16 Fish-Free for Life: Why Plant Omega-3s are Better for You and the Environment
veggie diets...
The conclusion of the study was that
vegetable oils rich in ALA could provide
important protection against heart disease.
The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute
THE RIGHT PRESCRIPTION
Family Heart Study showed that men eating
the most ALA had a 40 per cent lower risk and
women, a whopping 50-70 per cent reduction.
Changing your diet can change – and Heart Trial in which he treated severe
save – your life! Meat, poultry, fish, heart disease patients by changing their
Inflammatory diseases
eggs and dairy products all contain lifestyle and nothing else. They ate a
It’s been known for years that omega-3 fats
cholesterol while a plant-based diet low-fat, wholegrain, plant-based diet
can help fight coronary heart disease, asthma,
contains little or no cholesterol so, containing lots of fruit, vegetables and
type 1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis. The
not surprisingly, vegans have lower pulses, took exercise and managed
beneficial effects have also been seen in some
cholesterol levels than vegetarians – their stress. A ‘control’ group of
cancers, inflammatory bowel disease, arthritis,
fish and meat-eaters tend to have the similar patients received conventional
osteoporosis, mental health, dry eye disease,
highest. As a result, vegetarians and treatment.
age-related macular degeneration and
vegans have a much lower risk of heart
psoriasis. Many of these conditions involve
disease than meat-eaters – and a 25 After one year, the control group
inflammation.
per cent lower risk of dying from heart experienced a 165 per cent increase in
disease! If people throughout Britain the frequency of chest pain, cholesterol Our bodies use inflammation to protect
went vegetarian, there would be some was higher and artery blockages had tissues from infection, injury or disease. It
40,000 fewer deaths from heart disease worsened. Conversely, 82 per cent of usually promotes healing but, if uncontrolled,
every year. the patients following Ornish’s lifestyle can harm. We now know that the balance
changes had improved with a 91 per of omega-6s to omega-3s is important
And it’s never too late to change. Plant- cent reduction in chest pain and reduced for regulating inflammation. As a general
based diets can not only prevent heart cholesterol levels. rule, omega-6 fats are considered pro-
disease, they can reverse the damage. inflammatory, whereas omega-3 fats are
Dr Dean Ornish, Clinical Professor of For more information on heart disease considered anti-inflammatory (GLA is the
Medicine at the University of California in see the VVF fact sheet Plant-based Diets exception as it is an omega-6 fat with anti-
San Francisco, is known for his Lifestyle and Cardiovascular Disease. inflammatory properties).
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