This type of diet could help you avoid strokes, heart attacks, study says

There are tons of diets that aim to improve your health, but one may help you avoid strokes and heart attacks, according to a new report.

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Researchers from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health recently conducted a study, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, to determine the benefits of plant-based diets.

To do so, they examined the eating patterns of 10,000 middle-aged U.S. adults who were monitored from 1987 through 2016. They then categorized the participants into two groups: plant-based food eaters and animal-based food eaters.

After analyzing the results, they found those who ate more plant-based foods had a 16% lower chance of having hearts attacks or strokes, compared to who ate more animal-based foods.

The group of plant-based eaters also had a 32% lower risk of dying from a cardiovascular disease and a 25% reduced chance of dying from any cause.

"While you don't have to give up foods derived from animals completely, our study does suggest that eating a larger proportion of plant-based foods and a smaller proportion of animal-based foods may help reduce your risk of having a heart attack, stroke or other type of cardiovascular disease," lead researcher, Casey Rebholz, said in a statement.

Other studies have assessed the impact of plant-based diets on specific populations like vegetarians. However, the scientists noted theirs is one of the first to explore plant- and animal-based diets among the general population.

They now hope to investigate whether the quality of plant foods can affect cardiovascular disease and death risks.

Want to learn more? Take a look at the findings here.

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