The Potential for Plant-Based Diets to Promote Health Among Blacks Living in the United States
1
The Peanut Institute 1, Albany, GA 31707, USA
2
ICF International 2, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Nutrients 2019, 11(12), 2915; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11122915
Received: 27 September 2019
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Revised: 13 November 2019
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Accepted: 21 November 2019
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Published: 2 December 2019
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Vegetarian, Vegan Diets and Human Health)
Plant-based diets are associated with reduced risks of various chronic diseases in the general population. However, it is unclear how these benefits translate to Blacks living in the United States, who are disproportionately burdened with heart disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity, and chronic kidney disease. The objectives of this study were to: (1) review the general evidence of plant-based diets and health outcomes; (2) discuss how this evidence translates to Blacks following a plant-based diet; and (3) provide recommendations and considerations for future studies in this area. Interestingly, although the evidence supporting plant-based diets in the general population is robust, little research has been done on Blacks specifically. However, the available data suggests that following a plant-based diet may reduce the risk of heart disease and possibly cancer in this population. More research is needed on cardiovascular disease risk factors, cancer subtypes, and other chronic diseases. Further, attention must be given to the unique individual, familial, communal, and environmental needs that Blacks who follow plant-based diets may have. Interventions must be culturally appropriate in order to achieve long-term success, and providing low-cost, flavorful, and nutritious options will be important.
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Keywords:
diet patterns; plant-based; vegetarian; vegan; African American; health disparities; chronic disease
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited
MDPI and ACS Style
Sterling, S.R.; Bowen, S.-A. The Potential for Plant-Based Diets to Promote Health Among Blacks Living in the United States. Nutrients 2019, 11, 2915. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11122915
AMA Style
Sterling SR, Bowen S-A. The Potential for Plant-Based Diets to Promote Health Among Blacks Living in the United States. Nutrients. 2019; 11(12):2915. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11122915
Chicago/Turabian StyleSterling, Samara R., and Shelly-Ann Bowen. 2019. "The Potential for Plant-Based Diets to Promote Health Among Blacks Living in the United States" Nutrients 11, no. 12: 2915. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11122915
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