.: Vegetarian Diet Helps Fight Heart Disease

Heart Disease

Women and men in the United States die more from heart disease than any other disease or condition. Coronary heart disease claims over two-thirds of these deaths. Coronary heart disease, also called coronary artery disease, is a condition characterized by plaque accumulation caused in part by a diet high in saturated fat. Plaque can clog your arteries, block the flow of oxygenated blood from reaching your heart and increase your risk of heart attack and death. Consuming foods high in saturated fat, such as meat and dairy, or foods that contain trans fat, such as processed and fried foods, may increase your risk of heart disease. On the other hand, eating healthy fats, such as monounsaturated fat from olive oil, and omega-3 fatty acids in walnuts and flax seeds, may reduce your risk of heart disease.

Vegetarian Diet

A vegetarian diet is characterized by eating plant-based foods, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, legumes and seeds. A carefully planned vegetarian diet usually has sufficient amounts of protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and healthy fats with lower amounts of total fat, saturated fat and cholesterol than non-vegetarian diets. However, lacto-vegetarians eat dairy and lacto-ovo vegetarians eat dairy and eggs, foods that may increase your fat and cholesterol levels.

Prevention

A vegetarian diet may reduce your risk of heart disease. Research by scientists at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan, and published in the "Journal of the American Dietetic Association" in 2009 reports that it is the position of the American Dietetic Association that appropriately planned vegetarian diets may provide health benefits in the prevention of certain diseases, including a lower risk of death from ischemic heart disease, lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, i.e., the bad cholesterol, lower blood pressure and lower rates of hypertension than non-vegetarians. Research by scientists at Catholic University in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and published in the "Brazilian Archives of Cardiology" in 2007 found that a vegetarian diet is associated with lower levels of fat, total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol as compared to the diet of omnivores.

Treatment

A vegetarian diet may also help treat heart disease. Research by scientists at Stanford University and published in "Annals of Internal Medicine" in 2005 discovered that a vegetarian diet composed on plant-based foods reduces total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol. The research concludes that a plant-based diet enhances the LDL cholesterol-lowering effect of a low-fat diet in patients with high cholesterol.

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Thursday, December 1, 2011