New Study: Vegan Heart Disease Risk
You may have seen the recent headlines that vegans may have an increased risk of heart disease:
Vegan diet may present heart disease risk
It starts off saying, “Strict vegetarians, known as vegans, may be at an increased risk of developing conditions that can lead to heart attacks and strokes, according to a new study.”
The “study” referred to is this paper:
Li D. Chemistry behind Vegetarianism. J Agric Food Chem. 2011 Feb 9;59(3):777-84.
It is not actually a study, but a review paper citing studies that are already well known. There’s basically nothing new here other than to say that vegetarians need to make sure they get enough B12 and omega-3.
The paper ends by saying, “All of the above issues may be associated with an increased thrombotic and atherosclerotic risk in vegetarians, especially vegans. However, meat eaters have a cluster of thrombotic and atherosclerotic risk factors higher [emphasis added] than those of both ovo-lacto-vegetarians and vegans.”
Ginny Messina has written a more in-depth article about the paper:
February 12th, 2011 at 11:38 am
It is a bit old now, but here is an exceptionally clear video from Dr. Michael Greger MD explaining how vegans might get heart disease from ignoring b-12, omega 3/omega 6 imbalances and ignoring folate intake.
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=C38A847824726B0B
February 14th, 2011 at 7:41 am
Once upon a time, vegetarian & vegan equaled healthy. Now, with the popularity growing, it is very, very easy to have an unhealthy, almost S.A.D. form of vegetarianism. Recently, my “diet” consisted of processed vegan foods & little plant foods. I gained weight, started having pain & my skin screamed “unhealthy!”.
Now, I have choose to identify myself as following a plant-based lifestyle rather than vegan. Here’s why:
1. Plant-based is inclusive, rather than exclusive (words are power!)
1. It reminds me to eat fruits & vegetables!
2. It is a friendlier & more clear way to communicate my dietary choices to people
3. It encourages others to join me
Oh, and as for heart disease risk…my lipid panel is better now than it was when I was in my teens. And, my hubby is off all diabetic meds, has lost 50 pounds & has brought his lipids to a normal range. His endocrinologist is thinking about dismissing him as a patient because he’s doing so well!
February 14th, 2011 at 6:12 pm
[…] 1. Know your nutrition. Not from propaganda that seeks to glorify a certain diet, but from legitimate sources whose main goal is an honest and thorough evaluation. (Here’s another recent reason to get honest and thorough info: http://jacknorrisrd.com/?p=1707) […]
November 10th, 2011 at 8:49 pm
I am not an expert on vegan nutrition by any means, however, I feel that my recent “conversion” has been very beneficial to me. I think that being conscious of meeting my nutritional requirements as a vegan has made me more aware of label reading, and making an effort to eat in the most healthy manner possible. As a result I am less tired, more focussed, and have an overall feeling of well-being.The fact that I contribute to the quality of life of animals and promote a cruelty-free lifestyle is a huge psychological boost as well. It’s a win-win all around. 🙂
January 25th, 2014 at 9:31 pm
I am not sure being a less strict vegetarian equals less heart disease, indians in particular are often vegetarian however they have risks of heart disease and diabetes, it could be in part due to dairy (they usually don’t eat eggs).
Of course being vegan can tempt a person do eat a lot of sugary foods.