Key Takeaways

Incorporating plant-based foods can have numerous health benefits. And now, a new study links a healthy plant-based diet to a 10% reduction in stroke risk compared to people who eat a lower quality diet.

“The benefits of following or adding in more plant-based foods is crystal clear for overall heart health, including stroke reduction,” Cheryl Mussatto, MS, RD, LD, clinical dietitian and the author of The Nourished Brain,tells Verywell.

Mussatto, who was not involved with the recent research, shares that the results of this study echo what she recommends to patients,

“[I tell patients] to fill their plates with predominately plant-based foods rich in nutrients such as potassium, fiber, and magnesium, which helps reduce plaque formation, blood pressure, inflammation, and formation of clots,” she says. “With less plaque buildup and reduced blood pressure along with other lifestyle changes, the lower the risk of having a stroke.”

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Additionally, following a plant-based diet is linked to a reduced risk of obesity, reduced sodium to potassium ratio, and a reduced risk of developing sleep apnea—all risk factors for stroke. The March study was published in the journalNeurology.

What This Means For You

Benefits of a Plant-Based Diet

A plant-based diet, or a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, beans, and other plants, is linked to a slew of health benefits, including a reduced risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

There is no standard definition of the term “plant-based.”

While some plant-based diet followers include a small amount of animal-derived proteins like fish, eggs, or milk, the unifying theme is that plant-based foods make up the bulk of their meals.

Researchers classified the participants into five groups based on the amounts of plant-based foods they consumed. Those at the highest end of the spectrum had 12 servings of healthy plant-based foods per day, while the lowest quality diets averaged seven and a half servings per day.

Those with the highest intake of what the researchers considered to be healthy plant-based foods—think beans, whole grains, fruits, green leafy vegetables, and vegetable oils—also had the lowest intake of refined and less-healthy food, like foods with added sugars and refined grains. They also included, on average, three servings of meat and dairy a day.

Conversely, those who ate the lowest amounts of healthful food also ate the most starchy vegetables, refined foods, and animal/dairy servings.

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Results showed that when compared to those who ate the lowest amount of healthful plant-based foods, people who ate a large amount of plant-based foods had a 10% reduced risk of having a stroke, with an 8% reduced risk for ischemic stroke, or a stroke that occurs because of a blockage in the artery.

Avoiding animal proteins and following a vegetarian or vegan diet did not appear to reduce stroke risk, according to this data.

Taking a Closer Look at the Results

“This study adds to the growing collection to define how human diet impacts cardiovascular outcomes from a neurologic standpoint, meaning stroke,” John Gassler, MD, a cardiologist and medical director of MVP Healthcare, tells Verywell.

Yet, although the authors claim that the study favors the proposed high-quality vegetarian diet, Gassler highlights some caveats when putting any recommendations from the study into practice.

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Gassler points out that the evaluation was “a non-randomized cohort study providing information about an association between diet and stroke outcomes.” Since an association does not necessarily mean causation, it cannot be assumed that eating a plant-based diet will definitively result in a reduced risk of stroke.

Since the subjects evaluated were healthcare professionals who were mostly Caucasian, results also can’t be extrapolated to the general public.

However, because past data says that plant-based nutrition may reduce the likelihood of several risk factors linked to stroke risk, including hypertension, waist-to-hip ratio, diet quality, diabetes, cardiac causes, and lipid profile, there does not appear to be a downside to eating more nutrient-dense and plant-based foods to support overall heart health, and possibly stroke reduction.

How to Include More Plant-Based Foods in Your Diet

According to this study, it is not enough to simply eat more plants. It’s important to choose higher-quality foods that pack a punch when it comes to nutrition. Including nutrient-dense plant foods, like quinoa, leafy greens, and lentils instead of choosing refined options like white rice is critical to reaping the nutritional benefits.

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“For many, the idea of eating more plant-based can leave people very confused and many times feeling overwhelmed with the idea of where to even start,” Kathleen Oswalt, RDN, a South Carolina-based registered dietitian, tells Verywell.

She shares some ways to incorporate more plant foods into a diet in a simple and approachable way:

Other Ways to Reduce Stroke Risk

While eating more plant-focused meals may be a wise step for reducing stroke risk, there are other steps you can take to help keep your body stroke-free that go beyond the diet.

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Gassler shares the following tips to include when trying to reduce risk of a stroke:

And, at least according to the current study, swapping out a beefy burger for a mushroom option or enjoying a lentil soup instead of a meaty stew may do some good in the stroke risk reduction department.

The information in this article is current as of the date listed, which means newer information may be available when you read this. For the most recent updates on COVID-19, visit ourcoronavirus news page.

3 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Baden MY, Shan Z, Wang F, et al.Quality of plant-based diet and risk of total, ischemic, and hemorrhagic stroke.Neurology. doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000011713Campbell T.A plant-based diet and stroke.J Geriatr Cardiol. 2017;14(5):321-326. doi:10.11909/j.issn.1671-5411.2017.05.010Patel H, Chandra S, Alexander S, Soble J, Williams KA Sr.Plant-based nutrition: an essential component of cardiovascular disease prevention and management.Curr Cardiol Rep. 2017;19(10):104. doi:10.1007/s11886-017-0909-z

3 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Baden MY, Shan Z, Wang F, et al.Quality of plant-based diet and risk of total, ischemic, and hemorrhagic stroke.Neurology. doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000011713Campbell T.A plant-based diet and stroke.J Geriatr Cardiol. 2017;14(5):321-326. doi:10.11909/j.issn.1671-5411.2017.05.010Patel H, Chandra S, Alexander S, Soble J, Williams KA Sr.Plant-based nutrition: an essential component of cardiovascular disease prevention and management.Curr Cardiol Rep. 2017;19(10):104. doi:10.1007/s11886-017-0909-z

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Baden MY, Shan Z, Wang F, et al.Quality of plant-based diet and risk of total, ischemic, and hemorrhagic stroke.Neurology. doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000011713Campbell T.A plant-based diet and stroke.J Geriatr Cardiol. 2017;14(5):321-326. doi:10.11909/j.issn.1671-5411.2017.05.010Patel H, Chandra S, Alexander S, Soble J, Williams KA Sr.Plant-based nutrition: an essential component of cardiovascular disease prevention and management.Curr Cardiol Rep. 2017;19(10):104. doi:10.1007/s11886-017-0909-z

Baden MY, Shan Z, Wang F, et al.Quality of plant-based diet and risk of total, ischemic, and hemorrhagic stroke.Neurology. doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000011713

Campbell T.A plant-based diet and stroke.J Geriatr Cardiol. 2017;14(5):321-326. doi:10.11909/j.issn.1671-5411.2017.05.010

Patel H, Chandra S, Alexander S, Soble J, Williams KA Sr.Plant-based nutrition: an essential component of cardiovascular disease prevention and management.Curr Cardiol Rep. 2017;19(10):104. doi:10.1007/s11886-017-0909-z

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