In a study from Penn State, scientists found a plant-based diet may be key to lowering the risk for heart disease.
The researchers found that diets with reduced sulfur amino acids — which occur in protein-rich foods, such as meats, dairy, nuts, and soy — were linked to a decreased risk for heart disease.
The team also found that the average American consumes almost 2 1/2 times more sulfur amino acids than the estimated average requirement.
Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. A subcategory, called sulfur amino acids, including methionine and cysteine, play various roles in metabolism and health.
For decades it has been understood that diets restricting sulfur amino acids were beneficial for longevity in animals.
In the study, the team examined the diets and blood biomarkers of more than 11,000 participants from a national study.
They found that participants who ate foods containing fewer sulfur amino acids tended to have a decreased risk for heart and metabolic disease based on their bloodwork.
The team evaluated data from the Third National Examination and Nutritional Health Survey.
They compiled a composite cardiometabolic disease risk score based on the levels of certain biomarkers in participants’ blood after a 10-16 hour fast including cholesterol, triglycerides, glucose, and insulin.
For a person weighing 132 pounds, food choices for a day that meet the requirement might include a medium slice of bread, half an avocado, an egg, a half cup of raw cabbage, six cherry tomatoes, two ounces of chicken breast, a cup of brown rice, three-quarters of a cup of zucchini, three tablespoons of butter, a cup of spinach, a medium apple, an eight-inch diameter pizza and a tablespoon of almonds.
The researchers found that the average sulfur amino acid intake was almost two and a half times higher than the estimated average requirement.
They suggested this may be due to trends in the average diet of a person living in the United States.
The researchers found that higher sulfur amino acid intake was associated with a higher composite cardiometabolic risk score.
They also found that high sulfur amino acid intake was linked to every type of food except grains, vegetables and fruit.
While this study only evaluated dietary intake and cardiometabolic disease risk factors at one point in time, the association between increased sulfur amino acid intake and risk for cardiometabolic disease was strong.
This study showed an association between certain dietary habits and higher levels of blood biomarkers that put a person at risk for cardiometabolic diseases.
If you care about heart health, please read studies about how eating eggs can help reduce heart disease risk, and Vitamin K2 could help reduce heart disease risk.
For more information about health, please see recent studies that olive oil may help you live longer, and Vitamin C linked to lower risk of heart failure.
The study was conducted by Xiang Gao et al and published in Lancet EClinical Medicine.
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