Posts Tagged ‘vegetarian’

A new estimate of young vegetarians was released by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The estimation is that approximately 1 in 200 children are vegetarians, and other surveys suggest that the number could be four to six times higher in older teenagers who have more control over their dietary choices. There are many reasons why some children may be choosing a vegetarian diet – chief among them being animal rights or compassion for animals, health reasons, and influence from parents.

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The American Chemical Society reports new evidence that humans can make their own salicylic acid (SA), the compound largely responsible for aspirin’s effects on pain, fever, and inflammation. SA is a naturally occurring substance that can be obtained directly from eating fruits and vegetables. Researchers have previously shown that vegetarians have much higher levels of SA in their bodies (sometimes as high as in those who take low doses of aspirin). Now, the same research group claims that new evidence suggest that our bodies can actually manufacture SA from compounds we consume in our diet. Could SA be one of the chemicals responsible for the health benefits of a vegetarian diet? Numerous studies have shown that vegetarians seem to have a lower risk of obesity, coronary heart disease (which can cause heart attacks), high blood pressure, and diabetes.

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