Vegetable proteins from nuts and seeds reduce the risk of heart disease

How do proteins affect heart health??

People should be careful to eat enough protein. Researchers have now discovered that protein from meat is associated with a greatly increased risk of heart disease. Proteins from nuts and seeds, on the other hand, are even beneficial for the human heart.

The scientists at Loma Linda University School of Public Health in California found in their recent research that protein from meat can lead to heart disease, but protein from nuts and seeds is healthy for the human heart. The experts published the results of their study in the English-language journal "Journal of Epidemiology".

Certain proteins are healthy for the heart

When people consume a lot of protein from meat, it creates a 60 percent increased risk of cardiovascular disease. However, when people consume large amounts of protein from nuts and seeds, the risk of cardiovascular disease is reduced by 40 percent, the researchers report.

Physicians examined data from more than 81,000 subjects

The current study included data from more than 81,000 participants. Detailed sources of animal protein along with animal fat have been studied by the experts. Fats in our diet can affect heart disease, say the medics. But proteins can also have an independent impact on this risk Gary Fraser of Loma Linda University. It has long been believed that the consumption of nuts and seeds protects against cardiovascular disease, while red meat increases the risk, the researcher adds.

Not only fats increase the risk of heart disease

Nutritionists traditionally attribute the increased risk of cardiovascular disease to unhealthy fats in the meat. However, there is now evidence that proteins could be a cause of the disease. "The new evidence suggests that the overall picture probably also includes the biological effects of proteins in these foods," explains Dr. Fraser in a press release.

Study examined important food sources

The team's research was significantly different from previous studies, say the authors. While previous studies analyzed the differences between animal and plant proteins, the current study not only examined these two categories, but also looked at proteins from meat and proteins from nuts and seeds along with other important food sources. "This research suggests that there is more heterogeneity than just the binary categorization of plant protein or animal protein," explains study author Dr. Fraser.

Further research is needed

The results of the study leave some questions open for further investigation. For example, it is interesting how the specific amino acids in proteins contribute from meat to cardiovascular diseases. There is also a need to further investigate whether proteins from certain sources affect cardiac risk factors such as blood lipids, blood pressure and obesity associated with cardiovascular disease. (As)