Eating More Plants and Less Meat Lowers Blood Pressure, Study Finds

Changing to a complete vegetarian diet isn't necessary to heart health benefits, discover researchers

Researchers have found that eating more plants and less meat confers significant heart health benefits. Shutterstock

New research finds that a plant-based diet can lower blood pressure even if small amounts of meat and dairy are also consumed. The study from the University of Warwick suggests that any effort to eat more plant-based foods can benefit blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart attacks.

Researchers reviewed 41 studies involving 8,416 participants, which included the effects of seven different plant-based diets on blood pressure. These included the DASH diet, Mediterranean, Vegetarian, Vegan, Nordic, high fiber, and high fruit and vegetables. The clinical trials offered a systematic review which concluded that most of these diets were able to reduce blood pressure. Overall, the DASH diet had the most significant effect, lowering blood pressure by 5.53/3.79 mmHg compared to a control diet, and by 8.74/6.05 mmHg when compared to a “usual” diet.