African Americans have a higher burden of cardiovascular disease and diabetes than other American ethnic groups,

but recent evidence indicates that eating a plant-based diet may help eliminate such health

disparities, as I explored previously.

African Americans as a group tend to have the highest reported meat consumption and the

lowest vegetable consumption, and part of this is access, but this article detailing

the experience of a Morehouse lifestyle medical

clinic noted that there also appears to be an issue with aspects of the African American

food culture.

Enter the Regards study, the reasons for geographic and racial differences in stroke study.

The study found that regardless of where African Americans live in the United States,

they are much more likely to consume what the researchers called a Southern diet,

which is a dietary pattern characterized by added fats, fried foods, eggs, organ meats, processed meats,

and sugar-sweetened beverages.

They found that this type of dietary pattern mediates the majority of the racial disparity.

Adherence to the southern dietary pattern increased stroke risk by 39% in black Americans.

In contrast, the greatest benefit was seen among participants who followed a more

plant-based dietary pattern, which conferred a 29% lower stroke risk. Same thing with heart failure.

Eating more plant-based was associated with a 41% lower risk of heart failure, while the southern

dietary pattern was associated with a 72% higher

risk, and this is after controlling for things like education and income. Death from kidney disease.

Same thing. More plant-based linked to lower risk of mortality, whereas eating closer to the Southern

diet associated with a greater risk of kidney

...