| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
|
|
|
|||||||
|
|||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wistar Institute
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Diet, Life Expectancy and Chronic Disease: Studies of Seventh Day Adventists and Other Vegetarians, edited by Gary E. Fraser, New York, Oxford University Press, 2003, 392 pp.
Since the early epidemiological reports of the late Roland Phillips we have known that, in contrast to their neighbors, Seventh Day Adventists enjoy relative protection from coronary disease and most types of cancer. This book is an epidemiological treatise intended to expand and explain the findings for health professionals.
The book contains sixteen chapters, thirteen of which have been written by Dr. Fraser, two of which he co-authored and one by a nutritionist. In the first 4 chapters the author compares health and life style of Seventh Day Adventists and their neighbors. Chapters 5–8 discuss the role(s) of diet and life style vis-a-vis the risk of cancer, heart disease, hypertension and diabetes as well as aging. Chapter 9 is devoted to health promoting effects of social support, religiosity and other psychological factors. Chapters 10–13 concern themselves with cancer, heart disease and all-cause mortality in vegetarians who are not Seventh Day Adventists and in Vegans. The next two chapters provide guidelines for changing to a vegetarian diet. The last chapter reviews the author’s views which strongly endorse the Adventist life style and suggest that the dietary factors which are most influential are avoidance of meat and increased intake of nuts. The contributions that a vegetarian diet makes to increased intake of health promoting phytochemicals may add to the lowered risk of degenerative disease and increased life expectancy enjoyed by Seventh Day Adventists.
The author stresses that meat avoidance may be a key to protection from cancer but only 3–5% of Adventists are true vegans and fewer than 30% are lacto-ovo vegetarians. The cancer literature is rife with publications purporting to prove that meat eating is or isn’t a major risk factor for cancer. The data are equivocal—there is certainly no unanimity. A review of the universal dietary data might dissect out some hitherto unconsidered diet or lifestyle characteristics which could influence the dietary observations.
The Mormons (Latter Day Saints) constitute another religious group that lends itself to studies of diet and degenerative disease. The Mormons do not limit meat intake but their rates of breast and colon cancer are considerably lower than those of their non-Mormon neighbors and approach those of the Adventists. Two behavioral traits that Mormons and Adventists have in common are avoidance of alcohol and tobacco.
Educational level has been shown to provide health advantages in many societies and Adventists, as the author points out, have a higher educational level than the average Californian. Higher educational level suggests a better understanding of health and nutrition guidelines but also suggests an economic level which makes a "healthful" diet more accessible.
The chapter on social support and religiousity is of interest but, as the author points out, church attendance had very little influence on estimated effects of vegetarianism or traditional risk factors. It shows more what might be a moderating influence of church attendance on stress, which can be a risk factor.
In the past quarter century we have increased our overall longevity and health status. Between 1970 and 2000 total deaths (age adjusted) in the United States have decreased by 29% and deaths from cardiovascular disease and stroke have fallen by 48 and 59% respectively. It would be interesting to know if the same has happened in the Seventh Day Adventist community or if they were just ahead of the curve.
This book provides a summary of salient points at the end of each chapter, a glossary of terms and 46 pages of references. It is clearly written and easy to read. It would be a useful reference text in the average epidemiology library.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
