Scientists in Scotland have found that because fruits and vegetables contain an acid, vegetarians have lower risk of heart disease and bowel cancer than those who love fish.
Just like people who take a small amount of aspirin to prevent heart disease, vegetarians have a lot of salicylic acid in their blood (the main anti-inflammatory ingredient in aspirin). Researchers believe that salicylic acid can prevent vegetarians from heart disease and cancer. Research shows that if you eat more fruits and vegetables, the risk of heart disease, stroke, and cancer will be greatly reduced, in part because of salicylic acid.
Salicylic acid is found in many fruits and vegetables, but most of them are found in herbs and spices.