成为素食主义者的副作用

成为素食主义者的副作用

There are several medical studies linking vegetarian diets to lower incidences of certain types of cancers, heart disease, Type II diabetes and other chronic diseases. Many news headlines say vegetarians live longer than meat eaters.

有几项医学研究表明，素食可以降低某些癌症、心脏病、二型糖尿病和其他慢性疾病的发病率。许多新闻头条都说素食者比肉食者活得更久。

Thinking about going veggie? Before permanently clearing out the steak knives from your kitchen, consider some of the following possible side effects of becoming vegetarian:

想吃素吗?在永久清除厨房里的牛排刀之前，考虑一下成为素食者可能带来的一些副作用:

Vegetarians tend to have lower cholesterol levels than non-vegetarians, as well as a lower risk of heart disease and Type II diabetes. ArtKolo/Shutterstock

1. Low cholesterol levels: Virtually every medical study on vegetarian populations, including the prominent Oxford Vegetarian Study of 5,000 vegetarian subjects, have concluded that vegetarians have lower cholesterol levels than non-vegetarians. Most in the mainstream medical community, including the American Heart Association, recommend keeping total cholesterol levels under 200.

低胆固醇水平:几乎所有针对素食人群的医学研究，包括著名的牛津素食研究，该研究对5000名素食者进行了调查，得出的结论是素食者的胆固醇水平比非素食者低。大多数主流医学团体，包括美国心脏协会，建议将总胆固醇水平控制在200以下。

2. Increased risk of colorectal cancer: One would assume that heavy meat eaters would have a higher risk of developing colorectal cancer but a review published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition of the aforementioned Oxford study reveals, "Within the study, the incidence of all cancers combined was lower among vegetarians than among meat eaters, but the incidence of colorectal cancer was higher in vegetarians than in meat eaters."

增加结直肠癌的风险:人们可能会认为肉食者患结直肠癌的风险更高，但是发表在《美国临床营养学杂志》上的一篇关于上述牛津大学研究的评论指出，“在这项研究中，所有癌症的发病率在素食者中都低于肉食者，但结肠直肠癌的发病率在素食者中高于肉食者。”

3. Lower bone mineral density: While it’s possible for vegetarians to consume adequate amounts of protein, calcium, iron and vitamin D (if supplementing properly or getting enough sunlight) to ensure proper muscle and bone development, one study concluded that vegetarians had approximately 5 percent lower bone-mineral density (BMD) than non-vegetarians.

骨密度较低:虽然素食者有可能摄入足量的蛋白质,钙,铁和维生素D(如果适当补充或有足够的阳光),以确保适当的肌肉和骨骼发展,一项研究得出的结论是,素食者大约比非素食者的骨矿物质密度低5%。

4. Lower levels of vitamin B12: A study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry says that omnivores have a significantly higher cluster of cardiovascular risk factors than vegetarians. But one potential risk of becoming a vegetarian seems to be the preponderance of lower vitamin B12 in the blood. B12 helps with metabolism, converting food into stable energy, utilizing iron, producing healthy red blood cells, and a host of other benefits.

维生素B12水平较低:《农业与食品化学杂志》上的一项研究表明，杂食者比素食者具有明显更高的心血管风险因素。但成为素食者的一个潜在风险似乎是，血液中维生素B12含量偏低。B12有助于新陈代谢，将食物转化为稳定的能量，利用铁，产生健康的红细胞，以及许多其他的好处。

Walnuts are a great source of omega-3 fatty acids for vegetarians. Pauline Mak/flickr

5. Insufficient levels of omega-3 fatty acids: A paper published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition claims that vegetarians have lower levels of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, particularly EPA and DHA. Sufficient levels of long-chain omega-3s are beneficial for cardiovascular health, say the study’s authors, who also concluded that DHA supplementation at a dose of about 2 grams per day eventually decreased plasma cholesterol.

欧米伽-3脂肪酸水平不足:一篇发表在《欧洲临床营养学杂志》上的论文声称，素食者的欧米伽-3脂肪酸水平较低，特别是EPA和DHA。研究报告的作者说，足量的长链欧米伽-3脂肪酸对心血管健康有益。他们还得出结论说，每天补充大约2克DHA最终会降低血浆胆固醇。

One last morsel for thought: if you’re concerned at all about side effects of becoming vegetarian, Minor says to consider being a "flexitarian."

最后一点建议:如果你担心成为素食者的副作用，Minor建议你考虑成为一个“弹性素食者”。

"Flexitarians are people who are vegetarian most of the time, but once in a while will consume an animal protein," she says. "The more restrictive you are with your diet, the more you’ll have to closely monitor what you’re consuming and the more likely your need will be to supplement. Work with a registered dietitian to make sure you’re not at risk for dietary deficiencies."

她说:“弹性素食者大部分时间都是素食者，但偶尔也会摄入动物蛋白。你对自己的饮食限制越严格，就越要密切关注自己摄入的食物，也就越有可能需要补充。”与注册营养师合作，确保你不会有饮食不足的风险。”