Vegetarians claim medical proof of diet's benefits Meat-free
eating `can protect against diabetes and obesity' The author,
Andy Bond, research manager of the Vegetarian Society which
produced the report, said it "proves beyond doubt that opting
for a vegetarian diet is one of the healthiest decisions you can
make." The survey, Vegetarian Vitality, is aimed mainly at
doctors and health professionals, who Mr Bond says receive
"little or no nutritional training". Despite its origins - the
society was established in 1847 to promote vegetarianism - the
survey is based on research published in leading academic and
professional journals such as the British Medical Journal, the
Lancet and other, specialist publications in the fields of
cancer, heart research and epidemiology. Many of the studies
quoted are large-scale. One involving 6,115 British vegetarians
and 5,015 meat-eaters found general mortality was 20 per cent
lower among vegetarians, while deaths from cancer were 39 per
cent lower and from heart disease 28