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Replace animal foods such as red and processed meat or eggs with herbal options like nuts or legumes can reduce the risk of developing cardiac disease and type 2 diabetes, according to a comprehensive study.
The review, published on November 16 in the magazine BMC Medicineanalyzed the results of 37 previous studies, and its findings “highlight the potential health benefits of incorporating more plant-based foods into the diet,” Sabrina Schlesinger, head of the Reviews Research Group systematics at the German Diabetes Center in Düsseldorf, told CNN.
Schlesinger, who was the paper’s lead author, and researchers from several German institutions collaborated on the paper, which they say is the first systematic review to focus on a broad range of health outcomes associated with exchange of foods of animal origin for plant foods. based on food.
Dietitian Duane Mellor, senior lecturer at Aston Medical School in Birmingham, UK, told CNN that this study “fits the pattern” of a “bigger collection of information that shapes our dietary guidelines.”
“It adds to the picture that we’re already pretty comfortable with,” added Mellor, who was not involved in this research.
Previous studies have already indicated some health benefits of plant-based diets. A Can study found that total cholesterol decreased by 7% in people on a plant-based diet compared to those who ate both meat and plants, while a study from August 2019 suggested that eating more plants and less meat was linked to longer life and a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease.
This latest review observed a 27% reduction in the overall incidence of heart disease when 50 grams (1.8 ounces) of processed meat per day was replaced by 28 grams to 50 grams (1 ounce to 1.8 ounces) of nuts per day, and a 23% reduction when meat was replaced with the same amount of legumes.
A 22% reduction in the incidence of type 2 diabetes was also associated with replacing 50 grams of processed meat per day with 10 to 28 grams of nuts per day.
Replacing butter with olive oil and eggs with nuts also indicates a reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes and heart disease, although replacing other dairy products, fish, fruits of Sea or poultry had no clear association with a lower incidence of heart disease, the review found.
The findings of the new research “do not rely on the results of a single study but systematically summarize all available evidence on the topic,” Schlesinger said, adding that this was the main strength of the analysis.
Although such an approach did not produce “entirely new” results, it noted the “consistency” of results from previous studies, indicating “a robust level of confidence in the effect estimate.”
The analysis only observes the association and does not show causation or seek to determine whether causation exists, but it does offer some possible reasons for these trends in the data.
Processed meat, defined by the World Health Organization as having undergone salting, curing, fermentation, smoking or other processes to make products such as sausages, ham or canned meat, contains saturated fatty acids, which potentially increase the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
Meanwhile, nuts, legumes, and whole grains contain antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds that appear to reduce inflammation.
The study also offers an alternative explanation for the apparent health benefits: people who favor plant-based foods are already likely to adopt a healthier lifestyle in general and, although studies have been adjusted to accommodate accounted for participants’ exercise, smoking, alcohol and dietary habits. , this effect cannot be excluded.
“We can use it as part of information,” Mellor said, “but we need to use it with intervention studies…to understand why they might show this effect.”
Simply replacing animal products with plant products does not automatically result in a healthy diet. The result depends on the products exchanged.
“We need to be careful with words like ‘plant-based,’ which can be used by food manufacturers,” Mellor said. “After all, a bag of sugar is plant-based, and that’s not what the study means.”
THE The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends prepare half of your plate of fruits and vegetables, vary your vegetables and proteins, prepare half of your cereals with whole grains. The federal agency also advises choosing foods and drinks with less added sugar, saturated fat and sodium.
In addition to considering the health benefits of different foods, it’s important to consider culinary and cultural perspectives when making these exchanges, Mellor said.
“Just because the statistics say a swap reduces risk, does that make culinary and cultural sense?” And if it doesn’t, it’s unlikely to be effective advice,” he said.
“So swap the lentils for processed red meat, because you can make a sausage with lentils… that would make sense, but swapping carrots and broccoli for red meat doesn’t make sense.”
Anyone considering becoming a vegetarian or vegan should also make sure their diet is carefully planned to include enough iron, iodine, vitamin B12 and vitamin D. Mellor told CNN in May.
