June 28, 2019

The Adventist Advantage

The Adventist Religion and Health Study, a substudy of Adventist Health Study-2, is following 11,000 Adventist adults in North America to determine how spiritual practices influence health outcomes.*


  • Adventist participants reported better physical and mental quality of life than the U.S. norm.
  • Participants who do not attend church had worse health outcomes than those who attend church. Not attending church lowered health outcomes more than eating meat.
  • Overall, those who reported a strong sense of personal spirituality had lower rates of high blood pressure, even after accounting for other variables.
  • Seventh-day Adventists in the United States live an average of 7 years longer (for men) and 4.5 years longer (for women) than the general U.S. population.
  • Rates of cancer are 25 to 30 percent lower in Adventists than among those in the general population.
  • Sabbath observation was associated with better mental and physical health.
  • High blood pressure and diabetes are only half as prevalent in vegetarian Adventists as in nonvegetarian Adventists.

*Adventist Health Study-2 (Loma Linda University) tracked the health habits and outcomes of 96,000 Seventh-day Adventists in North America. These people were enrolled from 2002 to 2007 and have been followed ever since. The data overwhelmingly reveals that the lifestyle principles God has given can help us live both longer and stronger.

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