Vegetarians had a 12% lower risk of dying during a 5.8 year follow-up compared to non-vegetarians according to a study from researchers at Loma Linda University in Loma Linda, California, USA.

“Vegetarian diets are associated with lower all-cause mortality and with some reductions in cause-specific mortality,” the authors of the study concluded.

The risk associated with different forms of vegetarianism are shown below.

Pescovegetarians—vegetarians who eat fish and seafood—had a 19% lower risk of dying during the 5.8 year follow-up than non-vegetarians according to a study from researchers at Loma Linda University in Loma Linda, California, USA.

This type of vegetarianism was associated with greater protection against death than being a semivegetarian who sometimes eat animal products (8% lower risk of dying), lacto-ovo vegetarians who eat eggs and milk but no meat (9% lower risk of dying), and vegans who eat no animal products at all (15% lower risk of dying).

Vegetarians had a 22% lower risk of colorectal cancer during a 7.3 year follow-up compared to non-vegetarians according to a study from researchers at Loma Linda University in Loma Linda, California, USA.

There was a 19% lower risk of colon cancer and a 29% lower risk of rectal cancer in vegetarians versus non-vegetarians.

“Vegetarian diets are associated with an overall lower incidence of colorectal cancers,” the authors of the study concluded.

Pescovegetarians, that is vegetarians who also eat seafood and fish, had a 43% lower risk of colorectal cancer during a 7.3 year follow-up compared to non-vegetarians according to a study from researchers at Loma Linda University in Loma Linda, California, USA.

“Pescovegetarians in particular have a much lower risk [of colorectal cancer] compared with non vegetarians,” the authors of the study noted.

Consumption of raw vegetables seems to reduce the risk of death over 10-18 years roughly twice as much as consumption of cooked vegetables when comparing quartiles according to a study the European Prospective Investigation Into Cancer and Nutrition looking at Fruit and Vegetable Consumption and Mortality (the EPIC cohort).

The one-fourth of people consuming the second most amount of raw vegetables, roughly 1-2 ounces of raw vegetables per day (23-50 grams, 2nd Quartile), were 8% less likely to die over the next 10-18 years compared to the one-fourth of people consuming the least amount of raw vegetables or 0-1 ounce per day (0-23 grams, 1st Quartile) according to this study.

By comparison, the one-fourth of people consuming the second most amount of cooked vegetables, roughly 1.8 to 3.2 ounces of cooked vegetables per day (50-91 grams, 2nd Quartile) were 4% less likely to die over the next 10-18 years compared to the one-fourth of people consuming the least amount of cooked vegetables or 0-1.8 ounces per day (0-50 grams, 1st Quartile).

The one-fourth of people consuming the third most amount of raw vegetables, roughly 1.8 to 3.5 ounces of raw vegetables per day (50-100 grams, 3rd Quartile), were 15% less likely to die over the next 10-18 years compared to the one-fourth of people consuming the least amount of raw vegetables or 0-1 ounce per day (0-23 grams, 1st Quartile) according to this study.

By comparison, the one-fourth of people consuming the third most amount of cooked vegetables, roughly 3.2 to 5.6 ounces of cooked vegetables per day (91-158 grams, 3rd Quartile), were 8% less likely to die over the next 10-18 years compared to the one-fourth of people consuming the least amount of cooked vegetables or 0-1.8 ounces per day (0-50 grams, 1st Quartile).

Consumption of raw vegetables seems to reduce the risk of death over 10-18 years roughly twice as much as consumption of cooked vegetables when comparing quartiles according to a study the European Prospective Investigation Into Cancer and Nutrition looking at Fruit and Vegetable Consumption and Mortality (the EPIC cohort).

The one-fourth of people consuming the most raw vegetables, roughly 3.5 to 27 ounces of raw vegetables per day (100-771 grams, 4th Quartile), were 16% less likely to die over the next 10-18 years compared to the one-fourth of people consuming the least amount of raw vegetables or 0-1 ounce per day (0-23 grams, 1st Quartile) according to this study.

By comparison, the one-fourth of people consuming roughly 5.6 to 27 ounces of cooked vegetables per day (158-773 grams, 4th Quartile) were 7% less likely to die over the next 10-18 years compared to the one-fourth of people consuming the least amount of cooked vegetables or 0-1.8 ounces per day (0-50 grams, 1st Quartile).

Consumption of raw vegetables seems to reduce the risk of death over 10-18 years roughly twice as much as consumption of cooked vegetables when comparing quartiles according to a study the European Prospective Investigation Into Cancer and Nutrition looking at Fruit and Vegetable Consumption and Mortality (the EPIC cohort).