Whole Plant Foods Linked to Lower Heart Disease Risk in UK Biobank Study of 126,842 People

Fresh and minimally processed plant foods are linked to healthier hearts. In a study of 126,842 British adults, every 10-percentage-point increase in the share of calories coming from plant foods that are not ultra-processed was associated with a 7% lower risk of cardiovascular disease and a 13% lower risk of dying from it.

The research, led by Dr. Fernanda Rauber and Professor Renata Levy at the University of São Paulo with colleagues at Imperial College London, is published in The Lancet Regional Health - Europe. Participants aged 40 to 69 completed at least two 24-hour diet recalls between 2009 and 2012 and were followed for a median of nine years through hospital and death records. The flip side was that ultra-processed plant products, such as packaged breads, pastries and cookies, were linked to a 5% higher risk, so it is the whole foods doing the good work.

Co-author Dr. Eszter Vamos of Imperial's School of Public Health said in the Imperial College release:

Fresh plant-based foods such as fruits and vegetables, wholegrains and legumes are known to have important health and environmental benefits. While ultra-processed foods are often marketed as healthy foods, this large study shows that plant-based ultra-processed foods do not seem to have protective health effects and are linked to poor health outcomes.

The message is simple: build meals around beans, lentils, whole grains, fruit and veg.

Just yesterday a Harvard study linked the plant-forward Planetary Health Diet to a 23% lower risk of early death, and in 2021 a plant-centered diet in young adulthood was linked to 52% lower cardiovascular disease risk.

Real plant food, real heart health.