Switching out just a serving of processed meats may boost cardiovascular health
Research we're watching
- Reviewed by Toni Golen, MD, Editor in Chief, Harvard Women's Health Watch; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing; Contributor
Replacing one serving each day of processed meats with a serving of whole grains, nuts, or beans is linked with up to 36% lower odds of cardiovascular conditions such as heart attack or stroke, a new study suggests.
For the analysis, published online Nov. 16, 2023, by BMC Medicine, researchers evaluated results from 32 earlier studies involving tens of thousands of healthy adults on three continents. Participants answered detailed questions about the foods they typically ate, and researchers followed them for an average of 19 years to assess any links between their diets and health outcomes, adjusting for other factors such as calorie intake, physical activity, and smoking and alcohol use.
Substituting a daily serving of processed meats — which include bacon, deli meats, hot dogs, and sausage — with nuts, beans, or whole grains was associated with 23% to 36% lower risk of cardiovascular disease. Replacing a serving of eggs each day with nuts was linked to 17% lower odds of cardiovascular problems. Meanwhile, participants were 10% less likely to develop diabetes if they substituted a serving of whole grains for red meat. The findings suggest that shifting from animal-based to plant-based foods can benefit cardiovascular health, the researchers said.
Image: © Kseniya Ovchinnikova/Getty Images
About the Author
Maureen Salamon, Executive Editor, Harvard Women's Health Watch
About the Reviewer
Toni Golen, MD, Editor in Chief, Harvard Women's Health Watch; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing; Contributor
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