Your plant-based diet could be raising your heart disease risk, according to a new scientific study

A major new study has found that some plant-based diets are associated with a 40% higher risk of cardiovascular disease, challenging the assumption that ditching animal products automatically protects your heart.

The research, published in The Lancet Regional Health - Europe, examined the diets of 63,835 adults in the French NutriNet-Santé cohort over an average of 9.1 years. Scientists from INRAE, Inserm, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, and Cnam looked beyond the simple question of whether foods came from plants or animals. They also assessed nutritional quality and level of industrial processing.

The findings were striking. Adults whose diets were dominated by plant-based foods that were both low in nutritional quality and ultra-processed had roughly 40% higher cardiovascular disease risk compared to those eating minimally processed, nutrient-dense plant foods. The ultra-processed culprits included crisps, sweetened fruit drinks, chocolate-based sweets, sugary breakfast cereals, and savory biscuits.

On the other end of the spectrum, those who ate plant-based foods of higher nutritional quality with minimal processing had about 40% lower cardiovascular disease risk.

Even "healthy" processed foods fell short

Perhaps the most surprising finding involved plant foods that appeared nutritious on paper but were still ultra-processed. Things like industrial wholemeal breads, store-bought soups, ready-made pasta dishes, and commercially prepared salads with dressing did not reduce cardiovascular risk compared to diets containing more animal products.

The researchers concluded that understanding the relationship between diet and heart health requires looking at three factors together: the balance of plant and animal foods, nutritional quality, and processing level.

What this means for plant-based eaters

This study does not suggest that plant-based eating is bad for your heart. It suggests that how you eat plant-based matters enormously.

Swapping a steak for a bag of vegan crisps and a sugary oat milk latte is not doing your cardiovascular system any favors. But building meals around whole vegetables, legumes, fruits, nuts, and minimally processed grains remains one of the most protective dietary patterns available.

At VegOut, we have long believed that conscious eating is about more than labels. It is about the actual choices we make and their real-world impact on our bodies and the planet. This research reinforces what we have always said: abundance matters more than restriction, and whole foods matter more than processed alternatives wearing a plant-based label.

The takeaway is not to abandon plant-based eating. It is to do it with intention, choosing foods that are genuinely nourishing rather than simply marketed as virtuous.