Can Eating Less Reduce Your Risk of Cardiovascular Disease?

April 3, 2022

by Cathe Friedrich

It’s the number one cause of mortality in Western countries. Cardiovascular disease, which includes stroke and heart attack, robs people of their life too soon. Fortunately, it’s a health problem that’s influenced by lifestyle. How you live matters! Your health habits play a key role in whether you develop cardiovascular disease.

As the World Health Organization (WHO) points out, most cardiovascular disease is preventable through these factors:

Diet
Avoiding obesity
Staying physically active
Avoiding alcohol
Avoid smoking

The association between heart disease and diet is one of the most intriguing. To reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease, it’s not just what you eat, but also how much you put on your plate. In a study, reducing body weight and eating less significantly lowers cardiovascular risk factors and improves metabolic health. This is an example of how small changes can have substantial results over time.

What the Study Showed

Researchers divided 218 adult participants into two groups. One group ate as usual while the other reduced their caloric intake. Over 2 years, the adults in the calorie restriction group decreased their calories by around 12% and lost a modest amount of weight, about 10% of their total body weight. They also enjoyed numerous cardiovascular benefits including:

Reduced insulin resistance
Better blood sugar control
Improvements in markers of metabolic health
Reduce inflammation
Lower LDL-cholesterol
Reduced blood triglycerides
Lower blood pressure
Small waist circumference

These changes are favorable for cardiovascular health. At least in animals, there are other perks of eating less and modestly restricting calories. Calorie restriction is linked to other health benefits including a longer lifespan and reduced odds of developing cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and neurodegenerative conditions.

This doesn’t mean you should become calorie obsessed and drastically reduce the number of calories you consume. Excessive calorie restriction isn’t healthy or sustainable, but modest calorie restriction, cutting back food intake by 15 to 20%, offers benefits without the risk of nutrient deficiencies and excessive hunger. It’s not that difficult to reduce calorie consumption by 15% by eating more mindfully and reducing the amount of sugar in your diet. Sugar has no nutritional value. It’s only empty calories.

Is a Drop in Body Temperature the Key?

Why might calorie restriction be a healthy practice? In animals, calorie restriction leads to a drop in body temperature, which slows metabolic processes. In studies, animals that do not restrict calories seem to live longer when their body temperature drops. A warm environment negates the effect of calorie restriction by preventing the temperature drop in calorie-restricted animals. Therefore, the drop in body temperature that goes along with calorie restriction may explain the health benefits of eating less.

When cellular processes slow down, it places less “wear and tear” on systems and creates less oxidative stress and damage that contributes to aging. Scientists in the 1930s discovered that rodents that ate a calorie-restricted diet lived 30% longer than those that ate a standard diet. Some studies also show that calorie restriction makes cells less susceptible to stress, giving them more resilience. These are all areas that need further study but cutting calories by 15% is a small step to take for potential cardiovascular benefits.

Calorie Restriction May Reduce Inflammation That’s Harmful to Heart Health

Inflammation is a driving force behind many chronic health problems, including cardiovascular disease. It’s because of this that experts recommend eating an anti-inflammatory diet, believing that it could slow aging and lower the risk of chronic health problems like cardiovascular disease. In one study, researchers found that rodents who calorie-restricted had fewer pro-inflammatory immune cells in their tissues and organs.

One diet that shows promise for reducing inflammation is the Mediterranean diet. The Mediterranean diet emphasizes eating good fats and good carbs along with enormous quantities of fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, fish, and olive oil—and only modest amounts of meat. This diverse eating plan is associated with a number of health benefits, including weight loss, reduced risk of heart disease and lower risk of Alzheimer’s in observational studies.

What You Eat Matters Too

If you restrict calories too much, there’s the risk of not getting enough nutrients for good health. That’s why it’s important to choose nutrient-dense foods when you eat less. Every calorie counts when you consume less food. Some of the more nutrient dense foods include berries, leafy greens, and fish. These foods are all part of the Mediterranean diet and rich in non-inflammatory compounds too. Also, focus on eating mindfully and with intention, so you can enjoy every bite of food you put into your mouth.

The Bottom Line

Eating less may have health benefits beyond weight control. By lowering body temperature, reducing inflammation, and reigning in oxidative stress, mild calorie restriction could slow aging and prevent some chronic health problems, including cardiovascular disease. Most of the evidence is in animals, so it’s an area that needs more human research, but it makes sense when you consider how calorie restriction affects cellular activity. Cellular activity slows, leading to less production of cell-damaging free radicals.

There’s little doubt that most people overeat, thanks to portion distortion, the way restaurants serve huge plates of food and makes them seem normal. Neither the mammoth portions you get when you eat out, nor the composition of what you get at most restaurants, is healthy for your heart.

Could the key be to eat more mindfully? Rather than scarfing down a plate of food in a hurried manner, focus on its taste, aroma, and texture. Immerse yourself in the experience. By doing this, you’ll naturally be satisfied with less and you’ll be doing something positive for the health of your heart too.

References:

com “Eating a Bit Less Reduces Heart Attack Risk”
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“How Proper Dieting Can Restrict the Clock of Aging ….” 15 May. 2020, sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2020/how-proper-dieting-can-restrict-the-clock-of-aging/.”Mindful Eating – Harvard Health Publications – Harvard Health.” 01 Feb. 2011, health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/mindful-eating.
“Mindfulness Is Good for Your Heart–and Your Waistline.” 23 Dec. 2015, greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/mindfulness_is_good_for_your_heart_and_your_waistline.
Perry CA, Gadde KM. The Role of Calorie Restriction in the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease. Current Atherosclerosis Reports. Published online February 2, 2022. doi:10.1007/s11883-022-00999-8.
Han X, Ren J. Caloric restriction, and heart function: is there a sensible link? Acta Pharmacologica Sinica. 2010;31(9):1111-1117. doi:10.1038/aps.2010.146