Switching to a plant-based diet rich in fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes can help prevent and even cure coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD), even in patients with high blood pressure, according to US scientists. CMD is a type of heart disease that often results in poor outcomes for those affected.
High blood pressure is a major risk factor for CMD. This disease is caused by damage to the small vessels that regulate blood flow in the heart tissue. Damaged blood vessel cells constrict, blocking flow and causing chest pain. CMD can cause frequent chest pains, hospitalizations, heart failure, and can be fatal. According to researchers from Georgia State University, it affects women significantly more often than men.
Current treatment is only moderately effective, and patients continue to suffer from poor outcomes even after hospitalization. The team therefore investigated what role diet can play. “A plant-based diet prevented the development of CMD and reversed pre-existing CMD in rats with high blood pressure. Such results are well transferred to the clinical environment,“said the lead author of the study, Dr. Rami S. Najjar.
According to him, the positive effects of the plant-based diet had a targeted effect on the small heart vessels, despite the persistence of hypertension. Researchers believe that the benefit comes from improving the function of vascular cells, which can thus counteract the harmful effects of high blood pressure. In the rats, the plant-based diet restored the function of the blood vessels to such an extent that they were able to expand normally again.
For a person, according to the authors, this diet corresponds to the daily intake, for example one cup black beans, one large red pepper, about 1.5 cups Brussels sprouts, two lemons, one medium sweet potato, about 1.5 cups walnuts, and one cup blueberries. This is one of the first studies to show that diet can help treat CMD.
