A study conducted by Oxford University finds that those who abstain from consuming meat are 32 percent less likely to die or be sent to the hospital due to a heart condition. The research, which spanned approximately 11 and a half years, analyzed almost 45,000 people, a third of whom were vegetarian. “Probably most of the difference is accounted for by the fact that the vegetarians had lower cholesterol and lower blood pressure,” study author Francesca Crowe, PhD tells Bloomberg. According to the World Health Organization, cardiovascular disease is the international leading cause of death and disability, and 597,689 deaths were attributed to heart disease in 2010, reports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.