BMJ: More than 40,000 participants followed the results for 30 years! Replacing a red meat diet with a high-quality plant-based diet may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease in the population!

December 5, 2020 // -- In a recent study published in the international journal BMJ, scientists from Harvard Medical School and others suggested that replacing red meat with a high-quality plant-based diet, such as beans, nuts or soy, may be directly related to a reduced risk of coronary heart disease in the population.
using whole grains and dairy products instead of red meat and eggs instead of processed red meat can also reduce the risk of coronary heart disease in the population.
: CC0 Public Domain's extensive research evidence suggests that high intakes of red meat, especially processed red meat, are directly related to the increased risk of death in the population and major chronic diseases, including coronary heart disease.
that inconsistent findings often do not compare red meat with similar protein and energy sources.
To address these problems in the design and analysis of the study, the researchers analyzed the association between total, processed and unprocessed red meat and the risk of coronary heart disease in the population, and assessed the effects of using other protein sources instead of red meat on coronary heart disease risk.
the study, the researchers included data from 43,272 men in the Health Professionals Trail-Up Study program who were not diagnosed with cardiovascular disease or cancer at the beginning of the study.
participants completed a detailed dietary questionnaire in 1986, which was completed every four years until the end of 2016, and provided researchers with information about their medical history and lifestyle.
researchers tracked coronary heart disease events (fatal and non-fatal) over a 30-year period by looking at participants' medical records, during which time they recorded 4,456 coronary heart disease events, 1,860 of which were fatal.
When other cardiovascular risk factors were taken into account, the researchers found that eating one serving of red meat per person per day was directly associated with a moderate increase in coronary heart disease risk (a 12 percent increase in risk), and found a similar association between unprocessed (11 percent increased risk) and processed red meat (15 percent increased risk).
, however, a daily intake of a combined source of plant protein (including nuts, beans (peas, lentils, etc.), soy, etc.) was directly associated with a 14% reduction in the risk of coronary heart disease compared to red meat.
men over the age of 65, the risk was reduced (18 per cent), while the intake of processed red meat increased their risk by 17 per cent.
The use of whole grains and dairy products instead of total red meat, or the use of eggs instead of processed red meat, or directly related to a reduced risk of coronary heart disease in the population, was particularly pronounced in young men, where the use of eggs instead of red meat or a 20 per cent reduction in the risk of coronary heart disease in the population was associated.
use of total fish instead of red meat was not associated with a reduced risk of coronary heart disease in the population.
but the researchers point out that this may be due to the way it is cooked (e.g. fried) and the fact that the food includes processed fish products.
the study is an observational study, so researchers don't know the causality, and although important personal and lifestyle factors have been adjusted, researchers can't rule out other undet determined factors that could influence their findings.
most importantly, the study's participants were mainly white health professionals, so the results may not be widely applicable to the general population.
, the results of this large study, in which participants repeatedly analyzed their diets over a 30-year follow-up process, are worth considering.
The results of this paper show that the higher the overall intake of unprocessed and processed red meat, the higher the risk of coronary heart disease in the population, independent of other dietary and non-dietary cardiovascular risk factors.
researchers added that the use of whole grains or dairy products instead of total red meat may be directly related to a reduced risk of coronary heart disease.
In this paper, the study found that these foods may have the same effect on the body's LDL cholesterol levels, while also supporting restrictions on red meat intake and the use of plant-based protein-sourced foods as an alternative may have additional health benefits.
() Original source: Laila Al-Shaar, Dong D Wang, Stephanie A Smith-Warner, et al. Red meat intake and risk of coronary heart disease among US men: prospective cohort study, BMJ (2020). DOI:10.1136/bmj.m4141。