How Veganism Causes Death

Winter is coming to an end. It’s February and spring is right around the corner. The to and fro of the seasons is a reminder that everything comes to an end – school, friendships, the last drop of soda in a coke bottle – nothing is immune to the impending end. It can be easy to brush away or laugh off, but life itself is only temporary. The top ten leading causes of death in the U.S. are as follows: heart disease, cancer, chronic lower respiratory diseases, accidents, stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, Influenza and pneumonia, kidney disease, and suicide (Marcus). The puzzling part of this fact is four out of ten leading causes of death are diet related (“Centers for Science in the Public Interest”). Simple deductive reasoning would
The vegan diet has been scientifically proven to help with the leading causes of death linked to diet and a host of different health conditions. The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine has conducted research that concluded that a low fat, vegan diet is the best for weight loss, type II diabetes, and the prevention of cardiovascular disease (Bernard, Ferdowsian). The foods excluded by this diet are as follows: meats of any kind, including fish, and dairy, including milk from any animal source. However, veganism isn’t the only part of the diet that must be followed for health. Processed foods, such as packaged junk food and certain forms of sugar must be kicked as
There are several components of meat that make it bad for health. Meat contains cholesterol, which elevates blood cholesterol. Elevation in blood cholesterol is linked to plaque or the substance known to clog arteries especially the thin delicate arteries that feed the heart muscles. Dr. William Castelli found that a low-fat plant based diet lowered and individual’s risk of a heart attack by 85%. Meat also contributes to osteoporosis. The consumption of meat acidifies the blood. In order to counteract the acidity, the body releases minerals from the bones. Unfortunately, this means that the bones suffer at the hand of meat. It’s reported by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that individuals who converted to a vegetarian diet experienced 50% less bone loss. Meat, especially red meat, contains carcinogens – such as Neu5Gc, dioxin, and heterocyclic amines – that are linked to the growth of tumors