Vegetarians and vegans have a dramatically lower risk than nonvegetarians of developing or dying from heart disease, according to a wide range of studies. Numerous studies have shown the strong connection between cholesterol and heart problems. Animal products are the only source of cholesterol in the diet. Cholesterol is found in all foods that come from animals: red meat, poultry, fish, eggs, milk, cheese, yogurt, and all other meat and dairy products.
Fiber helps reduce cholesterol levels by slowing absorption. Animal products contain no fiber. Oats, barley, beans, and some fruits and vegetables are good sources of soluble fiber. When people switch to a low-fat, high-fiber diet, their cholesterol levels often drop dramatically.
High blood pressure is also a risk factor for heart disease and can lead to strokes and other serious health problems. Studies have shown that vegetarians have lower blood pressure than nonvegetarians. A low-fat, high-fiber vegetarian diet, even without lowering salt intake, can lower blood pressure by as much as 10 percent.
Another benefit of a vegetarian diet is reduced iron storage. Studies have shown a strong link between excess iron and heart disease, and also between excess iron and hypertension. Vegetable protein also helps decrease risk for heart disease. Replacing animal protein with soy protein reduces blood cholesterol levels even when the total amount of fat and saturated fat in the diet remain the same.
While suggested heart diets that include lean meat and dairy products may slow the process of heart disease, a low-fat, high-fiber, vegetarian or vegan diet combined with stress reduction techniques, smoking cessation, and exercise could actually reverse atherosclerosis.
Dean Ornish, M.D., of the University of California at San Francisco, has shown that if people who have advanced heart disease adopt a low-fat vegetarian diet, stop smoking, reduce stress, and engage in mild daily exercise, the plaques in their arteries will actually start to disappear.
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