Plant-based diets could ameliorate the risk factors of cardiovascular diseases in adults with chronic diseases

Abstract

Adherence to plant-based diets is recommended to prevent and control chronic diseases. However, not all plant-based foods are healthy for this purpose. This study investigated the relationship between plant-based diets and risk factors for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in adults with chronic diseases. This cross-sectional study was performed on 3678 males and females (age range: 40–70 years) with chronic diseases who participated in the Kharameh cohort study. A validated semiquantitative food-frequency questionnaire was used to calculate the plant-based diet index (PDI), healthy plant-based diet index (hPDI), and unhealthy plant-based diet index (uPDI). Lipid profile, fasting blood sugar (FBS), blood pressure, and anthropometric indices were measured. Multivariable-adjusted logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the association between plant-based diets and CVDs risk factors. Higher adherence to the PDI was inversely associated with the level of FBS (odds ratio [OR] = 0.42; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.33–0.53; p