Plant Based Diet and Cardiovascular Disease

One of the great advantages of a healthy wholefood plant based diet is that they tend to be low in energy density.

This means that pound for pound a plate of plant foods will generally contain less calories than an omnivorous plate. Given that people generally eat the same weight of food this fact alone will help in the maintenance of a healthy weight.

All whole plant foods contain fibre whereas animal foods contain none. Fibre promtes insulin sensitiviy and better glucose regulation thereby reducing the risk of diabetes (see risk factors below).

Fibre is also the primary food source for a healthy microbiome, with studies demonstrating a dose dependant response between higher fibre intake and lower overall mortality and cardiovascular disease incidence, a benefit linked to the resulting healthier microbiome.

Studies demonstrate that replacing unhealthy saturated fats derived from animal products with healthy plant derived polyunsaturated and/or monounsaturated fats reduces the incidence of coronary heart disease events and the risk of coronary heart disease significantly.

Healthy plant fats are found in nuts, seeds, olives, avocados, and extra virgin olive oil.

A wholefood plant based diet is rich in antioxidants, such as vitamins C and E, beta-carotene and polyphenols.

Antioxidants support cardiovascular health by neutralising oxidative stress, limiting the oxidation of LDL cholesterol, supporting blood vessel health and function and therefore a healthy blood pressure too.

Such as saturated fats, dietary cholesterol and haem iron.

Saturated fat consumption, primarily from animal sources, is the main driver for increased blood cholesterol levels and the single most important factor causing atherosclerotic plaques in the arteries.

Dietary cholesterol is a secondary driver and is only found in animal products.

Haem iron increases oxidative stress and blood vessel dysfunction.

Such as essential vitamins and minerals such as potassium and magnesium, and phytochemicals.

A wholefood plant based diet is rich in these healthy micronutrients and phytochemicals, known to reduce inflammation. Chronic inflammation is implicated in most chronic disease states including cardiovascular disease.

Anti-inflammatory foods include fruits, vegetables, wholegrains, legumes, nuts, seeds, herbs and spices.

Wholefood plant based diets have been shown to be effective at maintaining a normal blood pressure.

Research shows that compared to an omnivorous diet, a plant based diet lowers blood pressure independent of weight loss.

Emerging evidence indicates that plants may contain specific blood pressure lowering components, one reason why plant based diets are so effective at lowering blood pressure.

Saturated fat consumption, primarily from animal sources, is the main driver for increased blood cholesterol levels and the single most important factor causing atherosclerotic plaques in the arteries.

Wholefood plant based diets are low in saturated fats, contain no dietary cholesterol (a secondary driver), and are also high in fibre and plant phytosterols, both of which have been shown to lower cholesterol.

A wholefood plant-baed diet, rich in fibre and phytonutrients whilst being low in saturated fat and devoid of animal protein, is the optimal choice for prevention and treatment of diabetes, in particular type 2 diabetes (2).

A wholefood plant based dietary pattern has been shown to improve glycaemic control and insulin sensitivity whilst offering satiety, without restricting portion sizes (2).

The scientific evidence consistently shows that plant-based diets are effective for weight loss and are generally more effective than other eating patterns (2).

There are a number of physiological reasons why this may be the case, including but not limited to, an improved microbiome, improved appetite and satiety signalling, its anti-inflammatory effects, its increased ‘thermic effect from food’ (i.e. wholefood plant based diets use more energy in the digestion process), and its reduced efffect on the body’s reward systems

The heart is a muscle, and like any other muscle it needs physical activity or exercise to help it work properly.

Being active can reduce your risk of developing some heart and circulatory diseases by as much as 35%. Regular physical activity:

• Helps control blood pressure.

• Lowers cholesterol levels.

• Improves glycaemic control.

• Helps maintain a healthy weight.

Smokers are almost twice as likely to have a heart attack compared to people who have never smoked.

The chemicals in cigarettes make the walls of your arteries sticky contributing to atheroschlerotic plaque formation.

Smoking can also affect your heart and blood vessels by:

• Increasing the risk of blood clots.

• Increasing heart rate.

• Increasing blood pressure.

• Reducing the amount of oxygen delivered to the rest of the body.