Flexitarian vs. Vegan vs. Omnivore: Which Diet Wins for Heart Health?

This study in BMC Nutrition explored heart health in young adults following flexitarian, vegan, and omnivore diets. While all groups displayed healthy cardiovascular markers, vegans had lower insulin, and both flexitarians and vegans boasted lower cholesterol and triglycerides compared to omnivores. Interestingly, flexitarians even surpassed vegans in terms of metabolic syndrome risk and arterial stiffness. Adjusting for factors like age and BMI, cholesterol, metabolic syndrome, and arterial stiffness, differences between groups remained significant, highlighting the potential benefits of reduced meat intake. The study also linked higher consumption of dairy, sweets, and meat with poorer cardiovascular health, emphasizing the positive impact of fruits, vegetables, and plant-based alternatives. These findings suggest that both flexitarian and vegan diets, particularly those minimizing processed meat and maximizing plant-based options, may offer considerable advantages for maintaining a healthy heart.

Key Points

Background:

• Plant-based diets like vegan and flexitarian are gaining popularity due to health and sustainability concerns.

• Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death worldwide, and diet plays a major role in its development.

• Omnivore diets rich in meat, especially processed meat, have been linked to higher CVD risk factors.

• Vegans have shown improved cardiovascular health, but studies on flexitarians are limited.

Study Objective:

• Compare the CVD risk factors of flexitarians (low meat intake), vegans (no animal products), and omnivores (high meat intake) in young-middle-aged Germans.

Methods:

• 94 participants (32 flexitarians, 33 vegans, and 29 omnivores) aged 25–45 years were included.

• CVD risk factors like blood sugar, cholesterol, blood pressure, body composition, and arterial stiffness were measured.

• Dietary intake and physical activity were also assessed.

Results:

• Flexitarians and vegans had better levels of insulin, triglycerides, cholesterol, and body composition compared to omnivores.

• Flexitarians even had the most favorable scores for metabolic syndrome and arterial stiffness, even better than vegans.

• Flexitarians and vegans reported higher intakes of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and plant-based milk alternatives.

Conclusion:

• This study suggests that a flexitarian diet may be beneficial for cardiovascular health, similar to a vegan diet.

• Reducing meat and processed meat intake, even without complete elimination, can offer advantages in managing CVD risk factors.

Understanding Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide. Research has consistently highlighted the crucial role of dietary choices in influencing CVD risk. In particular, the consumption of meat and processed meat products has been associated with an unfavorable CVD risk profile. Therefore, understanding the impact of different dietary patterns on cardiovascular health is essential for developing effective prevention and management strategies.

Exploring Plant-Based Dietary Patterns

Recent studies have emphasized the cardiovascular health benefits associated with vegetarian and vegan diets. However, data on flexitarianism, a dietary pattern characterized by reduced meat consumption in favor of plant-based foods, remains insufficient. To address this gap, a comprehensive study was conducted focusing on the cardiovascular health of flexitarians, vegetarians, and omnivores within a healthy adult German cohort.

Study Design and Methodology

The study included a well-defined cohort of flexitarians, vegetarians, and omnivores, with comprehensive dietary assessments and measurements of various cardiovascular risk factors. Notably, the study differentiated between processed foods and plant-based alternative products, providing valuable insights into the impact of different dietary components on cardiovascular health. This was a cross-sectional study conducted in Germany at the Institute of Food Science and Human Nutrition.

Participants (ages 25–45) were categorized as:

• Flexitarians (FXs): ≤50g/day meat and processed meat

• Vegans (Vs): No animal products

• Omnivores (OMNs): ≥170g/day of meat and processed meat

Eligibility was determined through:

• Online questionnaire

• Face-to-face interview

• Both BMI and waist circumference used for MetS score calculation

Inclusion criteria:

• Narrow age range (25–45)

• Both genders

• BMI 20–28 kg/m2

• Non-smokers

Exclusion criteria:

• Acute infections, metabolic/malignant diseases

• Gastrointestinal disorders, pregnancy/lactation

• Endocrine/immunological diseases, food intolerances

• Drug/alcohol dependence
  

Key Findings and Implications

Blood Lipid Profile

Both flexitarians and vegetarians exhibited lower total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels compared to omnivores. This aligns with previous research highlighting the favorable effects of plant-based diets on blood lipid profiles, particularly due to higher consumption of vegetables, fruits, and legumes.

