健康英语新闻:Metabolic syndrome less prevalent among vegetarians: study

LOS ANGELES, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Vegetarians experience a much lower risk of metabolic syndrome than non-vegetarians, U.S. researchers have found.

Researchers at Loma Linda University in California based their findings on analysis of more than 700 adults randomly sampled from a long-term study of the lifestyle and health of almost 100,000 Seventh-day Adventist Christians across the United States and Canada.

While 25 percent of vegetarians had metabolic syndrome, the number significantly rises to 37 percent for semi-vegetarians and 39 percent for non-vegetarians, according to the study published in the April issue of the journal Diabetes Care.

The findings showed that the risk of developing metabolic syndrome is 36 percent lower among vegetarians than non- vegetarians.

This means that vegetarians are less likely to develop heart disease, diabetes and stroke -- three major conditions that are closely linked with metabolic syndrome, the researchers say.

The study also found that vegetarians, though slightly older than non-vegetarians, had lower triglycerides, glucose levels, blood pressure, waist circumference, and body mass index (BMI). Semi-vegetarians, meanwhile, also had a significantly lower BMI and waist circumference compared to those who ate meat more regularly.

The findings will not be affected by other factors such as age, gender, race, physical activity, calories consumed, smoking, and alcohol intake, the researchers say.

"In view of the high rate of metabolic syndrome in the United States and its deleterious health effects, we wanted to examine lifestyle patterns that could be effective in the prevention and possible treatment of this disorder," says lead researcher Nico S. Rizzo, PhD.

"I was not sure if there would be a significant difference between vegetarians and non-vegetarians, and I was surprised by just how much the numbers contrast," he says. "It indicates that lifestyle factors such as diet can be important in the prevention of metabolic syndrome."