Exclusive plant based diet protects heart and vasculature. Is it true ?
“Yes it is.“
“No, It doesn’t.“
“Yes, a little bit”
So, the answer is not stright-forward. Then as a scientist what should we do ? Do some good studies.
Do we have it ? Ofcourse, we have far too many to confuse us.
Which study showed vegetarians has less risk of CAD than non vegetarians?
There have been several studies that have explored the association between vegetarian diets and the risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) compared to non-vegetarian diets. While not all studies show consistent results, some research suggests that vegetarians do have a lower risk of CAD. Here are two examples from heap of research on this topic.
- The Adventist Health Study-2 (AHS-2): This is a large prospective cohort study that included more than 73,000 participants, including both vegetarians and non-vegetarians. The study found that vegetarians had a lower risk of hypertension, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome, all of which are risk factors for CAD. The results also indicated that vegetarians had a lower risk of heart disease compared to non-vegetarians.
- EPIC-Oxford Study: This is another large prospective study that included over 45,000 participants in the United Kingdom. The study compared the risk of CAD between vegetarians and non-vegetarians and found that vegetarians had a lower risk of heart disease.(EPIC -OXFORD long term follow up 2022 available Ref 2)
Post -research sequale
Does every one agree with these studies ?
The answer is “No” again
Why ?
There are three issues come to my mind
1.First of all, we have a problem in defining not only the CAD* but also who is a pure vegetarian and who is an impure non-vegetarian. (*Clinical vs. nonclinical, ECG or CAG-based, etc.)
2.There are too many parameters, both endogenous and exogenous, that determine the incidence of CAD. This can pose a real challenge to any sophisticated logistic regression model. This includes epigenetic, food, and atmospheric interactions with the endothelium. Technically, if you were to include polluted air as a bad diet equivalent, it would make things really difficult for the poor research fellows.
3. Finally, our understanding of the difference between cardio-vascular risk factor vs acute trigger (both emotional or physical which actually precipitate the event.) , is not perfect, These can profoundly influence the true Impact of diet over CAD and throw the results of all these studies topsy turvy.
Final message
Pardon me, for some confusing content in the post .I go with with EPIC-OXFORD conclusion. Plant based diets are indeed CAD protective. As someone said, everyone would like the right answer to be linked to their belief system, whether humans are really herbivores or not.
Reference
Dr.S.Venkatesan MD 