October 30, 2023—Portfolio Diet—A plant-based diet designed to lower unhealthy cholesterol that includes plant proteins (legumes), phytosterols (nuts and seeds), and viscous fiber (oats, barley, and berries). , apples), and emphasize a plant-based diet. Monounsaturated fatty acids (avocados) may lower your risk of heart disease and stroke, according to a new study co-authored by researchers at Harvard University’s TH Chan School of Public Health.
The study was published in the October 25 issue of Circulation.
Previous studies have indicated that the Portfolio Diet may lower unhealthy cholesterol, but no studies have been conducted on the long-term effects of the diet, particularly on the risk of heart disease. did. Additionally, the Portfolio Diet is relatively unknown compared to the DASH and Mediterranean diets, said Andrea Glenn, a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Nutrition and one of the study authors. Although the three are similar, Portfolio’s diet focuses on plant-based foods and eliminates meat.
To fill these gaps, researchers examined dietary data from 210,240 adults enrolled in longitudinal health studies from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s. The participants (none of whom had heart disease at the start of the study) completed dietary questionnaires every four years to record a variety of health conditions. The researchers scored each participant’s diet based on their adherence to the portfolio diet and compared the scores to health outcomes after 30 years of follow-up. The researchers found that participants with higher scores indicated greater adherence to the portfolio diet and had a 14% lower risk of heart disease and stroke compared to participants with lower scores.
In an Oct. 25 article about the study, Glenn told the American Heart Association that he hopes the Portfolio Diet will soon receive more attention.
“This is not an all-or-nothing approach. If you take your own diet and make some small changes, you can see the cardiovascular benefits,” Glenn said. “Also, while you don’t have to follow a strict vegan or vegetarian diet to reap the benefits, the more foods you eat (from your portfolio diet), the more you’ll be able to protect yourself from heart disease risk,” according to a recent report. As seen in “Study.” we need to spread the word. ”
Harvard Chan’s other co-authors include Joan Manson and Eric Lim, professors in the Department of Epidemiology and members of the Department of Nutrition. Vasanthi Malik, Adjunct Assistant Professor. Professor Walter Willett. Qi Sun, Associate Professor. and Professor and Department Chair Frank Fu.
Read the study: Portfolio dietary scores and cardiovascular disease risk: Results from three prospective cohort studies
Read the American Heart Association article: Have you heard of the Portfolio Diet? It may lower your risk of heart disease and stroke
