Emma Miller
The researchers decided to try to answer the burning question of how exactly giving up meat (whether completely or partially) affects the body.
Giving up meat contributes to a generally healthier profile of various biomarkers, regardless of age, weight, or other habits. This conclusion was reached after a study by scientists from the University of Glasgow (Scotland). They say that vegetarianism can negatively affect some health indicators, including kidney function.
Experts analyzed data on 177,723 healthy participants in the UK Biobank long-term study aged 37-73 years who had been following the same diet for the past five years. The volunteers were divided into two unequal groups: vegetarians (4111 people) and meat eaters (166,516 people).
The researchers analyzed the relationship between diet and 19 biomarkers of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, liver, bone and joint disease, and kidney disease.
It turned out that vegetarians had lower levels of beneficial biomarkers, including high-density lipoprotein (“good” cholesterol), vitamin D, and calcium, which are associated with bone and joint health. In addition, they had significantly higher levels of blood fats (triglycerides) and cystatin-C (indicating slightly poorer kidney health).
Choosing to eat meat or vegetarian food had no effect on blood sugar (HbA1c), systolic blood pressure, aspartate aminotransferase (a marker of liver cell damage), or C-reactive protein (a marker of inflammation).
