Do all plant-based diets benefit your heart? Can vegan protein powders help?
There are many known health-related benefits to a plant based diet ranging from longer lives to happier moods —(and if you don’t know, please check out our GNstudies page). But not all plant-based diets are created equal. What makes a beneficial plant-based diet and what does the research say specifically about their relation to heart health? We decided to investigate in honor of Heart Health month…
When we think of vegans and plant-based diets we might automatically assume a very healthy diet consisting of mostly vegetables and fruit with some grains and legumes on the side. But that’s not necessarily true. You could easily be an unhealthy vegan/vegetarian if your diet consisted mainly of mac and cheese, potatoes or fries, cereal, along with an occasional veggie patty and banana. Though this diet is indeed vegetarian, it is probably lacking in several essential (required) nutrients, some of which are needed for normal heart function and blood circulation (e.g. vitamin B12, potassium, magnesium and calcium). In fact, B12 is a common deficiency among plant-based diets and its deficiency is linked to increased homocysteine levels. Homocysteine is a compound produced in the body normally as a result of dietary protein metabolism, and B12 helps to “eliminate” homocysteine in the body. High homocysteine levels have been tied to increased risk for heart disease. Ultimately, any deficiency can lead to multiple negative health effects in the long-run.
Careful planning and understanding is required to ensure that you are getting all your essential nutrients from a plant-based diet. On top of providing your required nutrients, a properly planned plant-based diet can offer added health-benefit when it is heavy on fruits and especially vegetables. Fruits and vegetables are a rich source of required vitamins and minerals, but they are also a great source of fiber and phytonutrients! Phytonutrients are not required by the body, unlike vitamins and minerals—but they are unique substances which can provide protective effects against disease, including heart disease.
Here are some examples of beneficial nutrients and how they help to promote heart health:
Essential Nutrients
Sources
Role in Heart’s Health
Potassium
Beet greens, swiss chard, lima beans, sweet potato, soybeans, spinach, pinto beans, lentils
Supports the nerves needed to regulate the heart beat; works with calcium and magnesium
Calcium
Tofu, sesame seeds, collard greens, spinach, mustard greens or any dark leafy greens, broccoli, asparagus
Triggers contraction of the heart beat along with potassium and magnesium
Magnesium
Pumpkin seeds, spinach, swiss chard, black beans, quinoa, cashews, sunflower seeds
Supports the nerves needed to regulate the heart beat along with potassium and calcium
B6 & B12
B6: most meat and poultry, sweet potato, sunflower seeds, spinach, banana. B12: most seafood and meat, nutritional yeast, fortified cereal, fortified milk or milk-substitute
With folate, both b6 and b12 help to regulate levels of homocysteine in the body. Homocysteine is produced as a result of protein metabolism and too high levels can put you at risk for heart disease
Folate
Lentils, pinto beans, garbanzo beans, asparagus, spinach, black beans, broccoli, avocado, peanuts
Helps protect against high levels of homocysteine which can be a risk factor of heart disease; works with b6 and b12
Fiber
Chia seeds, brussel sprouts, legumes/beans, raspberries, oats/oatmeal, brown rice
Helps to regulate cholesterol levels and keep blood vessels from hardening or plugging up
Non-Essential Nutrients
Sources
Role in Heart’s Health
Sterols & Stanols
Wheat germ, rice bran oil, sesame oil, canola oil, peanuts, almonds, brussel sprouts, olive oil
Helps to regulate cholesterol levels. Block the absorption of animal cholesterol, thereby reducing/regulating blood levels
Isoflavones
Soybeans or soy products
Some preliminary research shows it can help to lower the “bad” cholesterol
To date, there have not been any studies looking directly at heart disease in vegans/vegetarians. However, studies on disease risk among large populations of vegans/vegetarians suggest that these dietary habits are protective against heart disease. Two studies have found that vegans have considerably lower rates of hypertension compared to non-vegans. The scientists believed part of the reason for this lower incidence of high blood pressure is linked to the subjects’ lower body mass index (BMI) –a value estimating body fatness. Then again, the lower BMI could also be linked to their eating habits. Another study found that majority of subjects with heart disease were able to reduce lesions on arteries leading to the heart when they followed a comprehensive lifestyle program including exercise, stress management and a “mostly vegan diet” (1-2 servings of low-fat dairy and egg whites allowed per day). Those participants with heart disease who did not make the lifestyle or diet changes (control group) experienced progression of their artery lesions instead. Yet another study looked at the effect of a high fat vegan diet (43% fat) versus a lower fat, lacto-ovo vegetarian diet (25% fat) on overweight individuals with high cholesterol levels. After 4 weeks, both groups had experienced weight loss and reduced levels of “bad” cholesterol but the high fat vegan group had greater reductions in cholesterol overall.
These findings to date are not surprising considering, a balanced and varied plant-based diet will typically be cholesterol-free, low fat, high fiber and contain all the needed and added nutrients for healthy heart functioning. So what about vegan proteins? Interestingly enough, preliminary research has shown that rice protein might be protective of the heart in two different ways. Scientists at Jiangxi Agricultural University in China found an anti-hypertensive effect from rice protein in hypertensive animals. This was apparently due to the presence of a unique peptide (small chain of amino acids) within the rice protein which is known to reduce high blood pressure. In two additional but separate studies, rice protein appears to have cholesterol-lowering potential in animals as well. One study showed that cholesterol absorption was significantly reduced by rice protein compared to casein (a dairy-based protein) in animals fed a cholesterol free diet. Another, demonstrated rice protein can reduce triglyceride metabolism such that it leads to improved body weight and fat storage.
To date, it appears that vegans are consistently less at risk of heart disease and that (well-planned, balanced) vegan diets might be a valuable approach for reversing risk factors of heart disease.
Veg on, everyone :)
By: Scarlett Blandon, MS, RDN.
References:
Koebnick C, et al. Long-term consumption of a raw food diet is associated with favorable serum LDL cholesterol and triglycerides but also with elevated plasma homocysteine and low serum HDL cholesterol in humans. J Nutr 2005;135:2372-8.
Crowe FL, et al. Risk of hospitalization or death from ischemic heart disease among British vegetarians and nonvegetarians: results from the EPIC-Oxford cohort study. Am J Clin Nutr 2013;97:597-603.
Orlich MJ PS, et al. Vegetarian dietary patterns and mortality in Adventist Health Study-2. JAMA Intern Med 2013.
Spencer EA, et al. Diet and body mass index in 38000 EPIC-Oxford meat-eaters, fish-eaters, vegetarians and vegans. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 2003;27:728-34.
Yang L, et al. Rice protein extracted by different methods affects cholesterol metabolism in rats due to its lower digestibility. Int J Mol Sci. 2011; 12: 7594-7608.
Yang L, et al. Rice protein improves adiposity, body weight and reduces lipid levels in rats through modification of triglyceride metabolism. Lipids Health Dis. 2012; 11: 24