Shafaqna English- A major new study finds that the heart health benefits of a plant-based diet depend entirely on the quality and processing of the foods.
While diets rich in whole, nutritious plant foods significantly reduce cardiovascular risk, those high in ultra-processed plant-based items can actually increase it.
Tracking over 63,000 French adults for nearly a decade, researchers found that people eating high-quality, minimally processed plant foods had about a 40% lower risk of heart disease. However, this advantage vanished for those whose plant-based diets were dominated by ultra-processed items like store-bought soups, ready meals, and sweetened drinks.
Most strikingly, participants whose diets were high in both nutritionally poor and ultra-processed plant foods—such as chips, sugary cereals, and soda—faced a 40% higher risk of cardiovascular disease compared to those eating wholesome plant foods.
The findings, published in The Lancet Regional Health—Europe, urge a crucial distinction in dietary guidance: prioritizing whole, minimally processed plant foods is key, as not all plant-based diets are created equal for heart health.
Source: INRAE – National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment