Living longer? The effect vegetarianism really has on our lifespans

Feb 10, 2017

Apples are displayed in a wheel barrow during an event promoting Polish apples in Warsaw August 6, 2014. Moscow announced its ban on most fruit and vegetable imports from Poland last week following the European Union's decision to impose sanctions targeting Russia's banking, oil and defence sectors because of the Kremlin's actions in Ukraine. Poland is the world's largest exporter of apples with more than two-thirds of them going to Russia. The statistics office put the value of Poland's apple exports to Russia last year at 273 million euros ($366 million). REUTERS/Franciszek Mazur/Agencja Gazeta (POLAND - Tags: POLITICS BUSINESS AGRICULTURE) ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS. POLAND OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN POLAND - RTR41HA6

It's the associated healthier behaviours that generally come with being a vegetarian – such as not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly - that explain why vegetarians tend to have better health outcomes than non-vegetarians. Image: REUTERS/Franciszek Mazur/Agencja Gazeta

Melody Ding

Senior Research Fellow of Public Health, University of Sydney

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