Heart disease in British vegetarians.

Vegetarians are less likely to develop cardiovascular diseases, such ischemic heart disease, and die from cardiovascular-related causes than non-vegetarians.

This study investigated the relationship between regular consumption of vegetarian diets and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality risk. Using validated food frequency questionnaires, researchers examined the diets of 4,671vegetarians and 6,225 non-vegetarians living in Britain for a duration of 10 – 12 years. The cardiovascular mortality and morbidity hazard ratios of each participant in this study were also determined.

Researchers observed a low proportion of deaths from cardiovascular-related causes and incidence of heart diseases, such as ischemic heart disease (IHD), among subjects, especially among men, in the vegetarian group compared to those in the non-vegetarian cohort. Vegetarians were found to have similar blood pressure values with non-vegetarians but lower plasma levels of cholesterol and body mass index (BMI) than subjects in the non-vegetarian cohort. The findings of this study show that regular intake of vegetarian diets may play an important role in the prevention cardiovascular diseases and mortality.