Can Plant-Based Diet Reverse Heart Disease?

It has been more than 20 years since the idea that a low fat plant based or vegan diet could reverse heart disease, has been circulating. So, consuming more of plant based diets has become popular in last few years. It is true that plant based diet has a lot of health benefits. Now, coming to the point; “can plant-based diet reverse heart disease?”, let us know about it in a precise manner in the following sections of the article.

A plant-based diet primarily focuses on fruits, vegetables, potatoes, whole grains and legumes such as beans and peas, and it excludes animal proteins, such as meat, dairy and eggs. A plant based diet also focuses on ‘Whole” foods that are unrefined or are minimally refined and it limits or excludes highly refined foods like refined sugar, oil, and bleached flour.

Eating a plant has several benefits, such as it help you lose weight, lower blood sugar and also help you feel more energized and healthier. Apart from this, it is also known that a plant-based diet is good for your heart. In fact, a plant-based diet is the only diet that is proven to prevent and reverse heart disease.

Research presented during the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2017, showed that plant-based diets reduced the risk of heart failure by 42% among people with no history of heart disease.

Researchers have been studying the benefits of plant-based diets since the years 1980s. They have found that plant-based diets improve cardiovascular conditions like angina or chest pain and atherosclerosis, which occurs when arteries get narrowed or blocked because of a buildup of a cholesterol-containing substance, known as plaque. In addition, plant-based diet has been proven beneficial in reducing the risk of a second cardiac event in a person who already has had a heart attack.

It is true that plant-based diets are said to play an essential role in preventing heart disease or in fact reversing heart disease. However, the big concern is; “It is not always true in every case.” A team of researchers has found that some types of plant-based diet could do more harm than good.

Researchers decided to come up with three kinds of plant-based diet in their study. These were:

1. The diets that included most of the plant food, but did not entirely exclude animal-derived products.
2. Diet that was solely plant-based that included maximum intake of healthful plant based foods such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
3. Plant based diets that consist mostly of unhealthful plant0derived food, such as sweetened beverages, sweets, potatoes, and refined grains.

It was found from study that participants who adhered to a healthful plant-based diet, excluding animal-derived products and including vegetables, fruit and whole grains, had a substantially reduced risk of developing heart disease. However, the researchers also noted that consuming unwholesome plant-derived foods, like refined grains, had a negative impact on the heart.

It is true that healthy plant-based diet can reduce or reverse heart diseases. However, you need to remember that a plant-based diet is not always healthy. So, you need to choose your diet very appropriately. It is always good to take advice from your doctor and dietician before you adopt any new dietary change to your daily diet plans.