The study found that vegans had almost five days off a year for the likes of flu, cold and minor ailments - well above the national average.Based on a relatively small sample, vegans I’ve known were neurasthenic, unhappy individuals trying to self-medicate via diet. As the study notes, such efforts are most often futile.
They were also three times more likely to visit the GP. Vegans reportedly booking 2.6 appointments to see the doctor during the cold and flu season, compared to the national average of 0.7.
Two-thirds of vegans also admitted to taking more time off work due to illness in 2018 than in previous years.
The article implicitly invites you to conclude that being a vegan is unhealthy, and it may be so. An equally plausible explanation is that unhealthy people experiment with things under their control - for instance diet - in an effort to improve their health. Such efforts succeed to the extent the person is susceptible to a placebo effect.
