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Vanderbilt Center for Human Nutrition
Suite 514, Medical Arts Building
Nashville, TN 37212. Email: jeff.binkley{at}mcmail.vanderbilt.edu, gordon.jensen{at}mcmail.vanderbilt.edu
Diet, Life Expectancy, and Chronic Disease: Studies of Seventh-day Adventists and Other Vegetarians is an epidemiologic text intended for an audience of health professionals. The book was written by Gary Fraser with the assistance of additional authors for several chapters. The health effects of vegetarian lifestyles are examined from several interesting perspectives. The Seventh-day Adventists offer potential research advantages in comparison with non-Adventist groups in studies of the vegetarian lifestyle. Emphasizing the importance of healthy lifestyle habits as a spiritual discipline, the religious group known as Seventh-day Adventists has for many years advocated diets that avoid most meats and promote fruit, vegetables, and nuts. Other lifestyle recommendations by Adventists include regular exercise and the avoidance of alcohol and tobacco. Benefits of epidemiologic research in this group include their willingness to participate in research because of their interest in health promotion. In addition, a very low percentage of Adventists consume alcohol or use tobacco products, which can be confounding factors in studies of the beneficial effects of a particular diet. Interestingly, there are major differences among Adventists in terms of the degree of meat avoidance. Only 3% are strict vegans, 27% are lactoovovegetarians, and 20% eat meat less than once a week. Because of the presence of these subgroups, the effects of particular foods can be examined. Unfortunately, representation of African American and Hispanic Adventists has been relatively limited in studies to date.
Chapters 1-4 present health and lifestyle comparisons between Adventists and non-Adventists living in the same regions. Chapters 5-8 consider the various aspects of the diet that may contribute to the observed differences in health outcomes. Because a major potential limitation of Adventist nutrition studies is that Adventists differ from non-Adventists in many ways, chapter 9 explores other potential nondietary factors, such as psychosocial issues and degree of religious commitment, that may influence physical health. Chapters 10 and 11 are devoted to studies of non-Adventist vegetarians. Chapters 12 and 13 focus on the reduced prevalence of risk factors for cardiovascular disease and cancer among vegetarians and vegans. Chapters 14 and 15 suggest how the reader can consider vegetarian lifestyle changes that may lead to health benefits. The final chapter, chapter 16, presents the author’s personal opinions in regard to key findings and their potential broad implications for public health.
This book is written primarily from a technical perspective, although it includes an extensive glossary to help the nonprofessional. The chapters are written in a consistent format with quality tables and figures that enhance the presentation. Useful outline summaries are found at the end of each chapter. An extensive reference section is included at the end of the text, although an appendix with website addresses for appropriate resources would be a helpful addition. It is not entirely clear how the practical information providing instructions for shifting to a vegetarian diet fits with the overall theme and intended audience of the text, but the information makes interesting reading nonetheless. Although the book is not written to promote a religious group and is presented in a largely unbiased fashion, its findings do suggest that adherence to sound dietary habits, as advocated by the Seventh-day Adventists, may significantly increase life expectancy and minimize disease risk.