Zero animals on the plate and lots of ‘green’. Vegan diets are increasingly widespread in the world. But are they good for your health? A team of Italian scientists reviewed two decades of studies to answer the question that still generates debate today between meat and fish supporters and radicals of ‘all-green’ menus.
The result of their analysis published in the journal ‘Plos One’ seems to suggest that yes, vegetarian and vegan diets are good for your health, offer benefits in the sense that they are generally associated with better status with respect to various medical factors and a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer and death. But the message for the population that can be drawn from the work of experts is not: let’s all convert to veganism. These are not ‘one size fits all’ diets, they are not ‘one size fits all’and it should not be forgotten that ‘the table’ is only one of the factors, the authors explain to Adnkronos Salute.
“These diets must be balanced and it is important that they are associated with a correct lifestyle”, underline Davide Gori, Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum-University of Bologna, and Federica Guaraldi, Irccs Institute of Neurological Sciences of Bologna . The researchers warn against “wide-scale recommendations of plant-based diets,” primarily because some plant-based diets can introduce vitamin and mineral deficiencies in some people. For example, Guaraldi highlights, “we should perhaps avoid those “green” regimes that are too stringent in some periods of life, such as pregnancy for example”.
The review by the Italian experts was born from the desire to delve deeper into some aspects that emerged about diets. Previous studies had linked certain diets with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer, the authors observe. A diet low in plant products and high in meat, refined grains, sugar and salt is associated with a higher risk of death. And it has been suggested that reducing consumption of animal products in favor of plant-based products may reduce these risks.
However, scientists reason, the overall benefits of such diets remain unclear. To delve deeper, Angelo Capodici (Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum-University of Bologna) and colleagues examined just under 50 articles published between January 2000 and June 2023, which gathered evidence from multiple previous studies. Following an ‘umbrella’ review approach, they extracted and analyzed data on the links between plant-based diets, cardiovascular health and cancer risk.
The analysis showed that, overall, Vegetarian and vegan diets have a robust statistical association with better health on a number of risk factors associated with cardiometabolic diseases, cancer and mortality, such as blood pressure, blood sugar management and body mass index. Such diets are associated with a reduced risk of ischemic heart disease, gastrointestinal and prostate cancer, and death from cardiovascular disease. However, among pregnant women specifically, those who ate a vegetarian diet had no difference in their risk of gestational diabetes and hypertension compared to those who ate a non-plant-based diet.
Overall, the authors continue, these findings suggest that plant-based diets are associated with significant health benefits. However, they note, the statistical strength of this association is significantly limited by numerous differences between previous studies in terms of specific dietary regimens followed, patient demographics, study duration, and other factors. Hence the recommendation on how to read and interpret the conclusions of the analysis. “Our study evaluates the different impacts of animal-free diets on cardiovascular health and cancer risk, showing how a vegetarian diet can be beneficial for human health and be one of the effective preventive strategies for the two most impactful chronic diseases in the 21st century”, the researchers point out.
Even a green diet must be “balanced”, add Guaraldi and Gori. “We must avoid all excess foods such as fruit juices, or excess fruit, products which are of plant origin, but which raise blood sugar” and therefore can be counterproductive “without an adequate balance”. In short, the path indicated is “the aurea mediocritas”, smiles Guaraldi. A golden middle ground.
“With our work – continues Gori – we have reached a fairly high level of evidence by trying to put together all the best evidence available. What we have seen is that diet is an important factor and we demonstrate this from the point of view of prevention for cardiovascular diseases and some types of cancer. The studies examined are very different, we have American, Chinese research and so on. Translating them into the Italian population is not automatic. What can be a message, however, is that in general, if you consume less meat and more vegetables, can be a protective factor and is important because we are exposed to food on average at least 3 times a day.
“However, we must never forget the other factors that can contribute” to good health, continues the expert, “therefore physical activity, good lifestyles which include not smoking and not drinking alcohol. We – he is keen to specify – let’s not give the message to the population that “everything that is plant-based” is always good. Nobody should think that, for example, only drinking fruit juices and eating only potatoes is fine”. No to do-it-yourself, yes to balance, he concludes. “You need common sense, the guidance of nutritionists and a whole series of things. The line is not: the veg diet saves me from everything and so I’ll embrace it. Rather: a balanced vegetarian diet suited to my characteristics can help“.
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