Since 2008, Dr. Hitesh Patel has served as a cardiologist at Cardiology Associates of Frederick in Maryland. Dr. Hitesh Patel, a committed vegetarian, encourages his patients to eat a plant-based diet to improve their heart health.
According to a study recently presented before the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions, a plant-based diet reduced the risk of heart disease in study participants by 42 percent. The study compared individuals who ate primarily plant-based foods with those whose eating habits fell into one of four other categories. These included convenience (based on red meats, pastas, and fast foods), Southern (including eggs, processed meats, fried foods, and sugary beverages), alcohol/salads (green leafy vegetables, tomatoes, salad dressing, wine, and butter), and sweets (desserts, breads, sweet breakfast cereals, chocolate, and candy).
Researchers found that participants whose eating patterns fell primarily into the plant-based category had the best chance of a reduced risk of incident heart failure. Such heart failure events included those that took place during six years of post-recruitment follow-up and were documented by health care providers. Researchers note that this study has not yet identified any kind of causal process, though the plant-based eaters stood out as the only participants who showed associations with reduced heart failure risk.
