Mar 05, 2015 03:38 PM EST By Staff Reporter, UniversityHerald Reporter

A diet that emphasizes a higher proportion of plant-based foods compared to animal-based foods may help lower the risk of dying from heart disease and stroke, according to a recent study.

Researchers found that People who ate the most pro-vegetarian style diets (<70 percent of food coming from plant sources) had a 20 percent lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, compared to those who were the least pro-vegetarian (<45 percent).

"A pro-vegetarian diet doesn't make absolute recommendations about specific nutrients. It focuses on increasing the proportion of plant based foods relative to animal-based foods, which results in an improved nutritionally balance diet," Camille Lassale, lead author and an epidemiologist at Imperial College London's School of Public Health, said in a statement.

For the study, researchers collected and analyzed data from European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study. They study included nearly half a million people from 10 countries who were free of chronic diseases at the start of the study, between the ages of 35 and 70 years old. They were followed for 12 years on average.

Researchers scored participants based on the types of foods they ate. Points were given for eating foods from seven plant food groups: vegetables, fruit, beans, cereals, potatoes, nuts, and olive oil. Points were subtracted for five animal food groups: meats, animal fats, eggs, fish, and other seafood or dairy products.

Based on their scores, participants were categorized from the least pro-vegetarian to the most.

Researchers analyzed the relationship between eating habits and death risks from heart disease and stroke.

"Instead of drastic avoidance of animal-based foods, substituting some of the meat in your diet with plant-based sources may be a very simple, useful way to lower cardiovascular mortality," Lassale said.

The American Heart Association recommends following a heart-healthy diet, which could also be described as a pro-vegetarian diet.

These findings, which presented at the American Heart Association EPI/Lifestyle 2015 meeting, are in line with the wealth of evidence on benefits of eating plant foods to prevent heart disease.

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