Vegetarian Nutrition and Wellness

Winston J. Craig, Winston J. Craig

• Publisher: CRC Press
• Year: 2018
• ISBN:
  9781351971782
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Medicine
• Subtopic: Nutrition, Dietics & Bariatrics

A large amount of research effort goes into assessing the health benefits of a plant-based diet, resulting from human desire to consume a more sustainable diet that is less destructive of the earth's natural resources. In addition, a growing number of people are choosing the vegan or total vegetarian diet because of the potential to greatly reduce the risk of chronic diseases and mortality rates. Although this interest in plant-based eating is popular, there exist concerns on the safety of some vegetarian diets, especially a vegan diet. This book describes issues of the vegetarian diet and outlines ways to prevent nutrient deficiencies.

Vegetarian Nutrition and Wellness focuses on synthesizing research around vegetarian diets and human health. A major section of the book deals with how a vegetarian diet protects population groups from the major chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, obesity, and various cancers. Based upon ecological and clinical studies, chapter authors explain the health-promoting properties of plant-based diets, and compare/contrast health outcomes obtained from consuming omnivorous diets with a vegetarian or vegan diet. Fruits and vegetables figure prominently in vegetarian diets and provide a substantial effect in disease reduction and health-promoting properties of a plant-based diet.

Vegetarian Nutrition and Wellness is written for the academic community, registered dietitians, health professionals, and graduate students in nutrition and public health. Each chapter provides a comprehensive review of the scientific literature and includes a concise summary at the beginning of each chapter. The time is ripe for this book to update the scientific community with a collage of well-documented topics on vegetarian nutrition.

Section IIPrevention of Chronic Diseases

4Vegetarian Diet and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease

Ella H. Haddad

Summary

4.1Introduction

4.2Cardiovascular Disease Risk in Vegetarians

4.2.1Prospective Cohort Studies in Vegetarians

4.2.2Clinical Trials in Vegetarians

4.2.3Reversing the Atherosclerotic Process with Vegetarian Diets

4.3Vegetarian Diets and Atherosclerotic Risk Factors

4.3.1Dyslipidemia

4.3.2Central Adiposity

4.3.3Type 2 Diabetes

4.3.4Hypertension

4.3.5Endothelial Dysfunction

4.3.6Inflammation

4.3.7Oxidative Stress and LDL Oxidation

4.4Potential Problems with Eating Animal Source Foods

4.5Conclusion

References

Summary

Evidence for the protective effect of vegetarian dietary patterns in the prevention and management of cardiovascular conditions is derived from multiple lines of research, including observational studies, prospective cohorts, and clinical trials. These benefits do not simply stem from foods avoided by vegetarians but more importantly from foods consumed by vegetarians. A heart-healthy vegetarian diet must include a variety of whole-grain cereals, legumes, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds; limit refined products and added sugars; and avoid solid fats. This review addresses the potential benefits of plant foods on cardiovascular risk factors.

4.1Introduction

Ever since the early 1950s, when Hardinge and Stare (1954) reported low blood cholesterol concentrations in individuals adhering to vegetarian diets, research on the cardiovascular benefits of vegetarian dietary practices has continued to generate relevant findings. The label vegetarian encompasses a heterogeneous group of dietary habits that range from eschewing all animal-derived foods (vegan) to including dairy and/or egg (lacto-ovo vegetarian) and fish (pesco-vegetarian) in the diet. In general, vegetarians avoid much of the dietary saturated fat found in animal foods and consume considerably higher quantities of cereal grains, legumes, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds.

According to recent figures (Sacks et al., 2017), cardiovascular diseases are the leading global cause of death, accounting for 17.3 million, or 31%, of total global deaths in the year 2013. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control estimates that diseases of the heart remain the primary cause of death and account for more than 610,000 deaths per year (Kochanek et al., 2016). In the past five decades, there have been age-adjusted declines in heart disease mortality, estimated at 55%–60%, but this decline has slowed (Jones and Greene, 2013) and efforts aimed at the prevention of this killer disease must continue.

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), as defined by the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology (AHA/ACA), includes coronary heart disease (CHD), heart attacks, peripheral vascular disease, and stroke. Dyslipidemia, particularly elevated blood concentrations of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), is the underlying cause of the cardiovascular changes seen in these conditions. It is well established that current diets high in saturated fats are prime promoters of lipid abnormalities that lead to vascular changes and atherosclerosis (Mozaffarian et al., 2016). Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory progressive disease that promotes narrowing of arteries due to th...