Vegetarians 'cut heart risk by 32 percent
9 February BBC
Ditching meat and fish in favour of a vegetarian diet can have a
dramatic effect on the health of your heart, research suggests.
A study of 44,500 people in England and Scotland showed vegetarians
were 32% less likely to die or need hospital treatment as a result of
heart disease. Differences in cholesterol levels, blood pressure and
body weight are thought to be behind the health boost. The findings were
published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Heart disease is a major blight in Western countries. It kills 94,000
people in the UK each year, more than any other disease, and 2.6 million
people live with the condition.
The heart's own blood supply becomes blocked up by fatty deposits in
the arteries that nourish the heart muscle. It can cause angina or even
lead to a heart attack if the blood vessels become completely blocked.
Scientists at the University of Oxford analysed data from 15,100
vegetarians and 29,400 people who ate meat and fish.Over the course of
11 years, 169 people in the study died from heart disease and 1,066
needed hospital treatment and they were more likely to have been meat
and fish eaters than vegetarians. Dr Francesca Crowe said: "The main
message is that diet is an important determinant of heart health. I'm
not advocating that everyone eats a vegetarian diet.
The diets are quite different. Vegetarians probably have a lower
intake of saturated fat so it makes senses there is a lower risk of
heart disease.
The results showed the vegetarians had lower blood pressure, lower
levels of "bad" cholesterol and were more likely to have a healthy
weight. Tracy Parker, from the British Heart Foundation, said: "This
research reminds us that we should try to eat a balanced and varied diet
whether this includes meat or not."But remember, choosing the veggie
option on the menu is not a shortcut to a healthy heart.
After all, there are still plenty of foods suitable for vegetarians
that are high in saturated fat and salt. If you're thinking of switching
to a vegetarian diet, make sure you plan your meals carefully so that
you replace any lost vitamins and minerals, such as iron, that you would
normally get from meat.
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