Vegetarianism Scientific And Spiritual Basis

Author(s): Jashwant B Mehta
Publisher: Jashwant B Mehta

Page 18

Fish : Is it really good?
Fish oil has been said to protect against coronary heart disease as it helps in decreasing the tendency of the blood to clot. It therefore slows down the coagulation. However, fish oil also contains fairly high level of cholesterol as it is an animal source. It has almost 500 mg. Cholesterol/ 100 gm. which is quite high for a heart patient. Further, any oil always has an additional risk factor because of triglyceride and therefore the advantage of fish oil is more than nullified due to these risk factors.
Seventh-Day Adventists
The Adventists movement was founded by William Miller in the U.S.A. The followers of this faith practice abstinence from smoking, alcohol, drugs and practice vegetarianism.
A major study was carried out in the U.S. between 1976-1988 on the general health and mortality of the Adventists. It was found that of the 34,192 participants, all members of the Seventh-Day Adventist church: Compared to the non-vegetarians, the total no. of persons suffering from high blood pressure, diabetes and colon cancer were 50% less and the no. of rheumatoid arthritis and prostate cancer were 66% less.
Harry Shoerats among the longest living persons in the world (111 years) was a vegetarian who worked as a craftsman till he was 104 years old and cycled to work daily until he was 100.
The Lowest and Highest Life Expectancies in the World
After World War II, scientists began for the first time to compile comprehensive statistics correlating the diet-styles and health of all the populations in the world. One of the facts that emerged consistently was the strong correlation between heavy flesh-eating and short life expectancy. The Eskimos, the Laplanders, the Greenlanders and the Russian Kurgi tribes? stood out as the populations with the highest animal flesh consumption in the world - and also as among the populations with the lowest life expectancies, often only about 30 years.
Source - Website of 'The Indian Vegetarian Congress' 2 It is most unfortunate that being born and brought up and forced to live in areas where there is hardly any other food, available except the meat, they are left with no choice.