Is Consuming More Vegetables the Secret to Longevity?

Key Takeaways:

• Increasing intake of plant-based proteins could be key to longevity, reducing risks of diabetes, heart disease, and stroke, as per recent research.
• A study reviewing 32 different studies found that high protein intake, particularly from plant sources, was associated with a decreased risk of death from any cause, including heart disease.
• An increase in daily energy from plant proteins by an additional 3% could lower the risk of death from any cause by 5%.
• The beneficial impact of plant proteins may be due to their potential to lower blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood glucose levels.
• While further research is required, these findings advocate for incorporation of more plant-based proteins into everyday diets.

Are you curious about the key to longevity? It may very well lie in favoring beans over beef as your protein source, according to recent research.

“Furthermore, these discoveries could have a notable impact on public health, since adding more plant-based protein to your diet is a fairly simple switch from animal proteins, and it could significantly improve life expectancy,” announce the scientists working on the study.

Why Plant Proteins?

The consumption of substantial amounts of protein from plant-based sources, such as legumes (include peas, beans, and lentils), whole grains, and nuts, has been associated with reduced risks of diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. This is in sharp contrast to diets that are high in animal proteins, which are often linked to numerous health concerns.

However, there has been some dispute over the relationship between varying types of protein and the likelihood of premature death. This led a team of researchers to examine 32 studies that explored the risk of death triggered by heart disease, cancer, and other causes in adults over the age of 19.

What the Studies Show?

Following up to 32 years, over 113,000 deaths were documented among more than 715,000 participants in the studies. Interestingly, a high intake of protein in general was associated with a lower risk of death due to any cause.

The data showed that plant protein consumption was linked to an 8% decreased risk of death from any cause, and a 12% decrease in the risk of dying from heart disease. The consumption of animal protein, on the other hand, bore no significant association with the risk of death from heart disease or cancer.

Extrapolating data from 31 of the studies, researchers showed that increasing daily energy from plant proteins by an additional 3% could lower the risk of dying from any cause by 5%. These findings were published in the BMJ on July 22.

The Proposing Theory

According to Ahmad Esmaillzadeh, a professor of nutrition at Tehran University of Medical Sciences in Iran, and his colleagues, the beneficial impact of plant proteins might lie in lowering blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood glucose levels. This, in turn, could help curb conditions like heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

As always, further research is required, but these study findings “strongly advocate incorporating more plant-based proteins into the daily diet of the public,” the researchers remarked in a public journal statement.

More Info

The U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute provides resources for healthy eating advice.