The Vegetarian Diet and Its Effect on Artery Function

A vegan diet is an enormous benefit to artery function.

This video was originally published on NutritionFacts.org and republished with permission. NutritionFacts.org

A study following elderly Chinese people found that their epithelial tissue (the exterior and interior lining) of their arteries had significantly lower instances of dysfunction than people from other regions. The study suggested that age does not equate to a decrease in artery function. Diet was taken into consideration and tested, with its lower consumption of fats and higher intake of plants and fish. However, there are a number of other studies that say fish oil has no noticeable on epithelial function. That being the case, it was clear that a vegetarian diet was one of the major keys to elder Chinese’ good health.

This vegetarian diet was such a boon to heart health, that it is even able to counteract smoking’s effect on the arteries. After just five minutes of smoking a cigarette, artery function is drastically cut back. Despite this and the fact that many Chinese are heavy smokers, artery function remained strong in those who kept a plant-based diet. In fact, regardless of smoking status, the longer people in the study kept up a vegetarian diet, the healthier their artery function.

We hear all the time that we should add more fruits and vegetables to our diets. It turns out that if we don’t just add, but base our entire way of eating around plants, we can keep our hearts healthy and strong.

Type to Search

See all results