The vegetarian diet, vegetarian and veganis associated with a better state of health, which is associated with cardiovascular health and cancer risk, according to a review of published work from the past two decades, presented in the open access journal PLOS ONE.

Researchers reviewed 48 papers published between 2000 and 2023 and analyzed data on the link between a plant-based diet, cardiovascular health and cancer risk.

The analysis showed that overall vegetarian and vegan diets have a strong statistical association with better health status in several risk factors related to cardiometabolic diseases, cancer and mortality, such as arterial pressureits management sugar in blood and body mass index.

This type of diet is associated with a reduced risk of ischemic heart disease, gastrointestinal cancer, prostate cancer and death from cardiovascular disease.

However, the pregnant on a vegetarian diet experienced no difference in the risk of gestational diabetes and hypertension compared to those who did not follow a plant-based diet.

Overall the findings suggest that vegetarian diets are associated with significant health benefits. However, the researchers note that the statistical power of this association is significantly limited by differences between the studies in terms of the specific dietary regimens followed, the demographics of the participants, the length of each study, and other factors. In addition, some vegetarian diets may be associated with vitamin and mineral deficiencies for some people. Thus, the researchers warn against of the recommendations wide scale for a vegetarian diet until more research is completed.