Lignans are Your Heart’s Friend
A new study finds a link between eating plant-based foods rich in certain nutrients and a lower risk of heart disease. The study, which observed more than 200,000 men and women over 30 years, shows that those who regularly ate more plant-based foods rich in what are known as lignans had a much lower risk of developing coronary heart disease than those who did not. Plant-based foods such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, red wine, and coffee contain lignans, molecules that have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, explains Yang Hu, a research fellow at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston.