Previous studies have indicated that eating large amounts of ultra-processed foods[1] is linked with a higher likelihood of developing cardiovascular diseases. Other research[2] has found that diets centered on plant-based foods can lower this risk when those foods offer balanced nutrition and are consumed in appropriate proportions.
To explore how nutrition relates to cardiovascular health in more detail, scientists from INRAE, Inserm, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, and Cnam examined more than whether foods came from plant or animal sources. Their assessment also incorporated the nutritional makeup of foods, including factors such as carbohydrate, fat, and antioxidant vitamin and mineral content, along with the level of industrial processing involved.
How the Study Evaluated Diets and Food Choices
The team evaluated data from 63,835 adults enrolled in the French NutriNet-Santé cohort. Participants were followed for an average of 9.1 years, with some tracked for as long as 15 years. Information on what they ate and drank (collected over at least three days) was gathered through online questionnaires. This detailed approach allowed researchers to classify diets based on the share of plant-based and animal-based foods, while also considering both nutritional quality and processing level.
The findings showed that adults who consumed more plant-based foods of higher nutritional quality (lower in fat, sugar, and salt) and with minimal industrial processing had about a 40 percent lower risk of cardiovascular disease compared with those who ate fewer nutritious plant-based foods and more animal-based products[3].
However, people who ate larger amounts of plant-based foods that were nutritionally higher quality but ultra-processed, including items such as industrial wholemeal breads, store-bought soups, ready-made pasta dishes, or commercially prepared salads with dressing, did not experience a reduced cardiovascular risk relative to individuals who consumed fewer of these products and more animal-based foods.
Ultra-Processed Plant Foods and Increased Heart Disease Risk
A notably higher risk emerged for adults whose diets were dominated by plant-based foods that were both lower in nutritional quality and ultra-processed. These items included crisps, sweetened fruit drinks or sodas made from plant extracts, chocolate-based sweets or confectionery, sugary breakfast cereals, and savory biscuits. Their cardiovascular disease risk was roughly 40 percent higher than that of people who consumed more plant-based foods of good nutritional quality with little or no industrial processing.
Why Processing Level Matters for Plant-Based Eating
Overall, the results show that understanding the relationship between diet and cardiovascular health requires considering the nutritional quality of foods and how heavily they are processed, in addition to the balance of plant-based and animal-based components. These findings support public health recommendations that encourage the consumption of plant-based foods that are both nutritionally high quality and minimally processed (such as fresh, frozen, or high-quality canned fruits and vegetables without added fats, salt, sugar, or additives).
Notes
[1] According to the NOVA classification, these are foods that have undergone significant biological, chemical, or physical processing (such as extrusion, pre-frying, hydrolysis, or ultra-high-temperature heating), and/or whose formulation includes certain food additives not necessary for the product's food safety (such as colourings, emulsifiers, or sweeteners), or industrial substances such as hydrogenated oils, glucose/fructose syrup, hydrolysed proteins and inverted sugar.
[2] Rauber F., da Costa Louzada M.L., Chang C. et al. (2024). Implications of food ultra-processing on cardiovascular risk considering plant origin foods: an analysis of the UK biobank cohort. The Lancet Regional Health-Europe, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lanepe.2024.100948[1] Daas M.C., Vellinga R.E., Pinho M.G.M. et al. (2024). The role of ultra-processed foods in plant-based diets: associations with human health and environmental sustainability. European Journal of Nutrition. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-024-03477-w[2]
[3] That is, with a consumption of about 280 g per day of fruits and vegetables -- half the recommendation of the French National Health and Nutrition Plan (PNNS) -- 54.1 g per day of red meat (about 380 g per week),
The NutriNet-Santé study is a public health initiative coordinated by the Nutritional Epidemiology Research Team (CRESS-EREN, Inserm/INRAE/Cnam/Université Sorbonne Paris Nord/Université Paris Cité). Thanks to the commitment and long-term participation of over 180,000 "nutrinauts," the study is helping advance research into the links between nutrition (diet, physical activity, nutritional status) and health. Launched in 2009, it has already led to over 300 international scientific publications. Recruitment of new participants is ongoing, to continue supporting public research into the relationship between nutrition and health.
By spending just a few minutes each month on the secure platform etude-nutrinet-sante.fr[3] to complete questionnaires on diet, physical activity, and health, participants are helping build knowledge toward healthier and more sustainable eating habits.
Your birth certificate may show 65, but your brain might be functioning as if it were ten years younger -- or older -- depending on the experiences and habits that shape your daily life.
A team at the University of Florida reports that optimism, regular high-quality sleep, strong social ties and similar positive influences are closely connected to healthier brain profiles. Their findings indicate that lifestyle choices and stress management can meaningfully affect the rate of brain aging, even among individuals who live with chronic pain.
"These are things that people have some level of control over," said Jared Tanner, Ph.D., a research associate professor of clinical and health psychology at the University of Florida and one of the study's leaders. "You can learn how to perceive stress differently. Poor sleep is very treatable. Optimism can be practiced."
Measuring Brain Age With MRI and Machine Learning
The study tracked 128 adults in midlife and older adulthood, most of whom had chronic musculoskeletal pain related to or at risk of knee osteoarthritis. Over a period of two years, researchers used MRI scans processed through a machine learning model to estimate each participant's "brain age" and compare it to their chronological age. The difference between the two, known as the brain age gap, offered a single measure of whole-brain health.
Certain hardships, including chronic pain, lower income, limited education and social disadvantages, were linked to brains that appeared older. However, those associations decreased over time. Instead, protective behaviors such as restorative sleep, healthy body weight, effective stress management, avoiding tobacco and maintaining supportive relationships showed a stronger and more lasting connection to younger appearing brains.
Protective Habits Linked to Slower Brain Aging
Participants who reported the highest number of protective factors began the study with brains that looked eight years younger than their actual age, and their brain aging continued to progress more slowly throughout the two-year follow-up.
"The message is consistent across our studies, health promoting behaviors are not only associated with lower pain and better physical functioning, they appear to actually bolster health in an additive fashion at a meaningful level," said Kimberly Sibille, Ph.D., an associate professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at UF and senior author of the report.
Sibille, Tanner and collaborators across UF and other institutions published their results on in the journal Brain Communications.
Why Brain Age Matters for Long-Term Health
Researchers have known for years that aging brains are more susceptible to cognitive decline, dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Earlier studies often examined isolated brain regions, but pain, stress and major life events tend to influence widespread neural networks. The brain age gap -- the difference between someone's actual age and how old their brain appears on imaging -- provides a single measurement that reflects these broader effects.
Although the research centered on people experiencing chronic pain, the authors note that habits such as lowering stress, strengthening social support and maintaining healthy sleep patterns are likely to benefit brain aging in a wide range of individuals.
"Literally for every additional healthy promoting factor there is some evidence of neurobiological benefit," Sibille said. "Our findings support the growing body of evidence that Lifestyle is medicine."
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