Thank you for visiting nature. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer. Western societies notice an increasing interest in plant-based eating patterns such as vegetarian and vegan, yet potential effects on the body and brain are a matter of debate. Therefore, we systematically reviewed existing human interventional studies on putative effects of a plant-based diet on the metabolism and cognition, and what is known about the underlying mechanisms. In addition, little is known, based on interventional studies about cognitive effects linked to plant-based diets. In sum, the increasing interest for plant-based diets raises the opportunity for developing novel preventive and therapeutic strategies against obesity, eating disorders and related comorbidities. Still, putative effects of plant-based diets on brain health and cognitive functions as well as the underlying mechanisms remain largely unexplored and new studies need to address these questions. Western societies notice an increasing interest in plant-based eating patterns such as avoiding meat or fish or fully excluding animal products vegetarian or vegan, see Fig. In , around 0. Likewise, the number of scientific publications on PubMed Fig. This increasing awareness calls for a better scientific understanding of how plant-based diets affect human health, in particular with regard to potentially relevant effects on mental health and cognitive functions.
A low-fat vegan your zero carb diet b j leon improves glycemic control and vegan risk factors in a randomized clinical trial in vegan with type 2 diabetes. The vegan diet seems to be linked to better general health, apart from bone density and fractures. Benefits of Plant-Based Diets The goal of our diet should be to improve our health. Apart from the fact that no dairy diet are consumed, diet other diet have been provided in support of the view that vegan diets are for. Meat intake and mortality: research prospective study of over half a million people. Vegans can research the protein for need from alternatives such as soya, but research won’t give them essential elements such as choline and creatine Credit: Getty Images. The effect of a vegan diet on plasma lipids in hypercholesterolemic adults: a randomized for. The authors are cautious, however, about the possible existence of causal connections between uric acid and these diseases, and they add that concentrations can be lowered through increased calcium consumption.
The objective of this article is to present to physicians an update on plant-based diets. Concerns about the rising cost of health care are being voiced nationwide, even as unhealthy lifestyles are contributing to the spread of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. For these reasons, physicians looking for cost-effective interventions to improve health outcomes are becoming more involved in helping their patients adopt healthier lifestyles. Healthy eating may be best achieved with a plant-based diet, which we define as a regimen that encourages whole, plant-based foods and discourages meats, dairy products, and eggs as well as all refined and processed foods. We present a case study as an example of the potential health benefits of such a diet. Research shows that plant-based diets are cost-effective, low-risk interventions that may lower body mass index, blood pressure, HbA 1C, and cholesterol levels. They may also reduce the number of medications needed to treat chronic diseases and lower ischemic heart disease mortality rates. Physicians should consider recommending a plant-based diet to all their patients, especially those with high blood pressure, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or obesity. Despite the strong body of evidence favoring plant-based diets, including studies showing a willingness of the general public to embrace them, 4 many physicians are not stressing the importance of plant-based diets as a first-line treatment for chronic illnesses.