Any form of healthy eating can lower risk of heart disease, study says

Any form of healthy eating over several decades can lower the risk of heart disease by up to a fifth, according to a new study. 

Using data gathered over the course of more than 30 years, US researchers found it is not necessary to conform to a single diet to achieve healthy eating.

Study participants who had adhered to any of four different dietary plans had up to a 21 per cent lower risk of cardiovascular disease than those who hadn’t. 

The study of around 200,000 people showed that following a range of healthy eating patterns may lower your risk of heart disease. 

These include plant-based diets that include vegetarian substitutes for popular meat products, and the ‘Mediterranean diet’, which is rich in vegetables, fish and olive oil. 

Researchers highlight the importance of a varied diet plan to prevent cardiovascular disease, which they say is the primary cause of death both in the US and worldwide. 

‘There is no one-size-fits-all diet that is best for everyone,’ said corresponding author Frank Hu, chair of the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston. 

‘One can combine foods in a variety of flexible ways to achieve healthy eating patterns according to individuals’ health needs, food preferences and cultural traditions.’  

Few studies have examined how adhering to recommended healthy eating patterns influence long-term risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), a term that covers multiple conditions affecting the heart or blood vessels.