Plant-Centered Eating and Health Outcomes

What will a diet centered around whole plant foods do for your health?

I have a doctorate, but I'm not a medical doctor. Given this, I am just going to lay out the facts as they are presented in the research. A diet rich in whole plant foods has been shown to improve health outcomes for all of our major lifestyle diseases. But don't take my word for it. Here is what the experts have to say.

“There is a general consensus that the elements of a whole-foods plant-based diet—legumes, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and nuts, with limited or no intake of refined foods and animal products—are highly beneficial for preventing and treating type 2 diabetes. Equally important, plant-based diets address the bigger picture for patients with diabetes by simultaneously treating cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in the United States, and its risk factors such as obesity, hypertension, hyper-lipidemia, and inflammation. The advantages of a plant-based diet also extend to reduction in risk of cancer, the second leading cause of death in the United States.” www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5466941/

Cardiovascular Health:

 "Plant-based diets, defined in terms of low frequency of animal food consumption, have been increasingly recommended for their health benefits. Numerous studies have found plant-based diets, especially when rich in high quality plant foods such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and nuts, to be associated with lower risk of cardiovascular outcomes...Healthful plant-based diets should be recommended as an environmentally sustainable dietary option for improved cardiovascular health." www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6089671/

From the American Heart Association: "Those who ate a more beneficial, plant-centered diet, with fewer foods considered adverse, were 52% less likely to develop cardiovascular disease during about 30 years of follow-up." www.heart.org/en/news/2021/08/04/eating-a-plant-based-diet-at-any-age-may-lower-cardiovascular-risk

“Findings highlight the favorable role of healthful plant-based foods in reducing cardiovascular mortality and (Cardiovascular Disease) CVD.” www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcvm.2021.756810/full

Diabetes:

“While larger interventional studies on plant-based diets carried out for longer periods of time would add even more weight to the already mounting evidence, the case for using a plant-based diet to reduce the burden of diabetes and improve overall health has never been stronger.” www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5466941/

“In this large population-based cohort, we observed that a diet higher in plant-based foods and lower in animal-based foods was associated with lower insulin resistance, and a lower risk of prediabetes and T2D (Type 2 Diabetes), suggesting a protective role of a more plant-based opposed to a more animal-based diet in the development of T2D.” www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6133017/

Cancer:

In a 2022 meta-analysis of over 3 million subjects, researchers found that “Plant-based diets were protective against cancers of the digestive system.” www.pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35719615/

 “Basing our diets around plant foods (like vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and beans), which contain fiber and other nutrients, can reduce our risk of cancer.” - World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research, Cancer Prevention Recommendations. www.pcrm.org/news/blog/7-ways-vegan-diet-fights-cancer

“Greater consumption of healthful plant-based foods is associated with a lower risk of aggressive forms of prostate cancer, with stronger benefit among men aged <65y.” www.pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34791008/

“A plant-based diet can provide both primary and secondary prevention of colorectal cancer. Making prevention of colon cancer with a plant-based diet all the more desirable is that it is also a safe and efficacious prophylaxis and treats common comorbidities such as coronary artery disease and type II diabetes.” www.juniperpublishers.com/ctoij/CTOIJ.MS.ID.555906.php

I could go on and on, but I will close with a quote from the National Update for Physicians: “Research shows that plant-based diets are cost-effective, low-risk interventions that may lower body mass index, blood pressure, HbA1C, and cholesterol levels. They may also reduce the number of medications needed to treat chronic diseases and lower ischemic heart disease mortality rates. Physicians should consider recommending a plant-based diet to all their patients, especially those with high blood pressure, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or obesity… Physicians should advocate that it is time to get away from terms like vegan and vegetarian and start talking about eating healthy, whole, plant-based foods (primarily fruits and vegetables) and minimizing consumption of meat, eggs, and dairy products.” www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3662288/

The data is clear. A diet centered around real, whole, plant foods will reduce your risk of all major lifestyle disease.

For optimal health, fill your plate with plants.
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