Cutting down on the burgers can lead to better heart health, a new study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association indicates. Johns Hopkins University researchers monitored 10,000 adults for nearly 30 years—from 1987 to 2016—and found that those who ate more fruits and vegetables in line with a vegetarian diet had a lower risk of heart disease. At its most significant, the reduced risk was 32 percent.
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The researchers say such a diet would be higher in plant-based foods and lower in animal-based foods, with a focus on whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes, plus drinks like tea and coffee. Not only does a plant-based or mostly plant-based diet lower one’s risk of cardiovascular disease, it also lowers one’s risk of cardiovascular disease mortality and all-cause mortality.
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The results indicate that a more unhealthy plant-based diet, including processed foods and starches such as potatoes, is not tremendously beneficial to your overall health but has modest benefits for your heart health. Unsure how to get more fruits and vegetables into your diet? Try this meal plan.
