Facts of Interest
Compassionate Teaching and Studies About animals, food, health,
and the environment From All-Creatures.org
- A 12-year Harvard study of nearly 78,000
women, found that women who drank milk three times a day actually broke
or fractured more bones than women who drank little to no milk at all.
- A 1997-1998 report found that only 33
accredited U.S. medical schools (26%) had a required nutrition course.
- A 2007 survey found 88% of Americans
with companion animals consider their pets to be "a member of the
family."
- A 2008 Harris Poll survey concluded
that approximately 3.2 percent of U.S. adults, or 7.3 million people,
follow a vegetarian diet. Approximately 0.5 percent, or 1 million, of
those are vegans.
- A "factory farm" or a Concentrated
Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO), is a large-scale industrial site where
many animals are confined and treated with hormones and antibiotics to
maximize growth and prevent disease. Factory farming is an attitude that
regards animals and the natural world merely as commodities to be
exploited for profit. In animal agriculture, this attitude has led to
institutionalized animal cruelty, massive environmental destruction and
resource depletion, and animal and human health risks.
- A growing number of physicians now
claim that a healthful plant-based, oil-free diet can prevent and (in
some cases) even reverse heart disease.
- A recent study found that higher IQ's in
childhood are associated with an increased likelihood of being
vegetarian as an adult.
- A recent study shows protein from soy
products significantly reduced participants' LDL cholesterol, especially
those who had high cholesterol.
- A vegetarian, including vegan, diet
can meet current recommendations for all essential nutrients.
- Addiction experiments performed at the
University of Minnesota causes primates to suffer so terribly that they
succumb to exhibiting anything from self mutilation to complete mental
breakdown.
- Albert Einstein supported
vegetarianism.
- Animal research has a 92% failure
rate. Just 8% of (animal-tested) drugs that enter Phase 1 and 2 trials
reach the marketplace and half of products fail in the late stage Phase
3 trials.
- Animal testing on cosmetics is not
required by the federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.
- Animal tests have an appalling 92%
failure rate in predicting the safety and/or effectiveness of
pharmaceuticals.
- Antioxidants are substances that may
protect cells from the damage caused by unstable molecules known as free
radicals. Free radical damage may lead to cancer.
- Artificial coloring in foods and
cosmetics is sometimes made from crushed bugs.
- Avocados contain nearly 20 vitamins
and minerals and are high in healthy fat.
B
- Bananas as part of a regular diet can
cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%
- Between the years of 1999 and January
of 2008, Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus has received
over 35 violations of state and federal humane laws from the USDA.
- Broccoli contains chemicals that
activate cancer-fighting genes and inhibit others that fuel tumors.
C
- Calcium absorption from vegetables is
better than that of milk.
- Capsaicin (an ingredient found in hot
peppers) triggers cancer cell death without harming surrounding healthy
cells.
- Carl Lewis, winner of 9 Olympic gold
medals, credits his best year of performance in part to the vegan diet
he adopted in 1990.
- Chickens are excluded from the U.S.
Animal Welfare Act and from the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act.
- Christian and Jewish vegetarians
believe a vegan lifestyle promotes better stewardship of God’s Creation.
- Consuming more fiber on a daily basis
can increase lung capacity and decrease the risk of chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease.
- Cows automatically point to the north.
D
- Dead cats and dogs from shelters and
vet clinics are often mixed into livestock feed for cattle and hogs on
factory farms.
- Dean Ornish, M.D., of the University
of California at San Francisco, has shown that if people who have
advanced heart disease adopt a low-fat vegetarian diet, stop smoking,
reduce stress, and engage in mild daily exercise, the plaques in their
arteries will actually start to disappear.
- Debeaking is a common procedure within
the poultry and egg industry in which a hot blade is used to chop off
half of a birds beak without any painkillers.
- Declawing cats is an unnatural,
painful and inhumane act; the surgery is actually an amputation of the
last joint of a cat's "toes".
- Despite the recognition that
physicians are often called upon to provide guidance in nutritional
aspects of disease and disease prevention, nutrition has not been
consistently emphasized in medical school curricula. Numerous reports
suggest that nutrition education of physicians remains inadequate.
- "Dolphin Safe" labels on
tuna fish products do not necessarily mean that dolphins were not harmed
or killed in the process.
- During an outbreak of avian influenza
among poultry there is a possible risk to people who have contact with
infected birds or surfaces that have been contaminated with excretions
from infected birds that carry the virus.
- During slaughter, many hogs are alive
when they reach the scalding-hot water baths.
E
- Electric prods (sometimes referred to
as "hot shots" are commonly used on rodeo animals.
- Elephants can discern numerical values
by observation.
- Estimated number of animals
experimented upon in the U.S. annually exceeds 20 million.
- Evidence indicates that foods such as
cheese, sugar, meat, and chocolate might actually have brain effects
that create a food addiction to these specific products.
F
- Fiscal 2006 USDA charts list animals
used in research by state and category of procedure: NO PAIN, NO DRUGS:
577,885 WITH PAIN/NO DRUGS: 73,640 WITH PAIN/WITH DRUGS: 382,298 Numbers
do NOT reflect total animals used.
