STUDENT: Czekaj

PROJECT ADVISOR: Milton Evans

ABSTRACT

When conducting my research, I looked through scholarly journals and articles that have done studies on vegan diets. I have found systematic reviews, cohort studies, and case reports. I then narrowed the search that relates a vegan diet to heart disease. I am looking at the age group of middle-aged adults (40-50 years of age) because this is the most common age of when cardiovascular diseases are diagnosed. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. There are many levels of prevention from this disease, but a main component that many people tend to ignore is diet. A diet filled with mostly dairy, high salt content, red and processed meats is a precursor for developing a cardiovascular disease. A vegan diet means to have a plant-based diet, excluding meat, fish, and dairy. In my research, I found multiple studies that following a vegan diet before the development of heart disease can decrease a person’s chance of developing one. Also, I found that people already diagnosed with heart disease and follow a vegan diet actually have fewer symptoms and risk for death than those who do not follow this diet.

Keywords: vegan diet, cardiovascular disease, heart disease, middle-aged, development, progression