The case has never been clearer: eat less bacon and more beans.
An analysis published in November in the journal BMC Medicine, drawing on data from 37 studies, adds to the evidence that eating fewer animal-based foods – especially processed meats – and replacing them with whole grains, legumes and nuts is linked to a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.
Eating more plant-based food is associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.Credit: Getty Images
The study is particularly useful because it details which dietary changes are most strongly linked to better health, says Qi Sun, an associate professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, who was not involved with the study. For example, the study estimated that replacing one serving per day of processed meats – such as sausages, processed meats or bacon – with a serving of whole grains, nuts or beans was associated with a 23 per cent to 36 per cent lower risk of cardiovascular issues, including stroke, heart attack and coronary heart disease.
The analysis combined the results from studies in the United States, Europe and Asia that asked participants detailed questions about the foods they typically ate. Researchers followed them for an average of 19 years and looked for correlations between their diets and health. They adjusted for other factors that can affect health, including calorie intake, physical activity, smoking and alcohol use.
These types of studies can’t determine if plant-based foods directly prevent cardiovascular disease or type 2 diabetes – only that there is an association between eating more of such foods and a lower risk of developing these conditions, says Sabrina Schlesinger, an epidemiologist and nutrition scientist at the German Diabetes Centre in Dusseldorf, Germany, and a lead author of the study. But the findings were consistent between studies, she says, and are supported by other research that points in the same direction.
The study was partially funded by the Alpro Foundation, a nonprofit research arm of a Belgium-based company that makes plant-based milks and yoghurts; the organisation was not involved with planning, conducting or interpreting the study, Schlesinger says.
Why more plants and less meat can be beneficial
The benefits of following a diet rich in whole grains, nuts and legumes and lower in red and processed meats are backed by at least 30 years of scientific evidence, says Maya Vadiveloo, an associate professor of nutrition at the University of Rhode Island.
Those plant-based foods are full of heart-healthy fats and fibre, which can help control blood sugar and lower diabetes risk, Sun says. They also contain beneficial plant-based compounds; legumes, for example, are rich in isoflavones, which are thought to reduce inflammation and act as antioxidants, he says.
