Cardiovascular Benefits of Plant-Based Diets
Increasing evidence suggests that plant-based dietary patterns, characterized by higher intake of plant foods and lower intake of animal foods, confer benefits to cardiovascular health. – Vegetarian diets are a subset of plant-based diets that exclude some or all animal products (vegan diets).
A meta-analysis of 86 cross-sectional and 10 cohort prospective studies evaluated the association between vegetarian, vegan diets, risk factors for chronic diseases, risk of all-cause mortality, incidence, and mortality from cardio-cerebrovascular diseases. The overall analysis of cross-sectional studies revealed significantly reduced levels of body mass index, total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, and glucose levels in vegetarians and vegans compared with omnivores. In relation to cohort studies, the analysis showed a significantly reduced risk of incidence and/or mortality from ischemic heart disease by 25%.
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