A joint study at AIIMS in Delhi on the dietary habits of women suggested that women who eat less of non-vegetarian meals are more prone to diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and cancer than those on a vegetarian diet.
A total of 464 women enrolled in Delhi and Kashmir between 2015 and 2018. Women who consumed meat (203) were selected from Kashmir, while those who were vegetarian (261) were from Delhi. This included women who were healthy as well as those suffering from polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). A total of 144 women were suffering from PCOS and 320 were healthy.
They were divided on the bases of their dietary preferences — vegetarianism and non-vegetarianism. The findings have left researchers bewildered. Results show that women from Kashmir who consumed up to five non-vegetarian meals a week were found to be at a lesser risk of these diseases irrespective of whether they were suffering from PCOS or were healthy, in comparison to women in Delhi who followed a vegetarian diet. Researchers are also exploring if the genetic and pollution patterns in both states have any role to play.
