New Study: Plant-Based Diet May Reverse Hidden Heart Damage in Hypertension

Описание: Can a simple plant-based diet help prevent and even reverse hidden heart damage caused by high blood pressure?
In this video, you’ll learn about a new study from Georgia State University showing that a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes may both prevent and reverse coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD), a type of heart disease caused by damage to the tiny blood vessels of the heart in people with hypertension. We explain what CMD is, why it affects women especially hard, and how it can lead to chest pain, heart failure, hospitalisation, and even death.
You’ll see how researchers fed hypertensive rats either a control diet with no plant foods or a plant-based diet containing about 28% fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes for six months, then measured heart blood vessel flow and heart structure with advanced imaging and cell tests. The plant-based diet not only prevented CMD from developing but also reversed established CMD, even though high blood pressure persisted, suggesting a targeted benefit on the small blood vessels of the heart.
We break down how antioxidants and other compounds in whole plant foods may improve blood vessel cell function, reduce oxidative stress and inflammation, and restore normal dilation of coronary microvessels. You’ll also hear how the researchers translated the rat diet into a practical daily human example: around one cup of black beans, one large red bell pepper, one and a half cups of Brussels sprouts, two lemons, one medium sweet potato, one and a half cups of walnuts, and one cup of blueberries per day as a model of a heart-protective plant-based pattern.
Finally, we discuss what this means for people living with high blood pressure today, why this preclinical study paves the way for human clinical trials, and how shifting towards a whole-food, plant-based dietary pattern might complement medical treatment for heart health.
Keywords in this video: plant-based diet, heart health, coronary microvascular dysfunction, CMD, high blood pressure, hypertension, heart disease prevention, antioxidants, fruits and vegetables, nuts and legumes, Georgia State University study, Journal of the American Heart Association, chest pain, microvascular angina, women’s heart health.