A recent major review spanning two decades of scientific research has revealed compelling evidence linking plant-based diets to lower rates of heart disease and cancer, the top two leading causes of death globally. Conducted by researchers from the University of Bologna in Italy and Stanford University School of Medicine, this comprehensive review, published in PLOS One, analyzed meta-analyses from 2000 to 2023 to assess the impact of vegetarian and vegan diets on cancer and cardiometabolic diseases.
Pooling data from 48 meta-analyses involving a vast number of participants across various demographics, including children, the researchers found that individuals following vegetarian and vegan diets were significantly less likely to develop cardiovascular disease and cancer. Moreover, these individuals exhibited better overall cardiometabolic health, including lower inflammation, blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and body mass index compared to meat-eaters.
The authors of the review highlighted that vegetarian and vegan diets are strongly linked to improved lipid profile, glycemic control, body weight/BMI, reduced inflammation, and a lower risk of ischemic heart disease and cancer. Notably, plant-based diets showed particular efficacy in preventing prostate and gastrointestinal cancers. In contrast, individuals consuming high amounts of red processed meats exhibited a heightened risk of gastrointestinal cancers.
What sets this review apart is its nature as an umbrella review, which synthesizes meta-analyses to provide a comprehensive overview of existing evidence. While previous studies have also associated plant-based diets with better health outcomes, this new report in PLOS One stands out due to its broad scope and synthesis of multiple studies. The authors acknowledged certain limitations of the review, such as potential confounding variables in observational studies, but emphasized the overall consistency of the findings.
