Vegan diets good for hearts
This so-called umbrella review gathered data from 21 other reviews and found that vegan and vegetarian diets were linked to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and a lower risk of dying from it compared to non-vegetarian diets. A vegan diet was also linked to improvements in CVD risk factors, including blood pressure, cholesterol and body mass index.
Results showed vegetarian and vegan diets were associated with a 15 per cent lower risk of developing CVD compared to non-vegetarian diets and were linked to an eight per cent lower risk of dying from CVD.
Vegan diets, in particular, were associated with improvements in several CVD risk factors:
- Lower systolic blood pressure (average difference: -2.56 mmHg)
- Lower LDL ‘bad’ cholesterol (average difference: -0.49 mmol/L)
- Lower body mass index (average difference: -1.72 kg/m²)
- Reduced levels of C-reactive protein, an inflammation marker
The authors support recommending a vegetarian/vegan diet to reduce cardiometabolic risk factors and lower both the incidence and mortality of cardiovascular disease in adults.
Landry MJ, Senkus KE, Mangels AR et al. 2024. Vegetarian dietary patterns and cardiovascular risk factors and disease prevention: an umbrella review of systematic reviews. American Journal of Preventative Cardiology. 20, 100868.
About the author
Dr. Justine Butler
Justine joined Viva! in 2005 after graduating from Bristol University with a PhD in molecular biology. After working as a campaigner, then researcher and writer, she is now Viva!’s head of research and her work focuses on animals, the environment and health. Justine’s scientific training helps her research and write both in-depth scientific reports, such as White Lies and the Meat Report, as well as easy-to-read factsheets and myth-busting articles for consumer magazines and updates on the latest research. Justine also recently wrote the Vegan for the Planet guide for Viva!’s Vegan Now campaign.
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