consume dairy products.
4. Ovo vegetarians: They eat no meat, poultry, fish, or dairy products, but do eat eggs.
5. Partial vegetarians: They avoid meat but may eat fish (pesco-vegetarian, pescatarian) or poultry (pollo-vegetarian).
Compared with non-vegetarian eaters, vegetarians tend to consume less saturated fat cholesterol and more vitamins C E, dietary fiber, folic acid, potassium, magnesium, and phytochemicals such as carotenoids and flavonoids. As a result, they're likely to have lower total and LDL cholesterol, lower blood pressure, and lower body mass index (BMI). These things are associated with longevity and a reduced risk for many chronic neurological diseases.
Vegetarian life style is superior to a non-vegetarian life style from the angle of prevention of disease. Vegetarian diet can also play an important role in the prevention and treatment of many chronic, progressive neurological diseases.
Migraine
Migraine has a very close relationship to the kind of food we eat. A Ttyrosine rich non-vegetarian diet can exacerbate migraine. So the vegetarian diet may be more suitable for a patient with migraine.
Stroke
The main risk factors for stroke are hypertension diabetes and hypercholesterolaemia. Vegetarian diet is beneficial in the treatment and prevention of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolaemia, and obesity. Vegetarians are also less inclined to use tobacco and misuse alcohol. So the vegetarian diet may be beneficial for the prevention of stroke.
A recent study found that there is no difference between meat eaters and vegetarians in the risk of ischaemic stroke. But that study found that the vegetarians had a 43% increased risk of haemorrhagic stroke.
Other Neurological Diseases
Neurological diseases such as dementia, multiple sclerosis, motor neurone disease, peripheral neuropathies, Parkinson's disease and other chronic progressive neurodegenerative diseases of the brain and spinal cord may show benefits with fiber, essential fatty acids, minerals, trace elements and vitamin rich vegetarian diets than with non-vegetarian diets.
Vegetarian diet can also help to boost the human immune system, and this can also be useful to prevent neuroinfections and neuroinflammatary disorders.
Memory and Intellectual capacity
There is a long list of intellectuals who are vegetarian who have made an incredible mark in their life time. The list includes Isaac Newton, George Bernard Shaw, Shelley, Milton, and Voltaire. In India, Mahatma Gandhi, Rajendra Prasad, Rajagopalachari, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Naranda Modi and many more are vegetarians. Vegetarianism will increase memory and intellectual activity of a very high order. In my county Mahavira, Buddha and Saints of Hinduism all advocated vegetarianism.
Like intellectual activity, even physical functions seem to be better preserved in vegetarians as compared to non-vegetarians.
In recent days plant-based eating is recognized as not only nutritionally sufficient but also as a way to reduce the risk for many chronic lifestyle diseases.
Now more and more people are turning to vegetarianism and veganism, which is good news for the fight against climate change also.
Competing interests: No competing interests
10 September 2019
M.A. Aleem
Emeritus Professor of Neurology * Visiting Specialist in Neurology ** Consultant Neurologist ***
The Tamilnadu Dr.M.G.R. Medical University * Dhanalakshami Srinivasan Medical College ** ABC Hospital ***
Chennai 600032* Perambalure 621212** Trichy 620018*** Tamilnadu India
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