Scientific evidence has been clear in recent years about the benefits of following a plant-based diet, with a minimum consumption of products of animal origin. According to the latest research, this approach can reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular disease and premature death.
The secret to a healthy diet
However, a diet with these characteristics should also take care of other aspects; otherwise, it could be associated with a higher risk of mortality. This is the conclusion of a large-scale prospective study prepared from the data of more than 120,000 adults, published in the specialized media JAMA Network Open.
As the authors of the work themselves point out in the news portal on health and medicine Medscape Medical News“These data constitute evidence supporting the notion that to obtain the health benefits, plant sources have to be whole grains, fruits and vegetables, legumes, nuts etc. more than processed plant foods.
In fact, they point “We don’t need to make radical changes in vegetarian or vegan diets, but rather change the proportions on the plate to incorporate more healthy plant-based foods, fish or lean cuts of meat into our regular diet. This would have benefits for both our individual health and planetary health.”
Up to 23% less risk of premature death
The analysis of the data of these people, extracted as part of the study UK Biobankshowed that those people who scored highest in the consumption of vegetable products labeled as healthy they had a lower risk of mortality from any cause (23% lower) and from cancer (19% lower). If we talk about the risk of receiving a cancer diagnosis, the difference between those who followed this type of diet and those who did not was 10%.
Similarly, a higher intake of quality plant foods was associated with lower risk of cardiovascular accidentsischemic stroke and myocardial infarction.
References
Thompson AS, Tresserra-Rimbau A, Karavasiloglou N, et al. Association of Healthful Plant-based Diet Adherence With Risk of Mortality and Major Chronic Diseases Among Adults in the UK. JAMA Network Open. (2023) DOI:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.4714
Miriam E. Tucker. Plant-Based Diets Not Always Healthy; Quality Is Key. Medscape (2023). Consulted online at https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/990178 on 04/05/2023