Triglyceride Levels

While omnivores initially showed higher triglyceride concentrations, the difference lost significance after adjusting for confounders. This suggests that factors beyond dietary patterns may influence triglyceride levels, emphasizing the complexity of CVD risk determinants.

Metabolic Syndrome Scores

Flexitarians and vegetarians demonstrated lower Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) scores compared to omnivores, indicating a reduced risk of MetS. Notably, flexitarians showed particularly beneficial scores, highlighting the potential cardiovascular benefits of a predominantly plant-based diet with occasional meat consumption.

Pulse Wave Velocity

Flexitarians exhibited significantly lower pulse wave velocity (PWV) values compared to omnivores, indicating better vascular health. This finding underscores the importance of dietary patterns in influencing arterial stiffness, a key predictor of cardiovascular events.

Associations with Food Group Intake and Diet Quality

Higher consumption of soft drinks, dairy products, sweets, meat, and processed meat was associated with unfavorable CVD risk factors, while lower intake of sweets and higher consumption of plant-based foods were linked to improved cardiovascular health. Additionally, both flexitarians and vegetarians demonstrated higher diet quality scores compared to omnivores, further supporting the cardiovascular benefits of plant-centric diets.

Key findings:

• All groups had CVD markers within reference ranges, but some differences were observed:

  • Blood sugar: Vegans had the lowest fasting insulin.

  • Blood lipids: Flexitarians and vegans had lower total and LDL cholesterol and triglycerides than omnivores. HDL levels were similar across groups.

  • Inflammation: No significant differences between groups.

  • Metabolic syndrome: Flexitarians had the lowest MetS scores, followed by vegans, then omnivores. All groups were at low CVD risk based on scores.

  • Vascular health: Flexitarians had lower pulse wave velocity (PWV) than vegans and omnivores, indicating better arterial stiffness.

After adjusting for factors like age, sex, and BMI:

• Differences in cholesterol levels, MetS scores, and PWV remained significant.

• Differences in triglycerides and insulin lost significance.

Associations between diet and CVD risk factors:

• Higher intakes of dairy, sweets, and meat are linked to worse CVD profiles (higher cholesterol, LDL, MetS scores, PWV).

• A higher intake of fruits, vegetables, plant-based alternatives, and legumes is linked to a better CVD profile (lower cholesterol, LDL, MetS scores, PWV).

• HEI-Flex score (overall diet quality) is also positively associated with a better CVD profile.

Overall:

• This study suggests that flexitarian and vegan diets may offer benefits for cardiovascular health compared to an omnivorous diet.

• Reducing or eliminating meat, especially processed meat, and increasing plant-based foods may help manage CVD risk factors.

limitations of the Study

While the study provided valuable insights into the cardiovascular health implications of different dietary patterns, several limitations should be considered. The cross-sectional design limits the establishment of causality, and the relatively small sample size may affect generalizability. Additionally, dietary assessments rely on self-reported data, which may introduce bias and inaccuracies.

Conclusion and Future Directions

In conclusion, the study highlights the favorable impact of plant-based dietary patterns, particularly flexitarianism and vegetarianism, on cardiovascular health. These findings underscore the importance of promoting plant-centric diets for reducing CVD risk. However, further research with larger, well-defined populations is needed to fully elucidate the cardiovascular benefits of flexitarianism and its role in preventive cardiology.

Reference Article

Bruns, A., Greupner, T., Nebl, J. et al. Plant-based diets and cardiovascular risk factors: a comparison of flexitarians, vegans and omnivores in a cross-sectional study. BMC Nutr 10, 29 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40795-024-00839-9

Related

https://healthnewstrend.com/conquer-metabolic-syndrome-risks-diagnosis-and-lifestyle-solutions

https://healthnewstrend.com/eat-diverse-protein-lower-blood-pressure-risk-new-study-findings

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