Using mice that had been specially bred to develop atherosclerosis, researchers at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine fed half the animals a vegetable-free diet and the other half a diet that included broccoli, green beans, corn, peas and carrots. After 16 weeks, they measured cholesterol content
in the blood vessels and estimated that plaques in the arteries of the
veggie-fed mice were 38 percent smaller. The BBC reports on the experiment, which also found a 37 percent reducti
on in serum amyloid – a marker of
inflammation in mice – suggesting that vegetable consumption may
inhibit inflammatory activity.
And now the bad news. The study, published in the Journal of Nutrition, reported that the average person eats only three portions of fruit and veg a day, although most health experts recommend eating five. What to do? Geezer likes this advice from the FDA on how to eat your way to five portions of fuits and vegetables a day.
Health, fitness and lifestyle tips for people over 50 who still like to play hard
Sunday, May 11, 2025
Over the last twenty-five years, medical research has firmly established the health benefits of a plant-based diet while demonstrating the dangers of eating meat, dairy and eggs because of their high fat and cholesterol content. The public’s growing awareness of this knowledge has dovetailed with an American obesity epidemic, the spread of dangerous meat-borne illnesses around the world, and increasing concern about factory farming’s impact on animals and the environment. Surveys show that many people would like to stop eating animal products for health, ethical, or environmental reasons, but don’t become vegetarian because they think that it would be too inconvenient. BAV’s Mentor Program is designed with these issues in mind: it highlights the healthiness of a plant-based diet while demonstrating that you don’t have to sacrifice convenience or taste when you go vegetarian or vegan. The program’s mentors – including BAV founders Chris James and Tammy Lee – themselves exemplify the practicality and health benefits of a vegan lifestyle.