Vegetarians are less healthy (in terms of cancer, allergies, and mental health disorders), have a lower quality of life, and also require more medical treatment

This study was published in PLoS One 2014 Feb 7;9(2):e88278

Studytitle and authors:
Nutrition and health - the association between eating behavior and various health parameters: a matched sample study.

Burkert NT, Muckenhuber J, Großschädl F, Rásky E, Freidl W.
Institute of Social Medicine and Epidemiology, Medical University Graz, Graz, Austria.

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24516625

The aim of the study was to analyse the health effects of different dietary habits. The study included 1,320 subjects who were put into four dietary groups (330 for each form of diet) that reflected the animal fat intake for each dietary habit (i) vegetarian diet, (ii) carnivorous diet rich in fruits and vegetables, (iii) carnivorous diet less rich in meat, (iv) carnivorous diet rich in meat).

The study found:
(a) The vegetarian group had a lower BMI and less frequent alcohol consumption than the carnivorous groups.
(b) Overall, vegetarians were in a poorer state of health compared to the carnivorous groups.
(c) Concerning self-reported health, vegetarians significantly reported poorer health compared to the carnivorous groups.
(d) Vegetarians had higher levels of impairment from disorders compared to the carnivorous groups.
(e) Vegetarians had higher levels of chronic diseases compared to the carnivorous groups.
(f)  Significantly more vegetarians suffered from allergies, cancer, and mental health ailments (anxiety, or depression) than the carnivorous groups.
(g) Vegetarians had a lower quality of life compared to the carnivorous groups. (Concerning physical health, environment, social relationships etc).

Burkert concluded: "Our study has shown that Austrian adults who consume a vegetarian diet are less healthy (in terms of cancer, allergies, and mental health disorders), have a lower quality of life, and also require more medical treatment".