Vegetarian Diets and Blood Pressure

A meta-analysis published in the February 27, 2014 edition of JAMA Internal Medicine pooled several studies and examined the data. Eating a vegetarian diet was associated with lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Other studies have shown that plant based diets lower the risk for cardiovascular disease. A vegetarian diet needs to be plant based and healthy. It is not enough to just not eat meat. The rest of the diet needs to be healthy: a variety of vegetables and fruits, whole grain, healthy fats, such as olive oil.