According to new research, incorporating plant-based food into your diet decreases your risk of dying from premature causes like heart disease.
The study
New research from Harvard suggests that well-executed plant-based diets reduces your risk of death by heart disease by up to 10%.
Researchers looked at data from 47,983 women and 25,737 men from different national studies, following their shifts in diet over a 12-year period.
Both men and women were assigned one of three types of plant-based diets; overall plant-based, healthy plant-based and unhealthy plant-based.
It was found that those who had an overall plant-based diet had an 8% lower chance of dying from all causes.
Those who had a healthy plant-based diet had a 10% lower risk of death from heart disease. A healthy plant-based diet focuses on replacing one serving each day of refined grains with whole grains, adding one serving each day of fruits and vegetables, and decreasing sugary beverages by one serving each day.
Alternatively, those on the unhealthy plant-based diet had an 11% higher chance of death from all causes.
How plant-based diets improve health
The Harvard research team leader, Dr. Megu Y. Baden, a postdoctoral researcher, stated that plant-heavy diets increase longevity and decrease the risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes and heart disease.
“We think our results emphasize the importance of considering the quality of plant foods,” Baden said.
When considering exactly why these foods are good at increasing life span, Baden added that whole grain, fruit, and vegetable-heavy diets are known to improve the chemical processes within the body and boost immunity, allowing for longevity.
In addition, a plant-based diet reduces the factors that play into diseases such as obesity, high cholesterol and others by reducing blood sugar, fat and body mass index.
If anything, this study highlights the importance of the quality versus the quantity of food that improves longevity.
Focus on daily helpings of whole wheat, whole fruits, vegetables and nuts, and avoid fruit juices, refined grains, sweets and potatoes to improve longevity.
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