ABSTRACT
I. Introduction ...................................................................................... 136 II. Meat and the Pathology of Human Disease ................................. 138
A. Nutrient Components of Meat.................................................. 138 1. Fat ........................................................................................ 138 2. Protein ................................................................................. 138 3. Energy.................................................................................. 141 4. Iron ...................................................................................... 142 5. Phosphorus.......................................................................... 142 6. Components of Meat Formed or Added During
Processing, Storage, and Preparation................................ 143 a. Exogenous Hormones, Antibiotics, and Feed
Composition Among Livestock ................................... 143 b. Preservatives and Bacterial Toxins ............................. 145 c. By-Products of Cooking .............................................. 146
III. Studies Relating Very Low Meat Intake to Longevity ................... 146 A. Selection of Studies................................................................... 147 B. Summary of the Studies............................................................ 147
1. Design.................................................................................. 149 a. Oxford Vegetarian Study (U.K.).................................. 149
b. Health Food Shoppers Study (U.K.)........................... 149 c. Health and Lifestyle Survey Study (U.K.) .................. 149 d. OXCHECK Study (U.K.)............................................... 150 e. German Vegetarians ..................................................... 150 f. California Seventh-Day Adventists .............................. 150 g. Dutch Civil Servants..................................................... 151 h. Populations with a High Prevalence of Subjects Follow-
ing a Mediterranean Diet Pattern ............................... 152 2. Findings ............................................................................... 152 3. Limitations ........................................................................... 154
a. Confounding of the Associations for Very Low Meat Intake by Patterns of Intake ....................................... 154
b. Confounding by Non-Dietary Factors ........................ 157 c. Methodological Limitations.......................................... 157
III. Summary and Conclusions.............................................................. 162 References .................................................................................................. 164
A number of historical references have been made to populations that have purportedly experienced a greater longevity due to the low meat content of their diet.
