14 Jul
Do Vegetarians Live Longer?
The study referenced here would suggest that this is the case:
Benefits Of Vegetarianism: Vegetarians Live Longer - Green on The Huffington Post
One of the weak points of this study, however, was the response to the argument that persons who participate in a vegetarian lifestyle are simply more health conscious in general—again, the correlation-is-not-causation argument. What would have been convincing would have been to report some other data controlling for those variables (e.g., were the vegetarians less likely to be smokers? Drinkers?) but instead we are left with this:
To the argument that it is not vegetarianism but a general interest in a healthier lifestyle which leads to such notable results, scientists reply with evidence that the majority of vegetarians do not cite health reasons for their lifestyle, but make their choice based on ethical commitment, environmental concerns or simply personal taste.
Self-reported “perceptions” instead of observable datapoints leaves this study (or at least what is reported of this study) with as many questions as answers. The vegetarian participants might claim that they didn’t choose a vegetarian lifestyle for health reasons, but this doesn’t mean they don’t live healthier lives, and it doesn’t really refute the argument.