- Fur farmers often use genital
electrocution to kill animals for fur mainly because it's cheaper than
other killing methods.
G
- Garlic consumption may reduce the risk
of developing several types of cancer, especially cancers of the
gastrointestinal tract.
- Gelatin is derived from soaking animal
(usually pig or cow) hides and bone in acids, then boiling them to
extract the gelatin, and finally turning it into a dry powder.
- Genesis 1:29 states: "Then God said, I
give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and
every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for
food.""
- Green and black teas promote a
protective vascular effect and are good sources of antioxidants known to
inhibit cancer growth.
H
- Hollywood celebrity paid by Meat Board
to tout beef as "Real food for real people": James Garner – 1987.
Medical event experienced by James Garner in April, 1988: Quintuple
coronary artery bypass surgery
- Homemade, vegan recipes are essential
to optimal health; grocery stores also provide an abundance of tasty,
convenient, vegan alternatives to traditional meat-based products.
- Humane and reliable dissection
alternatives already exist for frogs, fetal pigs, cats, earthworms,
rats, fish and crustacean, and other species.
I
- In 2007, a tenured, and widely admired
school teacher was fired for providing students with FACTS about the
meat and dairy industry.
- In a U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA) study, researchers found that 66 percent of beef samples were
contaminated with super-bugs resistant to antibiotics.
- In addition to other serious health
concerns, dairy products may play a major role in the development of
allergies, asthma, sleep difficulties, and migraine headaches.
-
In both the U.S. and abroad,
investigations have documented egregious cruelty to animals in kosher
farms and slaughterhouses.
-
In China, dogs and cats are brutally
killed and sometimes skinned alive so that their fur can be made into
clothes, fashion accessories, and toys.
-
In the 1950s, it took 84 days to raise a
five-pound chicken. Due to selective breeding and growth-promoting
drugs, it now takes an average of only 45 days.
J - K
-
Just one quarter-pound hamburger imported
from Latin America requires the clearing of six square yards of rain
forest.
L
- Likelihood of a vegetarian reaching
the age of 80 compared to a non-vegetarian :1.8 times greater.
- “Livestock are one of the most
significant contributors to today’s most serious environmental problems.
Urgent action is required to remedy the situation.”
M
- Male chicks, of no economic value to
the egg industry, are typically gassed or ground up alive.
- Many former racing horses are
slaughtered for profit.
- Many Jewish leaders confirm as it is
halachically prohibited to harm oneself and as healthy, nutritious
vegetarian alternatives are easily available, meat consumption has
become halachically unjustifiable
- Many restrained animals that are
confined to a small, enclosed space (in labs, farms, and zoos) resort to
stereotypies, the neurotic repetition of gestures such as pacing,
swaying, head-bobbing or bar-biting.
- Medical researchers at the University
of Minnesota analyzed over a thousand food samples from multiple retail
markets and found evidence of fecal contamination in 69% of the pork and
beef and 92% of the poultry samples as evidenced by E. coli
contamination.
- Milk is a maternal lactating
secretion, a short term nutrient for newborns - nothing more, nothing
less.
- Milk ruins the health benefits of tea.
- Morgan Spurlock conducted and filmed a
controlled experiment by enclosing French fries in glass jars. One jar
contained fries from McDonalds, the other from a local restaurant. Ten
weeks later, the fries from the local restaurant were completely
blackened with mold yet the McDonalds fries were still intact without a
single mold spore and appeared as if they were "just purchased
yesterday."
- Most chicken meat sold in the U.S.
contains traces of fecal matter.
- Most common cause of death in U.S.:
Heart Disease Risk of death from heart disease by average meat consuming
American male: 50% Risk of death from heart disease by average vegan
man: 4%
- "Multiple experts have concluded
independently that vegan diets can be followed safely by infants and
children without compromise of nutrition or growth and with some notable
health benefits."
N
- Nearly 9 billion broiler chickens are
raised on factory farms each year in the United States alone.
- New research finds that vegetables
appear to help keep the brain young and may slow the mental decline
sometimes associated with growing old.
O
- Odors from CAFO's may contain 170
separate chemical substances.
- On February 10, 2004, Mrs. Atkins
released a statement clarifying details about her husband’s health. She
confirmed that, in fact, her late husband Dr. Atkins did have coronary
artery disease.
- On the typical egg farm, an average of
5.6 hens are confined for their entire productive lifetime in a single
wire cage.
- One cup of mushrooms provides about
one-third of the recommended daily intake of copper, which helps to
produce red blood cells.
- One USDA study concluded, “Eating 2
ounces of chicken per day—the equivalent of a third to a half of a
boneless breast—exposes a consumer to 3 to 5 micrograms of inorganic
arsenic, the element’s most toxic form.”
- Over 90% of animals used in laboratory
experimentation are disqualified from protection under the U.S. Animal
Welfare Act. Rats, mice, birds + numerous other species are explicitly
removed.
- Over the past 30 years, poultry
slaughterhouse workers "have consistently suffered injuries and
illnesses at a rate more than twice the national average."
