and Russian Caucasus, who followed a primarily plant-based diet, had life expectancies much
greater than 70 years.^138
Also, during World Wars I and II, food rationing virtually eliminated meat consumption in
Scandinavian countries and was accompanied by a significant decline in the mortality rate. This rate
then returned to its pre-war level once the restrictions were lifted and meat consumption
increased.^139 Pretty convincing!
More recently, a clinical review of the available literature was published in the American Journal of
Clinical Nutrition reporting that a very low intake of meat was linked with a significant decrease in a
person’s risk of death.^140 The study also found that sticking with a plant-based diet for more than 20
years added an extra 3.6 years to a person’s life expectancy.
Once again, it’s undoubtedly the nutrients and phytochemicals in plant foods that contribute to
these increases in lifespan potential—not just what’s left out but what’s included. Based on studies
conducted on everything from rodents to primates, we can see that a 90% or more plant-based,
nutrient-rich diet:^141
Reduces oxidative stress and inflammation
Suppresses the genetic changes associated with aging(^138) McCarrison R. The relationship of diet to physical efficiency of Indian races. Practitioner (London). 1925:90-100.
Mazess RB. Health and longevity in Vilcabamba, Ecuador. J Am Med Assoc. 1978;240:1781.
Beller S, Palmore E. Longevity in Turkey. Gerontologist. 1974;14:373-376.
Sachuk NN. A mass social-hygienic investigation of a very old population in various areas of the Soviet Union: program,
procedure, results. J Gerontol. 1970;25:256-261.
Chebotaryov DF, Sachuk NN. Sociomedical examination of longevous people in the USSR. J Gerontol. 1964;19:435-440.
(^139) Hindhede M. The effect of food restriction during war on mortality in Copenhagen. J Am Med Assoc. 1920;76:381-382.
Friderica LS. Nutritional investigations in Denmark during the War, 1939-1945. Proc Nutr Soc. 1947;5:255-259.
Tikka J. Conditions and research into human nutrition in Finland during the war years. Proc Nutr Soc. 1947;5:260-263.
Hansen OG. Food conditions in Norway during the war, 1939-1945. Proc Nutr Soc. 1947;5:263-270.
Bang HO, Dyerberg J. Personal reflections on the incidence of ischemic heart disease in Oslo during the Second World War.
Acta Med Scand. 1981;210:245-248.
Abramson E. Nutrition and nutritional research in Sweden in the years of the war, 1939-1945. Proc Nutr Soc. 1947;5:271-
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(^140) Singh PN, Sabaté J, Fraser GE. Does low meat consumption increase life expectancy in humans? Am J Clin Nutr.
2003:78(Suppl):526S-532S.
(^141) Fuhrman J. Eat To Live: The Revolutionary Formula for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss. New York, NY: Little, Brown and
Company, 2003.