New research found that eating only plant-based foods does not guarantee a reduced risk of health conditions—ultimately, it depends on how certain nutrients are prioritized.
With all the buzz about the benefits of eating more plants, it’s easy to assume that going vegan automatically means eating well for health. But a new study reveals that’s not always the case. According to a March 2023 study in JAMA Network Open, sticking to only plant-based foods does not guarantee a reduced risk of conditions like cardiovascular disease or cancer—or even a lower risk of death overall.
Instead, reaping the benefits of a vegan diet likely depends not just on eliminating animal products, but on how you do so.
The study, conducted by researchers in the United Kingdom, analyzed the self-reported diets of over 126,000 people for a period of up to 12.2 years. The team of researchers scored participants’ plant-based diets as either healthful or unhealthful, based on intakes of 17 food groups.1 (The food groups included whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes and vegetarian protein alternatives, dairy, sweets, and more.)
Though the researchers did find that a certain type of vegan diet (one low in “unhealthful” foods like sugary drinks, refined grains, potatoes, desserts, and fruit juices) was associated with reduced risk of chronic disease and overall mortality, diets with higher levels of these foods appeared to have the opposite effect. The higher the “unhealthful” score of a vegan diet, the more likely its adherents were to experience cardiovascular disease, cancer, and death.
In fact, those with the highest level of unhealthful vegan diets had a 23% higher risk of death from any health-related cause.
While the study did have some limitations—such as the fact that it relied on only two 24-hour dietary assessments—experts say it’s an important call for more awareness around following a vegan diet in a healthy way.
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This article comes from https://www.health.com/vegan-diets-health-factors-7376506
Post time: Apr-14-2023