According to new research, drinking more wine and coffee and enjoying some leafy greens may be healthy for your heart, particularly if you also cut down on processed foods.
In order to determine how such diets impact our heart disease and stroke risks, studies led by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health analyzed up to 30 years of nutritional evidence from 210,145 Americans. They discovered that a diet rich in pro-inflammatory ingredients, such as processed meat and processed carbs, could raise the risk of heart disease by 46% and stroke by 28% for a human.
In comparison, the study showed that there was a reduced chance of contracting heart disease in people who consume a lot of anti-inflammatory foods. In particular, foods such as leafy greens, orange and yellow vegetables such as carrots and peppers, whole grains, coffee, tea, and red wine are all rich in antioxidants and vitamins that have significant health benefits, research indicates.
"Our study is among the first to link a food-based dietary inflammatory index with long-term risk of cardiovascular disease," Dr. Jun Li, lead author of the study and a nutrition researcher at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said in a press release.
According to a report published in the November 10 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, pro-inflammatory foods that improve stress chemicals in the body are associated with higher rates of heart attacks. They found that people who consumed more red meat, processed meat, refined grains, and sugary beverages like soda were more likely to have heart problems or have heart disease during the study despite controlling lifestyle factors.
Consuming more unprocessed, plant-based foods, on the other hand, may help minimize inflammation, study shows. In people who turn to a plant-based diet, tests have demonstrated decreased levels of inflammation.
There is also evidence that in plant foods, certain compounds and nutrients help decrease inflammation. In fact, plant nutrients called polyphenols seem to help manage the immune system (and reduce the reaction of the body to stress) and help reduce the risk of disease.
But some of the advantages can come from cutting back on unhealthy processed foods, too. To properly understand how this works, further analysis is needed. According to a related editorial, these findings are consistent with previous evidence that plant-based diets are safe against heart disease.
Diets that are rich in these foods are regularly ranked as the world's healthiest. Both include the Mediterranean diet, which gives preference to red meat and processed foods to healthier fats and fresh produce, and the Blue Zones diet, modeled on areas across the globe where people lead the longest, healthiest lives.
