Scientists from the National Cancer Institute in Milan have found that a vegetarian diet can reduce the risks of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, death and obesity. The research was published in the journal Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases.
Dietitians conducted a comprehensive review of high-quality research examining various vegetarian diets (including vegetarianism with fish, eggs, or dairy) and their health effects and risks for various diseases.
Several studies have reported that a vegetarian diet reduces the risk of death associated with obesity, overweight, and coronary heart disease compared to a non-vegetarian diet. Vegetarian diets have also been associated with a lower risk of developing hypertension and type 2 diabetes.
Vegetarian diets, especially those containing low-fat foods, resulted in greater weight loss compared to non-vegetarian diets.
A high-quality study also reported a reduction in atherosclerotic changes in the heart arteries after switching to a vegetarian diet.
Many study participants had lower cholesterol levels compared to omnivores, but this reduction also affected their “good” high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels.
Overall, the analysis showed that a vegetarian diet may help reduce the risk of cardiometabolic disease, but the heterogeneity of results stemming from cultural and ethnic differences in approach to vegetarianism, as well as differences in the conduct of studies in different countries, make this difficult. to arrive at definitive conclusions.
The authors concluded that while a vegetarian diet may have great benefits in certain diseases, in most cases the reduction in health risks is not due to the elimination of meat, but rather a switch to a healthier diet.
ancient scientists in your name Here are six foods that reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular disease.