Cardiovascular disease is the biggest cause of human death. An unhealthy diet is the biggest risk factor for health hazards and death.
What foods are good for maintaining cardiovascular health?
A large 30-year study has provided us with partial answers.
Evidence shows that replacing red meat with high-quality plant-based foods can significantly reduce the risk of coronary heart disease; replacing total red meat with whole grains and dairy products, and replacing processed red meat with eggs can also reduce this risk.
Meat is undoubtedly a delicacy among the majority of the population.
However, a large amount of evidence has long shown that eating a large amount of red meat, especially processed red meat such as bacon, hot dogs, and sausages, will increase the risk of major chronic diseases including coronary heart disease and death.
What foods can be used to replace red meat to ensure nutrition and reduce this risk?
To solve this problem, the researchers designed a long-term large-scale study.
The study involved 43,272 men with an average age of 53 years in the follow-up study of health professionals in the United States. None of them had cardiovascular disease or cancer when they were selected for the study.
The study began in 1986, and all participants were required to fill in a detailed dietary questionnaire every 4 years for the 30 years ending in 2016 and provide relevant information including medical history and lifestyle.
After considering other risk factors for cardiovascular disease, the researchers found that for every additional serving of red meat per person’s daily food, the risk of coronary heart disease increases by 12%; among them, if it is unprocessed meat, the risk increases by 11%; The risk of processed red meat increases by 15%.
In other words, eating more red meat can increase the risk of coronary heart disease.
On the contrary, compared with red meat, every serving of high-quality plant protein foods (such as nuts, soybeans, or other legumes) a day reduces the risk of coronary heart disease by 14%. Among them, compared with unprocessed red meat, the risk is reduced by 13%, and processed red meat is reduced by 17%.
In other words, if you use high-quality plant protein to replace red meat, it will in turn reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.
In addition, studies have also found that replacing total red meat with whole grains and dairy products, and replacing processed red meat with eggs can also reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. This association is more obvious among young people. This also shows that the sooner the prevention of coronary heart disease, the better.
In general, this 30-year-long study involving tens of thousands of people has shown that eating more red meat increases the risk of coronary heart disease; on the contrary, eating less red meat, but it must be high-quality including pea protein, soy protein, hemp protein, and others Instead of plant protein to maintain adequate nutrition, it can reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.