Plant-based diet provides various health benefits, study says

According to a study published in the journal PLoS ONE, vegetarian and vegan diets have been linked to improved cardiovascular health, reduced cancer risk, and lower incidences of cardiovascular diseases and cancer.

Previous research has found a connection between specific dietary patterns and elevated risks of cardiovascular disease and cancer. Diets characterized by low intake of plant-based foods and high consumption of meat, refined grains, sugar, and salt have been associated with increased mortality rates.

To mitigate these risks, recommendations have been made to reduce the consumption of animal-derived products in favour of plant-based alternatives, to lower the incidence of cardiovascular disease and cancer. Nevertheless, the comprehensive benefits of adopting such dietary changes remain uncertain.

In the study, researchers conducted a comprehensive review of 48 papers published between January 2000 and June 2023. These papers had compiled evidence from various prior studies. Employing an "umbrella" review methodology, the researchers extracted and analyzed data from the 48 papers to investigate the associations between plant-based diets, cardiovascular health, and cancer risk.

The analysis revealed that vegetarian and vegan diets are strongly linked to improved health indicators related to cardiometabolic diseases, cancer, and mortality. These diets are associated with lower blood pressure, better blood sugar management, and healthier body mass index. Moreover, they are linked to decreased risk of ischemic heart disease, and gastrointestinal and prostate cancer, as well as reduced cardiovascular disease mortality.

These findings indicated that plant-based diets offer notable health advantages. However, researchers caution that the strength of this association is substantially constrained due to variations including differences in diet types, participant characteristics, study durations, and other variables. Additionally, certain plant-based diets may lead to vitamin and mineral deficiencies in certain individuals.

“Our study evaluates the different impacts of animal-free diets for cardiovascular health and cancer risk showing how a vegetarian diet can be beneficial to human health and be one of the effective preventive strategies for the two most impactful chronic diseases on human health in the 21st century,” said the authors.

Reference: Angelo Capodici, Gabriele Mocciaro, Davide Gori, et al.; Cardiovascular health and cancer risk associated with plant based diets: An umbrella review; PLoS ONE; https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0300711