In this article, Dr. Puja Uppal, Family Medicine, shares her expert insights of the findings and provides New Mexico residents with evidence-based recommendations for protecting their health.
Why This Matters to You
A new review of research papers shows that vegetarian and vegan diets are associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and certain types of cancer.
What This Means for Your Health
"This umbrella review is a huge deal; and, further shows that plant based diets can be good for our overall health outcomes." Dr. Puja Uppal, Family Medicine
Doctor's Expert Insights About Plant Based Diets and Your Overall Health in Bernalillo County, New Mexico
Know this: "Vegetarian and vegan diets appear to have beneficial effects on several CVD risk factors. This includes an improvement in lipid profiles (cholesterol levels), glycemic control (blood sugars), body weight, and inflammation in the body. These diets are also associated with a lower risk of ischemic heart disease and certain types of cancer--particularly colorectal and prostate cancer.
Now the study does have some limitations, but the general message remains clear. Eating non processed foods can have a long term benefit to our overall health.
To manage these conditions effectively, healthcare providers could recommend balanced plant-based diets. But the researchers do ask that people on balanced plant-based diets ensure that they're getting an adequate intake of essential nutrients like vitamin B12, iron, and omega-3 fatty acids.
Integrating regular physical activity, avoiding processed foods, and limiting sugar and salt intake can enhance the benefits of a plant-based diet for you in New Mexico." Dr. Puja Uppal, Family Medicine.
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Actionable Steps: What You Can Do Next
If you live in Bernalillo County and are 45 years and older, you need to make sure that you get a colonoscopy. The American College of Lifestyle Medicine has some great resources to help you start a plant-based diet. (Visit their site.)
Further steps: If you're on a plant-based diet--ensure you consult your doctor regularly to monitor your nutritional status and consider necessary supplements, when necessary.
Health News Today: A new study shows plant based diets reduce cancer and heart attack risks.
The Science Made Simple: Key Findings and What They Mean for Bernalillo County Residents.
The review included 48 systematic reviews and meta-analyses published between January 2000 and June 2023. The data were then assed using a standardization tool to assess for quality using the AMSTAR-R tool.
Beneficial effects on risk factors:
Vegetarian and vegan diets were found to have positive impacts on several key risk factors for cardiovascular disease and cancer, including lipid profile, glycemic control, body weight, and inflammation.
Reduced risk of specific diseases:
The review suggests that vegetarian diets are associated with a lower risk of ischemic heart disease, cardiovascular disease mortality, and certain types of cancer, particularly colorectal and prostate cancer.
Limitations and future research needs:
The strength of the evidence is limited by the heterogeneity of the included studies in terms of population characteristics, dietary patterns, and lifestyle confounders.
In plain English, this means that while the umbrella review found evidence supporting the health benefits of vegetarian and vegan diets, the strength of this evidence is somewhat limited because the studies included in the review were quite different from one another.
These differences, or "heterogeneity," can be seen in several aspects:
Population characteristics: The studies included people with varying ages, genders, ethnicities, and health conditions.
Dietary patterns: The specific foods and nutrients consumed by vegetarians and vegans in the studies may have differed.
Lifestyle confounders: Factors other than diet, such as exercise habits, smoking, and alcohol consumption, which can also affect health outcomes, may have varied among the participants in the different studies.
Because of these differences, it can be challenging to make strong, definitive conclusions about the effects of vegetarian and vegan diets on health outcomes.
The authors of the umbrella review suggest that more research is needed with studies that have more consistent populations, diets, and control for lifestyle factors. These factors may provide stronger evidence for the benefits of plant-based diets.
Medical News Today: What This Means for Your Health in Bernalillo County, New Mexico
The Bottom Line: Eating a vegetarian or vegan diet may help lower your chances of getting heart disease and some types of cancer.
What They're Saying: "It should be remarked that, in the majority of the cases, people adopting plant-based diets are more prone to engage in healthy lifestyles that include regular physical activity, reduction/avoidance of sugar-sweetened beverages, alcohol and tobacco, that, in association with previously mentioned modification of diet [62], lead to the reduction of the risk of ischemic heart disease and related mortality, and, to a lesser extent, of other CVDs." (Study Source)
Read More: Do you know that plant-based diets have low colorectal cancer risks? Doctor Explains
Listen: Health Minute. Fiber-Rich Diets Enhance Gut Bacteria to Reduce Diabetes Risk.
Health Standard Newswire: Vegetarian and vegan diets have been shown to lower the risk of colorectal and prostate cancer, thanks to high intakes of fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants.
Health Facts That Matter: Key Statistics for Bernalillo County, New Mexico
The following health facts impact your physical health directly!
Did you know there were 4182 deaths from heart disease in New Mexico in 2021?
83% of you in Bernalillo County have been screened for cholesterol in the past year.
14.3% of you in Bernalillo County are smokers.
19.3% of you in Bernalillo County have depression.
All of these variables above play an important role in the outcomes of your overall health.
The Health Standard Newswire.
