An analysis of more than 63,000 French adults from the long-running NutriNet-Santé cohort found that plant-based diets built around minimally processed, nutritionally high-quality foods were associated with about a 40% lower risk of cardiovascular disease, while diets heavy in ultra-processed plant products could erase this benefit and were tied to substantially higher risk, according to researchers from INRAE and partner institutions.
Scientists from INRAE, Inserm, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, and Cnam analyzed dietary data from 63,835 adults taking part in the French NutriNet-Santé cohort, according to a summary of the findings released by INRAE and reported by ScienceDaily. Participants were followed for an average of 9.1 years, with some tracked for up to 15 years. Information on food and drink intake was collected via online questionnaires covering at least three days, which allowed the researchers to classify diets by the balance of plant- versus animal-derived foods, their nutritional quality (including carbohydrate, fat, antioxidant vitamin and mineral content), and the degree of industrial processing.
The study team reported that adults who ate more plant-based foods of higher nutritional quality — lower in fat, sugar and salt — and with minimal industrial processing had about a 40% reduced risk of developing cardiovascular disease compared with those whose diets contained fewer such plant foods and more animal products. This pattern corresponded to a consumption of about 280 grams per day of fruits and vegetables — roughly half the recommendation of the French National Health and Nutrition Plan — and about 54.1 grams per day of red meat, or around 380 grams per week.
By contrast, people who consumed larger quantities of plant-based foods that were considered nutritionally better but were ultra-processed, such as industrial wholemeal breads, store-bought soups, ready-made pasta dishes, or commercially prepared salads with dressing, did not show a lower cardiovascular risk compared with those whose diets were lower in these products and higher in animal-based foods.
The highest risk was seen among adults whose diets were dominated by plant-based products that were both of lower nutritional quality and ultra-processed. These foods included crisps, fruit-based sweetened drinks or sodas made from plant extracts, chocolate-based sweets or confectionery, sugary breakfast cereals and savory biscuits. In this group, the risk of cardiovascular disease was reported to be roughly 40% higher than among people whose diets contained a greater share of plant-based foods of good nutritional quality with little or no industrial processing.
The findings, which the authors say are published in The Lancet Regional Health – Europe, suggest that understanding how diet relates to heart health requires looking beyond whether foods are plant- or animal-based to also consider their nutritional profile and level of processing. The results support public health recommendations that encourage plant-based foods that are both nutritionally dense and minimally processed — such as fresh, frozen, or high-quality canned fruits and vegetables without added fats, salt, sugar or additives — as part of dietary patterns aimed at reducing cardiovascular risk.
