Vegetarianism and Cardiovascular Health

Abstract

The impact of dietary choices on cardiovascular health has garnered significant attention, and vegetarianism has emerged as a dietary pattern of particular interest in this research field. A recent body of research suggests that adopting a vegetarian diet may potentially reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases, however, this relationship still needs to be clarified. The present study aimed to identify the differences in 10-year cardiovascular risk (CVR) and its associated factors between Vegetarians (VG) and Omnivores (OM). This cross-sectional design analysis involved 110 participants (both sexes, mean age of 49 yo) including 55 OM and 55 VG. Metabolic markers were measured from capillary blood sampling (LINX DUO, Menarini), and 10-year CVR was calculated through SCORE2. No statistically significant differences between the two dietary patterns analyzed were found for 10-year CVR. However, a slight tendency towards a higher CVR in OM was observed (OM: 3.16% versus VG: 2.60%; t = 0.970; p = 0.334). The OM population also showed statistically higher values of total cholesterol (OM: 199.00 mg/dL versus VG: 172.00 mg/dL), c-LDL (OM: 117.87 mg/dL versus VG: 99.85 mg/dL), and non-HDL cholesterol (OM: 138.00 mg/dL versus VG: 116.00 mg/dL), compared to VG. These factors are all related to the increased risk of developing cardiovascular events (both fatal and non-fatal) at 10 years. The consumption of sweets, sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB), and fast food proved to be a risk factor for a high-risk SCORE2 for cardiovascular events at 10 years in 1.6%, 2.6%, and 2.1%, respectively. On the other hand, the consumption of vegetables (1%) and fruit (0.3%), as well as high adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) in OM (41%) and a high quality diet in VG (13.9%) proved to be protective factors against a high-risk SCORE2 for cardiovascular events at 10 years. In conclusion, this study revealed intriguing insights into the complex relationship between dietary patterns, metabolic markers, and 10-year CVR. These results suggest that 10-year CVR is influenced by the quality of the diet (as no differences were observed for lifestyle variables such as smoking status and physical activity), and not by the dietary pattern alone. It is important to note that the intake of sweets, SSB, fast food, and an unhealthy diet appear to increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases rather than the dietary pattern followed (Mediterranean or Vegetarian). These findings underscore the significance of individual dietary components in shaping long-term cardiovascular health and emphasize the need for further research to refine dietary recommendations and enhance cardiovascular outcomes. This research was funded by national funds through FCT - Foundation for Science and Technology, I.P. (Portugal), under the [UIDB/04567/2020] and [UIDP/ 04567/2020] projects, and by COFAC/ILIND—Cooperativa De Formação e Animação Cultural CRL/Instituto Lusófono de Investigação e Desenvolvimento (grant COFAC/ILIND/CBIOS/2/2021). R.M. is funded by the FCT - Foundation for Science and Technology, I.P. (Portugal) Scientific Employment Stimulus contract [reference number CEEC/04567/CBIOS/2020]. C.F-P. is funded by the FCT - Foundation for Science and Technology, I.P. (Portugal) Scientific Employment Stimulus contract [reference number CEEC/CBIOS/NUT/2018]. This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2024 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.