Two Decades of Evidence: How Plant-Based Diets Promote Better Health

Vegetarian and vegan diets are generally linked to improved status on various medical factors associated with cardiovascular health and cancer risk, as well as a reduced risk of cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and mortality, according to a new review of 49 previously published studies. Angelo Capodici and colleagues published these findings in the open-access journal PLOS ONE on May 15, 2024 (1^✔ ✔Trusted Source
A Look at Plant-Based Diets

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Comprehensive Review of Plant-Based Diets and Health Benefits

Previous research has associated certain diets with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer. Diets low in plant products and high in meat, refined grains, sugar, and salt are linked to a higher risk of death. Reducing the consumption of animal-based products in favor of plant-based foods has been suggested to lower the risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer. However, the overall benefits of such diets remain uncertain.

To deepen understanding of the potential benefits of plant-based diets, Capodici and colleagues reviewed 48 papers published between January 2000 and June 2023 that themselves compiled evidence from multiple prior studies. Following an “umbrella” review approach, they extracted and analyzed data from the 48 papers on links between plant-based diets, cardiovascular health, and cancer risk.

Evaluating the Health Impacts and Limitations of Plant-Based Diets

Their analysis showed that, overall, vegetarian and vegan diets have a robust statistical association with better health status on a number of risk factors associated with cardiometabolic diseases, cancer, and mortality, such as blood pressure, management of blood sugar, and body mass index. Such diets are associated with reduced risk of ischemic heart disease, gastrointestinal and prostate cancer, and death from cardiovascular disease.

However, among pregnant women specifically, those with vegetarian diets faced no difference in their risk of gestational diabetes and hypertension compared to those on non-plant-based diets.

Overall, these findings suggest that plant-based diets are associated with significant health benefits. However, the researchers note, the statistical strength of this association is significantly limited by the many differences between past studies in terms of the specific diet regimens followed, patient demographics, study duration, and other factors. Moreover, some plant-based diets may introduce vitamin and mineral deficiencies for some people. Thus, the researchers caution against large-scale recommendation of plant-based diets until more research is completed.

The authors add: “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.”

Reference:

1. A Look at Plant-Based Diets – (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8210981/)

Source-Eurekalert