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The vegetarian diet often triggers very heated (sometimes vicious) discussions.<\/p>\nThe vegetarian diet often triggers very heated (sometimes vicious) discussions.<\/p>\n
Some people rave about it (and are maybe even a little judgmental sometimes). Others say it\u2019s nothing but a fad and they could never follow such a diet.<\/p>\n
So, a new study published in the Journal Circulation<\/em> put the vegetarian diet in a race with a popular non-vegetarian diet to see which one was indeed heart healthier.<\/p>\n And the results will probably surprise you.<\/p>\n The research team compared the Mediterranean diet, which includes a lot of fish and only moderate amounts of meat, eggs and dairy, with a lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet, which includes eggs and dairy but excludes meat and fish.<\/p>\n They recruited 107 overweight but otherwise healthy people between the ages 18 and 75.<\/p>\n They were split into two groups: one group eating a low-calorie vegetarian diet and the other a low-calorie Mediterranean diet for three months. After the three months, the groups switched diets.<\/p>\n The researchers could then compare each participant’s medical information between their normal diet, the Mediterranean diet, and the vegetarian diet.<\/p>\n Regardless of which diet they were on, the participants lost around 1.80 kilograms (more than three pounds) of both body weight and body fat.<\/p>\n The vegetarian diet was better at reducing LDL cholesterol, while the Mediterranean diet was better at reducing triglycerides.<\/p>\n Since both of these put us at risk of clogged arteries, heart attack, and stroke, both these diets are useful in this regard.<\/p>\n There was no difference in the markers of oxidative stress and inflammation between the two diets.<\/p>\n The researchers explained the effect with reference to the similarities between the two diets.<\/p>\n Both diets include a lot of fruit, vegetables, legumes, and nuts, and they both limit meat and dairy and especially empty calories in the form of refined carbohydrates.<\/p>\n But if you want to completely clear out cholesterol plaque from your arteries, you must cut out this ONE ingredient (that has nothing to do with vegetarianism)\u2026<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n