Eating more plant-based fat may help your heart
Research we're watching
- Reviewed by Christopher P. Cannon, MD, Editor in Chief, Harvard Heart Letter; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing
In a study that spanned more than two decades, people whose diets favored plant-based fat lived longer than those who ate more animal-based fat. The same distinction appeared specifically for deaths from heart disease.
Researchers analyzed data from more than 400,000 adults over a 24-year period. People who ate the most plant-based fat — especially from grains and vegetable oils — had 14% lower odds of dying of heart disease in that time compared to people who consumed the least plant-based fat.
In contrast, people who ate the most animal-based fat — including fat from dairy products and eggs — were 14% more likely to die from cardiovascular causes than those who took in the least animal fat. Replacing just 5% of calories from animal fats with plant fats could reduce heart-related deaths by as much as 30%, according to the study authors. Their findings were published online Aug. 12, 2024, by JAMA Internal Medicine.
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About the Author
Julie Corliss, Executive Editor, Harvard Heart Letter
About the Reviewer
Christopher P. Cannon, MD, Editor in Chief, Harvard Heart Letter; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing
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