People who eat a diet rich in plant-based foods may lower their risk for heart disease by more than 50 percent, according to findings recently published in Journal of the American Heart Association.
Nearly 5,000 people aged 18-30 who did not have cardiovascular disease at the start of the study period in 1985-6 were included in the study. Researchers followed participants through 2018 and evaluated their diets.
They identified 289 cases of heart disease throughout the 32-year follow-up, according to the findings published Aug. 4.
Those whose diets included the most nutritionally rich plant foods and the fewest animal products were significantly less likely to develop heart disease.
"Long-term consumption of a plant-centered, high-quality diet that also incorporates subsets of animal products was associated with a 52 percent lower risk of incident CVD," researchers said. "Furthermore, an increase in plant-centered diet quality over 13 years was associated with a 61 percent lower risk of incident CVD in the subsequent 12 years."
To view the full findings, click here.