Five new studies show that eating healthy, primarily vegetarian foods is associated with lower risk of chronic diseases, weight gain and death.
What science has to say about nutrition is notoriously fickle, but advice about the benefits of eating more plants and less meat has been pretty consistent in the modern era. Not only is a vegetarian diet great for the planet, but it’s great for our personal health as well. Now adding to the consensus are five new studies presented at Nutrition 2018, the flagship meeting of the American Society for Nutrition.
Each of the studies examine the health impacts of a plant-based diet – and importantly, a plant-based diet comprised of healthy plant-based foods. Here’s what they conclude.
Study #1: Evidence suggests a plant-based diet lowers heart disease risk
The study of some 6,000 people in the Netherlands found that those who consumed more plant-based protein in stead of animal-based protein showed a lower risk of developing coronary heart disease during a median follow-up period of more than 13 years. The research was led by Kim V.E. Braun from the Erasmus University Medical Center, in Rotterdam.
