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usually have healthier overall lifestyles, which also contribute to lower disease risk. For example, they may exercise more and not smoke or vape. Diet, exercise, and other lifestyle factors all work together to promote health and wellness. Reducing animal product consumption in favor of plants can also lower one’s risk of illness from bacteria, viruses, and parasites that animals can pass to humans, such as E. coli , salmonella, mad cow disease, and trichinosis. It also helps lower the risk of animal diseases jumping to humans, which current research suggests is what happened with SARS and COVID-19. To be clear, eating a plant-based diet won’t prevent COVID-19. However, if more people were to switch to plant-based diets around the world, it could reduce the number of some highly contagious and deadly future diseases jumping from animals to people.

Diet, exercise, and other lifestyle factors all work together to promote health and wellness.

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Benefits of a Plant-Based Diet