Heart disease, hypertension of high blood pressure, diabetes, and osteoporosis are four chronic diseases associated with aging.
In all cases, a predominantly plant-based diet can reduce the risk of chronic disease associated with aging such as osteoporosis, diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease.
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Moving toward a predominantly or totally plant-based diet will
reduce the risk of many chronic health problems, four of the most important are: 1. Heart Disease People who eat a plant-based diet rather than an animal-based diet have much lower cholesterol levels. Plant-based meals are typically low in saturated fat and usually contain little or no cholesterol. Plant protein may also be an important advantage in reducing cholesterol. Studies have shown that replacing animal protein with plant protein lowers blood cholesterol levels--even if the amount and type of fat in the diet stays the same. 2. Hypertension Many scientific studies, dating back to the early 1900s show that people who eat an animal-based diet have higher blood pressure than people who eat a plant-based diet. In fact, when patients with high blood pressure begin to eat a plant-based diet, many are able to eliminate their need for medication. Kenneth Cooper, M.D., in his book Advanced Nutritional Therapies, writes for those with high blood pressure, "Weight your diet heavily in favor of vegetables. Vegetarians tend to have lower blood pressure than nonvegetarians." 3. Diabetes A diet high in complex carbohydrates (only found in plant foods) and low in fat is the best diet for diabetics. In addition to avoiding fat and cholesterol (diabetics are at high risk for heart disease), plant-based diets can help to reduce insulin needs. |
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