Researchers from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health recently conducted a study, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, to determine the benefits of plant-based diets.
To do so, they examined the eating patterns of 10,000 middle-aged U.S. adults who were monitored from 1987 through 2016. They then categorized the participants into two groups: plant-based food eaters and animal-based food eaters.
After analyzing the results, they found those who ate more plant-based foods had a 16% lower chance of having hearts attacks or strokes, compared to who ate more animal-based foods.
The group of plant-based eaters also had a 32% lower risk of dying from a cardiovascular disease and a 25% reduced chance of dying from any cause.
"While you don't have to give up foods derived from animals completely, our study does suggest that eating a larger proportion of plant-based foods and a smaller proportion of animal-based foods may help reduce your risk of having a heart attack, stroke or other type of cardiovascular disease," lead researcher, Casey Rebholz, said in a statement.
Other studies have assessed the impact of plant-based diets on specific populations like vegetarians. However, the scientists noted theirs is one of the first to explore plant- and animal-based diets among the general population.
They now hope to investigate whether the quality of plant foods can affect cardiovascular disease and death risks.
Want to learn more? Take a look at the findings here.
About the Author