Not all plant foods are good for your heart
Healthful and Unhealthful Plant-Based Diets and the Risk of Coronary Heart Disease in U.S. Adults.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
An unhealthful plant-based diet increased heart disease risk by 32%—more than the benefit from a general plant-based diet (8%).
People assume any plant-based diet is protective, but this shows that replacing meat with soda and white bread is worse than eating meat.
Practical Takeaways
Swap one processed plant food (like soda or white bread) per day for a whole plant food (like nuts, beans, or berries).
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
An unhealthful plant-based diet increased heart disease risk by 32%—more than the benefit from a general plant-based diet (8%).
People assume any plant-based diet is protective, but this shows that replacing meat with soda and white bread is worse than eating meat.
Practical Takeaways
Swap one processed plant food (like soda or white bread) per day for a whole plant food (like nuts, beans, or berries).
Publication
Journal
Journal of the American College of Cardiology
Year
2017
Authors
A. Satija, S. Bhupathiraju, D. Spiegelman, Stephanie E. Chiuve, J. Manson, W. Willett, K. Rexrode, E. Rimm, F. Hu
Related Content
Claims (10)
Eating more plants and whole grains instead of meat and sugary refined foods matters more for preventing heart disease than just how much fat or carbs you eat.
If you eat a lot of plant-based foods like white bread, soda, fries, and candy instead of healthy plants like vegetables and whole grains, you might be more likely to get heart disease—even if you don’t eat any meat. It’s not just about avoiding animal products; what kind of plants you eat matters.
Eating mostly whole, unprocessed plant foods like vegetables, fruits, beans, and whole grains is more important for preventing heart disease than worrying about whether you eat more fat or carbs.
Eating more plants instead of animal foods might slightly lower your risk of heart disease, but only if those plants are healthy—like vegetables and whole grains—not junk food like soda or fries.
People who eat lots of healthy plant foods like whole grains, fruits, nuts, and veggies over a long time have a 25% lower chance of getting heart disease than those who don’t eat as many of these foods—so what you eat within a plant-based diet really matters for your heart.