Some plant-based options may in fact increase the likelihood of experiencing a heart attack or an earlier demise.
Interested in lowering your chances of getting chronic conditions and prolonging your life? Go for a vegetarian diet, according to experts.
But wait! Does this mean you can fill your plate with boxed macaroni and cheese, supreme frozen vegetable pizza, or fast-food fries, with a doughnut or two for dessert?
Even though these foods have no meat in them, they're not entirely free from risks, Duane Mellor, a registered dietitian and senior teaching fellow at Aston Medical School in Birmingham, UK, warns. He suggests, "We cannot always consider plant-based to be healthy, as sugar is also plant-based. Foods like biscuits, chips, sweets, and soft drinks may be plant-based technically but highly dreaded by most people as part of a healthful diet."
The latest research, however, contradicts this by highlighting how consuming heavily processed plant foods significantly raises bad cholesterol and blood pressure, leading to heart issues and premature mortality. It's the first study to corroborate that plant-based ultra-processed foods heighten the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Dr. Renata Levy of the Epidemiological Research Center in Nutrition and Health at the University of São Paulo in Brazil, who headed the research, clarifies, "Eating plant-based foods can provide protection against health problems or be a risk; it all depends on the extent of their industrial processing. These foods have been subjected to various industrial processes, such as heating, nutrient and protein extraction, molding, and compression, besides added chemicals to enhance their color, smell, taste, and texture. They are designed to appeal to human taste buds and often require minimal preparation time."
Fresh fruits, vegetables, eggs, and milk are unprocessed, while salt, herbs, oils, canned goods, and frozen veggies are minimally processed. Renata explains, "Food additives and industrial contaminants present in these foods might cause stress and inflammation, intensifying the risks."
The study analyzed data from the UK Biobank, a long-term health study with participants from England, Scotland, and Wales. Over 118,000 people aged between 40 and 69 years completed a questionnaire about their diet. Subsequently, this data was correlated with hospital and death records, monitoring the development of cardiovascular risk factors.
Conclusions from the study show that, despite being plant-based, ultra-processed foods increased the risk of cardiovascular disease by 5% and the probability of early death by 13%.
When participants substituted 10% of their plant-based ultra-processed food consumption with fresh, frozen, or minimally processed plants, they witnessed a reduction of 7% in cardiovascular disease risk and a 13% decrease in the likelihood of dying from a heart condition. Professor Peter Scarborough at the University of Oxford in the UK, who was not involved in the study, feels it's important to note that plant-based meat alternatives make up a meager 0.5% of plant-based ultra-processed foods and are often seen as healthier alternatives to meat.
While these findings suggest the importance of considering the level of food processing to enhance cardiovascular health, almost half of the plant-based ultra-processed foods in the study were packed breads, pastries, buns, cakes, and cookies. Tom Sanders, a professor emeritus of nutrition and dietetics at King's College London and not involved in the study, stresses, "It's long been established that balanced plant-based diets like the Mediterranean or DASH diets are beneficial for heart health, and these already discourage unhealthy foods like chips, cakes, biscuits, and sweets."
In essence, even though a plant-based diet may be gentler on the planet and more humane, its health benefits depend on the type of food it encompasses. Opt for fresh and frozen unprocessed or minimally processed plant foods for optimal health benefits.
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While the study highlights that consuming heavily processed plant foods increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases and early death, opting for fresh, frozen, or minimally processed plants can reduce these risks by 7% and 13% respectively. Therefore, it's crucial to prioritize wellness by choosing unprocessed or minimally processed plant-based options to reap the full health benefits of a plant-based diet.
