Major Study Links Meat-Free Diets With Lower Risk of Severe COVID-19
An unprecedented new study found that going meat-free could significantly slash the risk of experiencing severe symptoms of COVID-19, in addition to shortening the duration of the illness.
Published in the peer-reviewed BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health journal, the study examined 2,884 front-line healthcare workers from six countries with “substantial exposure to COVID-19 patients” to assess how eating patterns are linked to the disease.
Researchers tracked the participants’ eating habits and COVID-19 outcomes for more than two months. What they found was groundbreaking but not at all surprising to PETA: Participants who didn’t eat meat had 73% lower odds of experiencing moderate-to-severe COVID-19.
Of the 2,884 participants, 568 individuals tested positive for COVID-19. Of those, 138 reported moderate to severe symptoms and 430 reported very mild to mild symptoms. Those who reported not eating meat had 73% lower odds of experiencing moderate to severe COVID-19 symptoms.
These results suggest that not eating animal flesh may provide protection against severe cases of COVID-19.
Going Vegan Protects Us Against Some of Our Country’s Biggest Killers
Replacing cruelly obtained meat, eggs, and dairy with nutrient-rich vegan foods can help support a healthy immune system, which protects us from much more than severe COVID-19 symptoms. Being vegan is linked to a lower risk of dying from heart disease, a lower rate of type 2 diabetes, and lower overall cancer rates.
Leading health experts agree that eating a healthy vegan diet is the single best thing that we can do for our health—and it can help prevent future epidemics and pandemics. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 75% of all emerging infectious diseases in humans are spread from other animals. Diseases that have led to devastating human death tolls—such as bird flu and Spanish flu—came from eating other animals.
For Animals and for Health, Go Vegan Today
Don’t wait for another pandemic to go vegan—animals need your help now. The meat, egg, and dairy industries exploit, confine, mutilate, and slaughter cows, chickens, pigs, and other animals by the billions each year. On factory farms, these sensitive, social individuals can’t raise their families, root around in the soil, build nests, or do anything else that is natural and important to them.
Going vegan is the best choice for animals, the environment, your health, and your community. Start now by ordering PETA’s free vegan starter kit:
