Your risk of heart disease is reduced if you follow a vegetarian diet, according to a study by the University of Oxford. Cardiovascular disease causes the deaths of around 17 million people worldwide every year, making the likes of stroke, heart failure and coronary heart disease responsible for a third of all global deaths.
Therefore, the revelation that dumping meat and fish from your diet can lower your chances of suffering such a fate will certainly be of great interest to many people.
The Oxford research suggests that the risk of being hospitalised or dying from heart disease is 32% lower for vegetarians, a significant reduction and one that demonstrates how lifestyle and diet choice has a major impact on life chances.
Meat contains fat, an excess of which can lead to cardiovascular disease, and may also raise cholesterol levels that also have an adverse effect on heart health.
Vegetarianism has long been lauded as the healthy diet choice for many, as well as being an ethical way of eating. However, many people simply do not want to give up the meat and fish they have always enjoyed eating. Making sensible choices about diet can also have a beneficial effect on heart health because reducing cholesterol and limiting how much fat you eat will reduce your risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
If you cannot give up on meat, swap chicken for red meat and choose fish rich in omega 3 essential fatty acids, such as salmon, herring and mackerel. If you do fancy giving a vegetarian diet a go, go for protein and iron-rich beans and legumes that are also packed with heart-healthy fibre. Other good non-meat choices are whole grains and vegetables.
Comments are closed.