Background of the Vegetarianism and Unproved Reasons Why it is Bad for Health
It is possible to notice that Vegetarianism, as a trend, is widespread today and has thousands of supporters. However, despite its popularity, there is no common opinion in society regarding it, which leads to the rise of various contradictory statements about the phenomenon. False health claims that “Vegetarianism is bad for health” are supported with numerous declarations, which do not have scientific evidence of their credibility. It is possible to find many Internet resources that mistakenly display Vegetarianism as a lifestyle, which influences adversely.
One of the unproven claims is that the brain is being deteriorated through vegetarian diets. Reinagel (2019) claims that “creatine is important for brain functioning and vegetarians have lower creatine levels,” which implies the existence of direct dependency between degradation of cognitive abilities and the absence of meat protein intake (Is a vegetarian diet bad for your brain? section, para 1.). The other unsupported, with references on studies argument, is that “Vegetarians had a 20% higher rate of stroke than meat-eaters’ ‘ (Doheny, 2019, Downsides to Eating Vegetarian/Vegan? Section, para. 1). The third unsupported statement, which is common throughout web resources, is that plants do not contain saturated fat in sufficient quantities. According to the article “How vegetarianism is bad for you and the environment” (n.d.), “Plant-based sources tend to be low in saturated fat, a component of the brain and a macronutrient vital for human health.” (Eating meat is unhealthy section, para. 2). This source also claims that plants contain much insoluble fiber that cannot be digested and can lead to abdominal discomforts, malabsorption, and toxic accumulation (“How vegetarianism is bad for you and the environment,” n.d.).
The fourth argument is related to the necessary micro-elements, the absence of which can trigger various diseases. Some resources claim, without evidence, that vitamin D3 can only be taken with meat, while a vegetarian diet is deprived of it and can cause brittle bones (Schreiber, 2016, Low Vitamin D section, para 1). Simultaneously, Vegetarianism provokes the lack of calcium, micro-element zinc, which is responsible for immune function, and iron, which is vital for blood cells producing (Schreiber, 2016, Not Enough Zinc section, para 1). Finally, it is possible to find resources that provide readers with subjective, unproved claims based on personal experience. Several negative consequences of being vegetarian, such as leading to the impossibility for women to become pregnant because of hormone levels deterioration, are claimed in the article by Campbell (2019). (The return of bacon section). In addition, the author provides another negative influence she experienced, which is reduced bone density (Campbell, 2019, More long-lasting adverse effects section, para 3). Therefore, websites, social media, and posts usually provide readers with unverified information, the irrelevancy of which is discussed further.
Scientifically Supported Arguments that Vegetarianism may has a Positive Influence on Health
On the other hand, credible sources support the usefulness of a vegetarian diet with scientifically proved evidence. According to Amit (2010), one of the arguments that Vegetarianism does not cause effects of deterioration on health is that “a variety of plant foods can provide all of the essential amino acids required for healthy adults (p. 304). This claim, which is opposite to the one mentioned in the previous paragraph, one, reveals the usefulness of the diet from the perspective of micro-elements containing, based on studies, appropriately cited. The second source shows that a Vegetarian diet can be prescribed for high blood pressure. Based on studies conducted, Garbett et al. (2016) claim that “a significant decrease in the prevalence of hypertension was associated with a vegetarian diet when compared with a non-vegetarian diet” (p. 455). Moreover, the other article dispels the myth that Vegetarianism negatively influences subjective well-being (SWB). According to Pfeiler & Egloff (2020), “The findings provided evidence that vegetarianism has, overall, no relationship to SWB” (p. 17). The myths associated with a potentially negative effect Vegetarianism may cause on the immune system and gut microbiota are also revealed in other credible studies. For instance, Zhang et al. (2018) claim that “vegetarian diets might provide certain benefits to our health through modulation of the immune system and the gut microbiota” (p. 11). Finally, the study conducted by McDougal et al. (1995) shows positive influences of vegetarian diets, such as total cholesterol reduction, regardless of the age of gender, weight loss for all of the experiment participants, and fall in systolic and diastolic blood pressure (p. 493). It is possible to notice that multiply credible sources prove the usefulness of Vegetarianism and refute all the unvalidated statements provided by web resources.
Why it is Important to Check the Sources of Information
The sources of information are vital for any research conducting, as they form an insight into a specific topic. It is especially significant for healthcare professionals to know how to distinguish credible sources, as this form of information can be crucial for treatment. Simultaneously, data is being constantly changed and improved, which complicates its correct utilization and obligates validating it during the research (“Evaluating Health Information,” n.d.). Sources such as magazines, TV stories, and advertisements may not be accurate. Only resources, which provide links to studies they are based on and correspond to criteria of credibility, can be considered reliable ones (“Finding reliable health information,” n.d.). It is necessary to evaluate sources per five benchmarks: authority, accuracy, objectivity, currency, and coverage, to ensure their reliability that directly influences the quality of care (Evaluating Information Resources, 2018). Therefore, the checking of sources of information is the primary ability health care professional should possess and utilize for the compliance of their knowledge with recent, significant findings, which is vital for patients’ well-being.
References
Reinagel, M. (2019). Is a Vegetarian diet bad for your brain?Scientificamerican. Web.
Doheny, K. (2019). Are there health downsides to Vegetarian diets? Nourish. Web.
How Vegetarianism is bad for you and the environment? (n.d.). PaleoLeap. Web.
Campbell, L. (2019).I Was a Vegetarian for 13 Years… and Now I Totally Regret It.Healthline. Web.
Schreiber, K. (2016). 6 Ways Being a Vegetarian Could Seriously Mess You Up. Cosmopolitan. Web.
Amit, M. (2010). Vegetarian diets in children and adolescents. Canadian Paediatric Society, 15(5), 303-314. Web.
Garbett, T. M., Garbett, D. L., & Wendorf, A. (2016). Vegetarian Diet: A Prescription for High Blood Pressure? A Systematic Review of the Literature. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, 12(7), 452–458. Web.
Pfeiler, T. M., & Egloff, B. (2020). Do Vegetarians Feel Bad? Examining the Association Between Eating Vegetarian and Subjective Well-Being in Two Representative Samples. Food Quality and Preference, 104018. Web.
Zhang, C., Björkman, A., Cai, K., Liu, G., Wang, C., Li, Y., Pan-Hammarström, Q. (2018). Impact of a 3-Months Vegetarian Diet on the Gut Microbiota and Immune Repertoire. Frontiers in Immunology, 9. Web.
McDougall, J., Litzau, K., Haver, E., Saunders, V., & Spiller, G. A. (1995). Rapid reduction of serum cholesterol and blood pressure by a twelve-day, very low fat, strictly vegetarian diet. Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 14(5), 491–496. Web.
Evaluating Health Information (n.d.). UCSFHealth. Web.
Finding reliable health information(n.d.). BetterHealth. Web.
Evaluating Information Resources (2018). Elmer E. Rasmuson Library. Web.