Vegetarians and Vegans Have Lower Risk of Heart Disease

Vegetarian and vegan diets lower the risk of heart disease, according to a study published in Public Health Nutrition. Researchers tracked the dietary habits of 592 African-American participants from the Adventist Health Study-2 and categorized them into three eating patterns: vegetarian/vegan, pesco-vegetarian, and non-vegetarian.

Those who consumed a vegetarian/vegan diet had fewer heart disease risk factors including lower blood pressure, half the risk of diabetes, and a 44 percent reduced risk for hypertension, compared with those who consumed pesco-vegetarian and non-vegetarian diets. Additionally, vegetarians and vegans were 43 percent less likely to be obese, compared with non-vegetarians. This study stresses the positive effects plant-based diets may have towards disease prevention for African-Americans.