correlation != causation From the article: as we move from the bottom quintile of meat-eaters (those who are effectively vegetarians) to the top quintile of me

correlation != causation From the article: as we move from the bottom quintile of meat-eaters (those who are effectively vegetarians) to the top quintile of meat-eaters we see an increase in virtually every accepted unhealthy behavior — smoking goes up, drinking goes up, sedentary behavior (or lack of physical activity) goes up — and we also see an increase in markers for unhealthy behaviors — BMI goes up, blood pressure, etc. A whole host of effects confound the interpretation of the association.