Study Shows the Effect of Pesco-Vegetarian Diets on Longevity in the Elderly
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A new study published American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reveals that the pesco-vegetarian diet—which includes fish—offers the greatest protection against risk in very elderly individuals.
Researchers discovered that vegetarian diets are linked to a reduced risk of all-cause mortality and various specific causes of death, particularly among males and middle-aged individuals. However, very elderly vegetarians showed a slightly increased risk for neurological conditions like stroke, dementia, and Parkinson’s Disease.
Despite this, the pesco-vegetarian diet, which includes fish, still provided a modest but noticeable benefit compared to other vegetarian and non-vegetarian diets, even in older populations.
The study utilized data from the Adventist Health Study-2, which included nearly 96,000 participants. They examined data from over 88,000 participants and around 12,500 deaths within the cohort. Dietary information was gathered through a questionnaire and classified into five categories: non-vegetarian, semi-vegetarian, pesco-vegetarian, lacto-ovo-vegetarian, and vegan.
The findings indicate that Adventist vegetarians had an overall 12% lower risk of death compared to non-vegetarians.
Participants following a pesco-vegetarian diet, which includes fish, had an 18% reduced risk of death, while those on a lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet (which includes dairy and eggs) experienced a 15% lower risk. Vegans had less than a 3% decrease in risk of death overall, although male vegans showed significantly better outcomes compared to non-vegetarians, unlike their female counterparts.
Reference: Abris, G. P., Shavlik, D. J., Mathew, R. O., Butler, F. M., Oh, J., Sirirat, R., Sveen, L. E., & Fraser, G. E. (2024). Cause-specific and all-cause mortalities in vegetarian compared with nonvegetarian participants from the Adventist Health Study-2 cohort. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajcnut.2024.07.028
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