According to a new study published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine, eating a vegetarian diet may help you live longer!

Researchers from Loma Linda University found that vegetarians had a 12 percent lower risk of dying over a six-year period, compared with non-vegetarians.

“We can’t tell from this current paper with certainty, but one of the most plausible potential reasons contributing to this beneficial association is perhaps the absence or reduction of meat intake,” lead author Dr. Michael J. Orlich told TIME.

Vegetarian diets have been associated with reductions in risk for several chronic diseases, including hypertension, metabolic syndrome, diabetes mellitus and ischemic heart disease, according to the study background

Dr. Orlich and colleagues examined all-cause and cause-specific mortality in a group of 73,308 men and women Seventh-day Adventists. Researchers assessed dietary patients using a questionnaire that categorized study participants into five groups: nonvegetarian, semi-vegetarian, pesco-vegetarian (includes seafood), lacto-ovo-vegetarian (includes dairy and egg products) and vegan (excludes all animal products).

However, the researchers also noted that people who are vegetarians tended to be more likely to be married, have higher education levels and be older and thinner. They were also more likely to exercise, to not smoke and to not drink. All of these are also factors could play a role in their lower risk of death

So should you trade in that beef burger for a veggie one? If you’re a guy, you probably should, because the researchers found that the association between a vegetarian diet and death risk was much stronger for men than women.

Here are some recipes to get you started!