Summary
This systematic review and meta-analysis of 13 prospective cohort studies, encompassing 844,175 participants, found that vegetarian diets were associated with a 15% reduction in cardiovascular disease risk and a 21% reduction in ischaemic heart disease risk compared with nonvegetarian diets. However, no significant association was observed between vegetarian diets and stroke risk. The authors concluded that vegetarian diets merit consideration in dietary guidelines for CVD and IHD prevention, though evidence for stroke prevention remains inconclusive.
UK applicability
These findings are directly applicable to UK dietary guidance and public health policy, as they provide synthesised evidence from prospective cohort studies that could inform national nutritional recommendations for cardiovascular disease prevention. UK dietary guidelines and health services may consider these results when advising on plant-based dietary patterns, though the moderate-to-serious risk of bias in included studies warrants cautious interpretation.
Key measures
Summary relative risk (RR) estimates with 95% confidence intervals; risk of bias assessed using ROBINS-I; strength of evidence assessed using World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) criteria
Outcomes reported
The study assessed the association between vegetarian and vegan diets and the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), ischaemic heart disease (IHD), and stroke using prospective cohort data from 13 studies involving 844,175 participants. Summary relative risk estimates were calculated comparing vegetarians and vegans to nonvegetarians across three cardiovascular outcomes.
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