Cut heart risk by 32%, "Vegetarians"

Cut heart risk by 32%, "Vegetarians"

A study of 44,500 people in England and Scotland showed vegetarians were 32% less likely to die or require hospitalization for heart disease.

Differences in cholesterol levels in blood pressure, body weight and health are thought pulse again.

The findings are published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Heart disease is a greater scourge in the West. Kill 94,000 people in the UK each year - more than any other disease, and 2.6 million people living with the disease.

The blood supply of the heart itself is blocked by fatty deposits in the arteries that feed the heart muscle. It can cause angina or even lead to a heart attack when the arteries become completely blocked.

Researchers at the University of Oxford analyzed data of 15,100 and 29,400 vegetarians who ate meat and fish.

For 11 years, 169 people died in the study of heart disease and 1,066 required hospitalization - and were more likely to have been the meat and fish eating vegetarians.

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Choice of vegetarian options on the menu is a shortcut to a healthy heart '

Tracy Parker British Heart Foundation

Dr Francesca Crowe said: "The key message is that diet is an important factor in heart health, I am not advocating that everyone eat a vegetarian diet.

"Most diets are completely different. Vegetarians probably have a lower intake of saturated fat so you know there is a lower risk of heart disease."

The results showed that vegetarians had lower blood pressure, lower levels of "bad" cholesterol and were more likely to have a healthy weight.

Tracy Parker, of the British Heart Foundation, said: "This research reminds us that we should try to eat a balanced and varied diet - this includes meat or not.

"But remember, to choose the vegetarian option on the menu is a shortcut to a healthy heart. After all, there is still plenty of food suitable for vegetarians that are high in saturated fat and salt.

"If you are thinking of switching to a vegetarian diet, be sure to plan your meals carefully to replace the loss of vitamins and minerals, such as iron, which normally get from meat."