For the vegetarians...

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/01/us-vegetarians-idUSTRE7305ZB20110401

A new study of 700 people in Italy found that vegetarians were less likely to have metabolic syndrome, and therefore less likely to have risk factors of diabetes and heart disease. From the article:

"In the study, 23 out of every 100 vegetarians were found to have at least three metabolic syndrome factors, compared with thirty-nine out of every 100 non-vegetarians and 37 out of every 100 semi-vegetarians.

'I was expecting there should be a difference,' said Nico Rizzo of Loma Linda University, the lead researcher on the study. "But I didn't expect that it would be that much.'"

Researchers aren't sure if the benefit is derived from an absence of meat eating, or if it was due to the fact that the vegetarians tend to have lower BMIs than non-vegetarians. The vegetarians in the study had, on average, 4 points lower BMIs than their meat eating counter parts. Increasing BMI is associated with higher risk of metabolic syndrome.

The study found the relationship between vegetarian diets and lower risks for metabolic syndrome "persists after adjusting for lifestyle and demographic factors."