Plant-based diets have grown in popularity in recent years for their reported health benefits. But that doesn't mean all plant-based items are created equally; a new study is illuminating some of the potential risks involved with some plant-based food products.
The new research, published June 10 in The Lancet journal, found "important associations between the consumption plant-sourced foods, considering the degree of food processing, and the risk of [cardiovascular disease]." According to the team, plant-based ultra-processed foods—as opposed to minimally processed foods—were linked to a higher risk of cardiovascular events.
The scientists analyzed the medical history and hospital and mortality records of more than 118,000 people between the ages of 40 and 69 from the U.K. Biobank survey. They found that plant-sourced ultra-processed food consumption was associated with a 5 percent increased risk of cardiovascular disease and a 12 percent higher mortality rate. All ultra-processed foods to some degree were linked with a higher cardiovascular disease risk and early death.
Related: Study Finds Great News for Those With Flexitarian Diets
While many foods that don't contain animal products like chips and soda are technically plant-based, they wouldn't necessarily be considered healthy things to consume. "Eating plant-based products can be beneficial, acting as protection against health problems, or it can represent a risk. It all depends on the level of processing of these foods," senior study author Renata Levy said, per CNN.
This aligns with what the authors wrote in the paper.
"These findings advance current knowledge by highlighting that a higher intake of plant-sourced foods may only bring about better cardiovascular health outcomes when largely based on minimally processed foods while a higher intake of plant-sourced [ultra-processed foods] may have detrimental effects on health," the study said.
"Previous studies have found a beneficial effect in adopting a healthful plant-sourced diet and reduced [cardiovascular disease] risk. However, none of these studies have clearly assessed whether the degree of industrial food processing affects this association. This is particularly important when considering a possible rising trend in new plant-sourced ultra-processed products."
"Despite being plant-sourced, [ultra-processed food]-rich diets may still pose health risks due to negative effects caused by their composition and processing methods," they concluded. "High content of unhealthy fats, sodium, and added sugars in [ultra-processed foods] contribute to dyslipidemia, atherosclerosis, hypertension, insulin resistance, obesity, and metabolic disorders—all [cardiovascular disease] risk factors."
It's always best to check the labels of everything you buy at the grocery store and work in as many whole foods into your diet as possible.
from Men's Journal https://ift.tt/AEvkGy6
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