- Analyzing over 30 studies, German researchers found that swapping meats for plant-based alternatives may drastically reduce risks of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and all-cause mortality.
- Evidence showed that replacing 50 grams (1.8 ounces) of processed meat with plant-based foods on a daily basis lowered cardiovascular disease risk by 25%.
- Substituting processed meats was associated with a 21% lower risk of death from any cause.
The Western diet is replete with red and processed meats and other animal products. Experts worry that this eating pattern strains natural resources, triggers negative climate change, and contributes to an array of noncommunicable diseases.
The environmental and health burdens associated with the Western diet are increasingly supporting the case for promoting plant-based dietary alternatives.
Some studies have suggested that plant-based foods may help lower the risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, and overall mortality.
So far, however, research has not considered the full cardiometabolic implications of switching out meats for plants in a systematic review and meta-analysis.
To address this deficit, researchers from institutions in Germany collaborated on a paper exploring the topic. Their systematic review and meta-analysis article was published in
“Our findings indicate that a shift from animal-based (e.g., red and processed meat, eggs, dairy, poultry, butter) to plant-based (e.g., nuts, legumes, whole grains, olive oil) foods is beneficially associated with cardiometabolic health and all-cause mortality,” the authors reported.
The research team ran a systematic literature search on MEDLINE, Embase, and Web of Science.
They included studies that used substitution analyses of animal-based food with plant-based foods. The studies consulted also discussed…
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