Scientists from the University of Freiburg and elsewhere confirmed that a plant-based diet is better for heart health.
Eating a plant-based diet improves the health of your gut so you are better able to absorb the nutrients from the food that support your immune system and reduce inflammation.
Fiber can lower cholesterol and stabilize blood sugar and it’s great for good bowel management.
An omnivorous diet is a type of diet wherein the organism derives energy and nutrients by feeding on both animals and plants.
In fact, the diet includes a wider range of food sources, such as fungi, algae, and certain microorganisms. Organisms that thrive on an omnivorous diet are called omnivores.
Previous research has found a plant-based diet can provide many health benefits for people with heart disease risk factors.
However, an inadequately planned plant-based diet also bears the potential for deficiencies in certain macro- and micronutrients.
In the current study, researchers aimed to analyze the health of people who adopted a plant-based diet.
They examined people with heart disease risk factors. They were randomly assigned to either a whole-food plant-based diet intervention or a control group asked to maintain an omnivorous diet for eight weeks.
Food intake data were collected using three-day weighed food records. The participants’ nutrient intake was compared before and after eight weeks as well as between the groups.
The team found a plant-based diet showed several benefits including (but not limited to) a lower energy density, a lower intake of cholesterol and saturated fat, increased consumption of fiber, and a lower intake of salt.
Recommended intakes of most vitamins and minerals were generally met, except for vitamin B12 in the PBD group. A low intake of several other critical nutrients (vitamin D, iodine) was found in both groups.
The researchers found that compared with the control group, a plant-based diet resulted in a strong decrease in body weight, body mass index, waist circumference, HbA1c, and fasting blood glucose after 8 weeks.
Based on the findings, the team concludes that a plant-based diet has a more favorable nutrient composition for heart health than an omnivorous diet.
The research was published in Nutrients and conducted by Justina Dressler et al.
If you care about heart health, please read studies about the best time to take vitamins to prevent heart disease, and calcium supplements could harm your heart health.
For more information about heart health, please see recent studies that artificial sweeteners in food are linked to a higher risk of heart disease, and results showing people who have the lowest heart disease and stroke risks.
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