The possible health advantages of plant-based diets have drawn attention in recent years. Two decades’ worth of extensive study currently indicates that living a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle may be associated with better cardiovascular health and a decreased risk of several diseases, including cancer.
With 49 studies published between 2000 and 2023 thoroughly reviewed, the research provides fresh information about the relationship between diet and long-term health outcomes.
Advantages of Plant-based Diets For Health
The researchers focused on how plant-based diets increase the risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease by extracting and synthesizing data from diverse sources through the use of a “umbrella” review.
The results show a significant statistical association between improved control of many risk variables, such as blood pressure, blood sugar levels, and body mass index (BMI), and vegetarian and vegan diets.
Notably, plant-based diets are associated with a lower risk of prostate and gastrointestinal malignancies, as well as ischemic heart disease.
But not everything is clear-cut victories. The study found that, as compared to non-plant-based diets, vegetarian diets did not significantly reduce the incidence of gestational diabetes and hypertension in pregnant women.
The Discussion Goes On
The researchers advise against universally endorsing plant-based diets despite these encouraging results.
There is a need for a more precise description of the overall benefits of plant-based diets, as seen by the variety in results among research, which can be attributed to variations in diet specifics, participant demographics, and study lengths.
Furthermore, some vegan or vegetarian diets may result in vitamin and mineral deficits, which is a possible disadvantage that needs to be taken into account.
The University of Bologna’s Angelo Capodici, the study’s chief author, and his colleagues stress the need for additional research to bolster their conclusions and fill in knowledge gaps about plant-based diets.
“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,” noted the researchers.
Relevance Of The Research
“Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and cancer currently represent the leading causes of death and disability worldwide. Studies performed on large cohorts worldwide have identified several modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors. Among them, robust evidence supports diet as a major modifiable risk factor,” explained the study authors.
“A suboptimal diet, marked by insufficient consumption of fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains, coupled with an excessive intake of meat (particularly red and processed), salt, refined grains and sugar, has been shown to notably elevate both mortality rates and disability-adjusted life years. Over time, these dietary choices have led to a concerning increase in health-related issues.”
“Additionally, the reduction of products of animal origin in favor of vegetarian ones has been suggested to reduce CVD and cancer risk.”
Dietary recommendations in the future
The investigation links plant-based diets with major health benefits, painting a generally good picture of them. However, a more sophisticated approach to dietary advice is required due to the intricacies and differences revealed in the studies.
According to the study authors, “the research enables the synthesis of existing systematic reviews and meta-analyses by utilizing an umbrella review, providing a higher level of evidence and summarizing a vast quantity of information.”
“Furthermore, the study’s relevance to ongoing public health challenges is enhanced by its alignment with current health concerns, particularly with regard to cardiovascular diseases and cancer. This positions it as a valuable resource for informing preventive measures and dietary guidelines.”
It’s becoming more and more obvious that what works for one person could not work for another as we investigate the relationships between nutrition and health.
To ensure that dietary recommendations are useful and do not have unforeseen health repercussions, further research is required to expand on these findings and customize advice.
More about diets based on plants
Plant-based foods are the main focus of a plant-based diet. This covers entire grains, legumes, beans, nuts, seeds, oils, and veggies in addition to fruits and vegetables.
In addition to improving human health by reducing the incidence of major diseases, diets high in plant-based foods are more environmentally sustainable than diets high in animal products since they need less natural resources and have fewer environmental consequences.