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Whenever I read or hear this question, my mind always goes back to the 1973 Woody Allen movie "Sleeper". In that movie, Allen's character, Miles Monroe, is awakened from a 200 year, cryogenic sleep. While

trying to familiarize Monroe to the world he has awakened to, doctors tell him, "Everyone you ever knew is dead". Monroe looks at them in disbelief and responds, "But they ate organic rice!". The point is that no matter what we do, how we live our lives, or even what we eat, we are all going to die. As far as vegetarians living longer, healthier lives, diet is only one aspect contributing to longevity and it is impossible to say that adjusting just that one aspect will absolutely influence the outcome. ... The truth is that longevity is combination of factors with the most important being "genetics". If we all lived in a vacuum, lead exactly the same healthy lives and ate exactly the same healthy foods, the people with the best genetics would live the longest. Outside the vacuum, environmental factors are more relevant. Risky behaviors, risky jobs, risky habits and other factors that put individuals in harm's way can intervene against genetics and shorten an otherwise long live. Yet, even in those circumstances, the best genetics will still survive the longest if the danger can be avoided. Believing vegetarians will live longer and happier simply because of diet just exemplifies the way people tend to think. It is easier for people to consider one, simple solution rather than a more complex and involved solution to a more complex and involved problem. A good example is a common weight-loss diet. ... People who are really concerned about longevity and health can improve their odds by weighing their diets toward the vegetarian side, but none should rely on that one, lone aspect to cover all the bases. A long, healthy live is the result of a combination of factors including limiting life-threatening risks, getting adequate exercise, limiting consumption, maintaining a good weight, avoiding undo stress, getting plenty of rest, eating a balanced diet, and, probably most important of all, being lucky enough to be born with good genes.

As for me, I both have great genes, (both grandparents lived well into their 90's) and I am vegetarian. It is true that a vegetarian diet may make no difference one way or the other in your life, but it sure will make the difference in the lives of a few animals. I invite you to give vegetarianism a try just to see how different it is from what you may believem, and I invite you to try it at my favorite vegetarian restaurant, "Water Course"

-- read full article: http://www.examiner.com/x-357-Denver-Dining-Examiner~y2008m5d23-Do-Vegetarians-l ive-longer-healthier-lives