RE: So U think Vegan is healthy?
April 19, 2014 at 2:09 am
(This post was last modified: April 19, 2014 at 2:10 am by Coffee Jesus.)
(April 18, 2014 at 10:28 pm)Aractus Wrote: I'd remind you already provided this study proving veganism leads to bad health in Austria.I'm on page 5, but I am going to post my thoughts so far before I get to sleep.
The study is a cross-sectional study. Cross-sectional isn't as good as cross-sequential, but they controlled for certain factors. Each vegetarian was matched with another person of similar socioeconomic status and the same gender and age.
First problem: They couldn't find enough vegans to have a uniquely vegan sample, so they just mixed everyone into a vegetarian study sample. Their sample was only one-eleventh vegan.
Nutrition and Health – The Association between Eating Behavior and Various Health Parameters: A Matched
Sample Study Wrote:While 0.2% of the interviewees were pure vegetarians (57.7%
female), 0.8% reported to be vegetarians consuming milk and eggs
(77.3% female), and 1.2% to be vegetarians consuming fish and/
or eggs and milk (76.7% female)
Second problem: Some of the participants were old, and were probably vegetarian or even vegan during their youth as well. They would have been B12 deficient, which explains the mental problems of anxiety and depression, well-know symptoms of B12 deficiency.
Third problem: The study has a strong female bias. That NIH article says that the benefits of vegetarianism are especially strong for men.
Nutrition and Health – The Association between Eating Behavior and Various Health Parameters: A Matched
Sample Study Wrote:Overall, 23.6% of all subjects were male and 76.4% female. 40.0%
of the individuals were younger than 30 years, 17.8% between 30
and 39 years, 17.6% between 40 and 49 years, 9.4% between 50
and 59 years, 8.4% between 60 and 69 years, 4.4% between 70
and 79 years, and 2.4% than 80 years or older.