A new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association: Internal Medicine this month reaffirms that plant-based diets lead to lower blood viscosity and lower blood pressure compared to meat-eaters. See the report here: Vegetarian Diets and Blood Pressure.
In interview on the findings, one of the study authors Dr. Neal Barnard explains that plant-based eaters have less viscous blood that moves through human arteries with less strain and pressure on the system. Cleaner fuel, more oxygen in the bloodstream, faster performance, less need for medications:
“It’s not uncommon for us to see patients at our research center who come in and they’re taking four drugs for their blood pressure, and it’s still too high. So if a diet change can effectively lower blood pressure, or better still can prevent blood pressure problems, that’s great because it costs nothing, and all the side effects are ones that you want, like losing weight and lowering cholesterol…
Take the fastest animals, take a stallion, they don’t eat meat or cheese, so their blood is not viscous at all. Their blood flows well. As you know a lot of the top endurance athletes are vegan. Scott Jurek is the most amazing ultra-distance runner in the world. That’s why Jurek says a plant-based diet is the only diet he’ll ever follow. Serena Williams is going vegan, too. A lot of endurance athletes are doing it.”
What of all that talk about needing protein? Where do plant-eaters get their protein to rebuild muscles and brain tissue?
“Well, the same place that a stallion or a bull or an elephant or a giraffe or a gorilla or any other vegan animal gets it. The most powerful animals eat plant-based diets. If you’re a human, you can eat grains, beans, and even green leafy vegetables. Broccoli doesn’t want to brag, but it’s about one-third protein.” See: Vegetarians and their superior blood.
