Vegan Diets Benefit Heart Health

A vegan diet demonstrates the ability to prevent and treat heart failure, according to a case study and short literature review in the Journal of Geriatric Cardiology. In a new special issue of the journal entitled “A Plant-Based Diet and Cardiovascular Disease,” researchers describe a case study where a 79-year-old man with heart disease refused the commonly recommended bypass and valve replacement surgery and opted to adopt a whole-foods, plant-based diet instead. After two months, his heart failure symptoms had improved; his weight fell into a healthy range; his total cholesterol, LDL, and triglycerides fell from 201 to 137 mg/dL, 105 to 67 mg/dL, and 112 to 96 mg/dL, respectively. The authors further explore the body of evidence showing such diets are beneficial for heart disease patients.