A new study shows that consuming more plant products and less food of animal origin can contribute to cardiovascular health.
Eating more plant-based products and reducing your consumption of meat, fish or dairy products is not only good for the planet: it is also good for the health of your heart and your arteries.
This is what a new study published in the journal of the American Heart Association. “While you don’t have to give up animal-derived foods entirely, our study suggests that eating a higher proportion of plant-based foods and a smaller proportion of animal-derived foods may help reduce your risk of having a heart attack, stroke or any other type of cardiovascular disease, “explains Casey M. Rebholz, assistant professor of epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and lead author of the study.
16% lower risk of cardiovascular disease
To reach this conclusion, the researchers analyzed the dietary intake of more than 10,000 middle-aged American adults who were followed from 1987 to 2016 and who did not have cardiovascular disease at the start of the study. They sifted through their eating habits and ranked them based on their consumption of plant and animal foods.
The results they obtained are edifying. Compared with predators, participants who favored consumption of plant-based foods had a 16% lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease such as heart attack, stroke, heart failure, and other conditions. They also had a 32% lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease and 25% lower risk of dying from any cause.
Give preference to fruits, vegetables, legumes …
“Our results highlight the importance of focusing on your diet. There may be some variability in terms of individual foods, but to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, people should eat more vegetables, nuts, and grains. complete, fruit, legume and less animal foods.These findings dovetail quite well with previous findings on other eating habits, including the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, which puts the focus on those same foods, ”says Dr. Rebholz.
However, recalls the American Heart Association, all foods of plant origin are not created equal. “For example, fries or cauliflower and cheese pizzas are plant-based, but have low nutritional value and are high in sodium (salt). Unprocessed foods, such as fresh fruits, vegetables and cereals are good choices, ”explains Mariell Jessup, chief scientist and chief medical officer of the American Heart Association.
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