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Replacing animal products such as red and processed meats and eggs with plant-based foods such as nuts and legumes may reduce the risk of developing heart disease and type 2 diabetes, a comprehensive review finds. found.
Review published on November 16th in a diary BMC Medicineanalyzed the results of 37 earlier studies, and the results “highlight the potential health benefits of incorporating more plant-based foods into the diet,” said a system at the German Diabetes Center in Düsseldorf. said Sabrina Schlesinger, director of the Global Review Research Group. he told CNN.
Schlesinger, the paper’s lead author, and researchers from several German institutions collaborated on the paper. They say their paper is the first systematic review to focus on the wide range of health effects associated with replacing foods of animal origin with foods of plant origin. -Based food.
Duane Mellor, a registered dietitian and senior instructor at Aston Medical School in Birmingham, UK, told CNN that the review is “consistent with a pattern” in “the larger body of information that forms our dietary guidelines.” “There is,” he said.
“This adds to a situation that we’re already pretty comfortable with,” added Mellor, who was not involved in the study.
Previous research has already shown the health benefits of a plant-based diet. A study in May found that total cholesterol in people eating a plant-based diet was reduced by 7% compared to people who ate both meat and plants. August 2019 survey They suggested that eating more plants and less meat is associated with longevity and reduced risk of cardiovascular disease.
This latest review found that replacing 50 grams (1.8 ounces) of processed meat per day with 28 grams to 50 grams (1 ounce to 1.8 ounces) of nuts per day increased the overall incidence of heart disease. A 27% decrease was observed. Percentage reduction when replacing meat 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 has also been shown to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and heart disease, but replacing other dairy products, fish, seafood, and poultry with nuts also lowers the risk of developing heart disease. There was no clear association with lower rates, the review reported. found.
The new study’s results “systematically bring together all the available evidence on this topic, rather than relying on the results of a single study,” Schlesinger said, making this a key strength of the review. It added.
Although such an approach did not yield “completely new” findings, the “consistency” of results from previous studies indicated “a robust level of confidence in the effect estimates,” she noted. .
Although this review only observes associations and does not demonstrate causation or investigate whether a causal relationship exists, it does provide some possible reasons for these trends in the data.
Processed meat, defined by the World Health Organization as salted, cured, fermented, smoked, or other processes to produce products such as sausages, hams, and canned meat, is linked to heart disease and type 2 heart disease. Contains saturated fatty acids, which can increase your risk of disease. Diabetes mellitus.
Nuts, legumes, and whole grains, on the other hand, contain antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds that appear to reduce inflammation.
The study also suggests an alternative explanation for the apparent health benefits. This means people who prefer plant-based foods are more likely to practice a healthier lifestyle in general, and the study was adjusted to account for participants’ exercise, smoking, alcohol, and dietary habits. However, this effect cannot be excluded.
“We can use this as a piece of information, but we need to use it in intervention studies to figure out why it shows that effect,” Mellor said.
Simply switching from animal-based products to plant-based products does not automatically result in a healthier diet. Results will vary depending on the product being replaced.
“You have to be careful with terms like plant-based that food manufacturers may use,” Mellor says. “At the end of the day, a bag of sugar is plant-based, and that (study) doesn’t mean that.”
of Recommended by USDA Make half your plate fruits and vegetables, vary your vegetables and proteins, and make half your grains whole grains. The federal agency also advises choosing foods and beverages that are low in added sugar, saturated fat, and sodium.
Mellor said it was important to consider the health benefits of different foods, as well as culinary and cultural perspectives, when making such exchanges.
“Just because statistics say exchange reduces risk, does that make sense for the cuisine or culture? If not, it’s unlikely to work as advice,” he says. To tell.
“It makes sense to replace lentils with lean processed meat, since you can make sausage from lentils, but it doesn’t make sense to replace red meat with some carrots and broccoli.”
Anyone considering becoming a vegetarian or vegan should ensure that their diet is carefully planned to include enough iron, iodine, vitamin B12, and vitamin D. Mellor told CNN. In May.