- Oxford University published a study
that lists polar bears, lions, tigers, cheetahs and other large
carnivores as lousy candidates for captivity.
P
- People living as far as two miles away
from factory farms where hogs are raised experience symptoms such as
bronchitis and shortness of breath at rates similar to those of farm
workers.
- Pigs are capable of high levels of
cognitive thought - more so than dogs and certainly [more so than]
three-year-old humans.
- Pigs can play joystick controlled
video games.
- Premarin and Prempro are hormonal
replacement drugs that contain pregnant mare urine (PMU).
- Producing a pound of beef protein
often requires up to fifteen times more water than producing an
equivalent amount of plant protein.
- Producing a pound of grain-fed steak
requires the use of hundreds of gallons of water.
- Protein needs are easily met as long
as the diet contains a variety of grains, legumes, and vegetables.
R
- Raising animals for food causes
pollution to surface water, groundwater, air, and soil.
- Raising animals for food generates
more greenhouse gases than all the cars, SUVs, and trucks in the world
combined.
- Referring to the way we treat animals,
Dr. Bekoff states, “We must not simply continue with the status quo
because that is what we've always done and it's convenient to do so.”
- Research indicates the extract from
cranberries inhibits proliferation of human tumor lines, causing an
anticancer effect.
- Researchers at the University of
Chicago have determined that switching to a vegan diet is more effective
in countering global warming than switching from a standard American car
to a Toyota Prius.
- Results from a 10 year study found
that cat owners "appeared to have a lower rate of dying from heart
attacks" compared to feline-free households.
- Results from recent clinical studies
indicate a strong possibility that dogs can be trained to detect various
forms of cancer in humans.
S
- Scientific data identifies a positive
correlation between a balanced vegetarian diet and a reduced risk of of
several chronic degenerative diseases and conditions, and some types of
cancer.
-
Scientific evidence proves that fish
do in fact, feel pain and react to it.
- Sometimes merchandise that is labeled
or advertised as fake or 'faux' fur is actually real fur.
- Some elephants can be taught how to
paint with a regular paintbrush on canvass.
- Steve Mendell, president of the
Westland/Hallmark slaughterhouse, acknowledged his company introduced
sick cows into the hamburger supply.
- Study shows monkeys experience joy of
giving.
- Sufferers of rheumatoid arthritis may
benefit from a vegan diet.
T
- The 2007 Dairy Checkoff Unified
Marketing Plan (UMP) reported a budget of $175.2 million.
- The benefits of hormone replacement
therapy (HRT) to alleviate menopausal symptoms can be obtained from HRT
derived from plants and from processes that do not require any animal
suffering.
- The British Medical Journal published
findings from a study concluding that lifelong vegans have a 57% reduced
risk of death from heart disease.
- The Dairy Checkoff works on behalf of
U.S. dairy farmers to increase sales of demand for U.S. dairy products
and ingredients.
- The Dairy Council tells us: Milk is
nature's most perfect food. The Dairy Council doesn't tell us: Milk is
nature's most perfect food for a baby calf, who has four stomachs, will
double its weight in 47 days, and is destined to weigh 300 pounds within
a year.
- The dairy industry allocates the
majority its marketing budget to kids.
- The National Cancer Institute has an
"Eat 5 to 9 a Day for Better Health" program, the numbers referring to
servings of fruits and vegetables.
- "The number one factor in elimination
of Latin America’s tropical rainforests is cattle-grazing... the "hamburgerization"
of the forests."
- The USDA recalled 143 million pounds
of beef on Feb. 17, 2008, marking the largest meat recall in U.S.
history to date.
- The U.S. government is exempt from
false advertising laws.
- There are no federal laws requiring
humane protection of animals in fur factory farms.
- Thoroughbred racetracks in the U.S.
have reported 5,000 horse deaths within the last 4.5 years.
- Throughout ancient history, some of
the most revered, influential, and brilliant thinkers of have embraced
animal compassion and vegetarian ideology.
- Traveling circuses (such as Ringling
Brothers) routinely abuse elephants with sharp, metal bullhooks to train
circus elephants into performing frivolous "entertainment" for humans.
U
- U.S. cattle production has caused a
significant loss of biodiversity on both public and private lands.
V
- Veganic farming uses no synthetic
chemical fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, genetically modified
ingredients, nor the use of any manure or slaughterhouse byproducts.
- Vegetarian diets are appropriate for all stages of the life cycle.
W-X-Y-Z
- Whole grains contain protective
antioxidants in amounts near or exceeding those in fruits and
vegetables.
- "Without torture, there can be no
rodeo," claims Peggy W. Larson, DVM, MS, JD, a former bareback bronco
rider. “In my opinion, and based on my extensive training and
experience, it is impossible to create a humane rodeo.”
- World Wildlife Fund supports the
Canadian seal slaughter (seals are bludgeoned and skinned alive) because
“it is not a conservation issue.”
- Young women eating just 2 to 4
servings a week of beans or lentils seemed to cut their risk of
developing breast cancer by about a quarter, compared to those that ate
servings less than once a month.
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