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Vegetarian and vegan diets: benefits and drawbacks
Wang T, Masedunskas A, Willett WC, Fontana L.. European heart journal, 2023-09-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Plant-based diets have become increasingly popular thanks to their purported health benefits and more recently for their positive environmental impact. Prospective studies suggest that consuming vegetarian diets is associated with a reduced risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD), diabetes, hypertension, dementia, and cancer. Data from randomized clinical trials have confirmed a protective effect of vegetarian diets for the prevention of diabetes and reductions in weight, blood pressure, glycosylated haemoglobin and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, but to date, no data are available for cardiovascular event rates and cognitive impairment, and there are very limited data for cancer. Moreover, not all plant-based foods are equally healthy. Unhealthy vegetarian diets poor in specific nutrients (vitamin B12, iron, zinc, and calcium) and/or rich in highly processed and refined foods increase morbidity and mortality. Further mechanistic studies are desirable to understand whether the advantages of healthy, minimally processed vegetarian diets represent an all-or-nothing phenomenon and whether consuming primarily plant-based diets containing small quantities of animal products (e.g. pesco-vegetarian or Mediterranean diets) has beneficial, detrimental, or neutral effects on cardiometabolic health outcomes. Further, mechanistic studies are warranted to enhance our understanding about healthy plant-based food patterns and the biological mechanisms linking dietary factors, CVD, and other metabolic diseases.
Key findings
- Prospective studies suggest that consuming vegetarian diets is associated with a reduced risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD), diabetes, hypertension, dementia, and cancer.
Why it matters
Prospective studies suggest vegetarian diets are associated with reduced risk of several conditions including dementia, but the review states no trial data are available for cognitive impairment. It also warns that unhealthy vegetarian diets low in certain nutrients or high in processed foods can increase illness and death.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthHigh
How this study scored 60/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (European heart journal) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | European Heart Journal: journal h-index 456 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 5 / 5 | Rated “high” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 3 / 5 | 2023 — within 6 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 5 / 7 | Cited 196 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 4 / 5 | 39.2 citations a year over 5 year(s) since 2023 |
| Impact for its field and year | 6 / 6 | Cited 45.8× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 6 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 3 / 4 | Cited 190 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Luigi Fontana: h-index 82 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 3 / 3 | Harvard University: institution h-index 3,235 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 4 institution(s) in 3 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 37450568) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 60 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehad436
- PubMed: 37450568
- Original source →
- Free full text: European Heart Journal →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Wang, T., Masedunskas, A., Willett, W. C., & Fontana, L. (2023). Vegetarian and vegan diets: benefits and drawbacks. European heart journal. https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehad436
Vancouver
Wang T, Masedunskas A, Willett WC, Fontana L. Vegetarian and vegan diets: benefits and drawbacks. European heart journal. 2023. doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehad436. PMID: 37450568.
BibTeX
@article{wang2023-37450568,
author = {Wang, T. and Masedunskas, A. and Willett, W. C. and Fontana, L.},
title = {{Vegetarian and vegan diets: benefits and drawbacks}},
journal = {European heart journal},
year = {2023},
doi = {10.1093/eurheartj/ehad436},
pmid = {37450568},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehad436}
}
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