Eating habits
and other lifestyle factors play a large role in the risk of heart disease. But
heart disease can usually be prevented and even reversed with a plant-based
diet, says Physicians Committee of the USA (here).
A new research report confirms that heart disease
can be dramatically improved—and even reversed—by a plant-based diet.
Researchers from this study counseled 198 patients
with cardiovascular disease on a diet free of fish, meat, dairy, and added
oils. Of the 89 percent of participants who followed the diet, 81 percent improved their
symptoms and experienced fewer complications from heart disease.
In addition, those participants lost an average of
18.7 pounds, while 22 percent saw a complete reversal of their condition. This
study employed a nutritional training program that eliminated both added oils
and animal products.(here)
On the other hand, processed meats can double your risk of dying of
heart failure, according to a new study published in the American Heart
Association's journal Circulation: Heart Failure.
Researchers followed the diets of 37,035 men for
almost 12 years as part of the Cohort of Swedish Men study.
For each 50 gram serving of processed meat, about
the size of a regular hot dog, heart failure risk increased by 8 percent, and the chances of dying from heart failure
increased by 38 percent.
Read more about processed meat here.