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A Taiwaneese study published in 2006 found that vegetarian women in Taiwan have slimmer waists and greater insulin sensitivity than omnivores. C. Hung and colleagues published the findings this year in the British Journal of Nutrition.

An Oxford University team found that men who switch to a meat-free diet are less subject to the yearly weight gain that causes ever-expanding waistlines and clogged arteries in middle-aged omnivores. In their study of nearly 22,000 people, Oxford University professor Timothy Key concluded in that those who avoid animal products gain less weight over time than meat-eaters. (The findings are published in the International Journal of Obesity.) Dr. Key and his colleagues also found that vegetarians and vegans weigh less and have lower plasma cholesterol concentration than meat-eaters. (See Review in Proceedings of the Nutrition Society.)

Another European Team found that vegetarians have a lower risk of metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease because they consistently consume higher amounts of protective foods compared with omnivores of the same weight. (M. Vavlchovicova and colleagues published these findings this year in the European Journal of Nutrition.)

Still another report authored by Dr. Keith Rafal, medical director of the Rehabilitation Hospital of Rhode Island concluded that patients with heart disease should be advised by their doctor they could head off another heart attack by switching to a low-fat vegetarian diet.

For more information, go to the Physican's Committee for Responsibile Medicine.