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Whole food plant-based diet as a treatment
Very few studies investigate a whole food plant-based (WFPB) as a way to treat many major chronic health issues. This randomized controlled trial tested the effectiveness of a WFPB diet paired with standard medical care against standard medical care alone as a treatment for obesity, heart disease and hypertension. All participants had a diagnosis of obesity and at least one of either Type 2 diabetes, ischemic heart disease and hypertension. In terms of heart disease risk, the study found that there were significant improvements in cardiovascular disease risk (assessed by an online risk calculator) and HbA1c levels within the intervention group compared to the control group. The sampling of both female and male participants, as well as Caucasian and Maori participants in both groups helped support the findings of the study. High attrition rate and sampling individuals from one practice decreased the strength of the findings. This suggests that the study upholds that a plant-based diet decreases heart disease risk under very specific conditions and limitations.

Vegan low-carbohydrate diet and Vegetarian high-carbohydrate diet
The purpose of this randomized controlled trial was to determine the long-term effect of a low-carbohydrate, plant-based diet on cardiovascular disease risk factors, specifically measuring weight loss and LDL cholesterol. The intervention group followed a low-carbohydrate, vegan diet while the control group followed a high-carbohydrate, lacto-ovo vegetarian diet for 6 months. The trial found that a low-carbohydrate vegan diet significantly reduced cardiovascular disease risk in terms of LDL cholesterol and weight loss compared to the control. Strengths of the study include that the hypocaloric diet was self-selected, which better reflects normal conditions outside a laboratory environment. Weaknesses included the small sample size involved and high attrition rate. This study provides evidence in favor of illustrating that a plant-based diet decreases the risk of heart disease.

Literature Review of Plant-Based Diets and Heart Health
The literature review provided an extensive overview of the findings of many studies exploring how plant-based diets influence the process of heart failure. After considering a variety of studies, it concluded that plant-based diets are beneficial for cardiovascular health. A number of cohort studies and RCT's suggested that these diets can slow down the atherosclerotic process by decreasing LDL cholesterol particles. In addition, they may contain a large amount of anti-oxidants. Other factors that could be improved include inflammation and C reactive protein levels. Strengths of this article include the compilation of numerous studies and data to find overarching connections. A weakness would be that many of the studies may only apply to certain clinical or experimental conditions. Nonetheless, this review provides substantive support for the positive effects of a plant-based diet.

Systematic Review & Meta-Analysis of Plant-Based Diets & Plasma Lipids
This meta-analysis analyzed data from numerous studies in order to determine the relationship between plant-based diets and plasma lipids. Observational studies and randomized controlled-trials were reviewed. Factors related to plasma lipids, lipoprotein levels and cholesterol were compared. Overall, it found an overall decrease in LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and total cholesterol. Strengths include that the analysis compared one series of the same metric in numerous studies with significant findings. On the other hand, the review wasn't clear how vegetarian diets were compared to other diets containing animal products. This article provides evidence supporting the inverse relationship between cardiovascular disease risk and plant-based diet consumption.

Plant-based diets and cardiovascular disease risk factors
A cohort of individuals was given a plant-based diet regimen free of animal products for 4 weeks in an outpatient clinical setting. A variety of clinical factors and cardiovascular disease risk factors were measured. The study found that this diet significantly lowered risk of cardiovascular disease via outcomes such as weight loss, heart rate and glycated hemoglobin. The food classification system, preparation protocols and a defined nutrition regimen helped support the strength of the findings. Limitations included a small sample size, lack of a control group and a very brief period of follow-up. These conclusions suggest that following a plant-based diet can reduce risk factors related to heart disease, yet its relation to other treatments are inconclusive within the study.

Association between incidence of heart disease and plant-based diets
Plant-based diets can consist of both healthful and unhealthful plant foods as well as animal products. This retrospective cohort study using data from the Nurses' Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study explored the association of different plant-based diet indices and cardiovascular disease incidence. The different types of indices included healthful plant-based diet, unhealthful plant-based diet and animal foods. The findings suggested that a higher consumption of a healthful plant-based diet is associated with significantly lower cardiovascular disease risk compared to other indices, following a dose-response relationship. The immensely large sample size and the division of plant-based diets into more specific categories supported the strength of the findings. The relationship between plant-based diet consumption and heart disease risk defined by an association and the use of a retrospective cohort study design limited the study to investigating a correlation rather than a cause-effect relationship. The study supports the hypothesis that following a plant-based diet is associated with a decreases in risk of developing heart disease.

Dietary cause of atherosclerotic heart disease and pharmacological implications
This journal articles how evidence linking the development of atherosclerosis and heart disease to dietary factors has profound implications for the pharmaceutical industry. It discusses how the cause of heart disease may be linked to trimethylamine-containing dietary compounds found in meat and dairy, which can undergo conversion to the toxic trimethylamine N-oxide. Through this proposed mechanism, pharmaceutical companies could create a bacterial lyse inhibiting drug that could effectively facilitate the prevention of heart disease in conjunction with exercise and diet. Strengths of this article are that it cites a lot of evidence from a variety of sources including RCT's, observational studies and academic journals, including a discussion of a variety of other possible factors related to heart disease risk. A weakness would be that the article can't subsist as a strong piece of evidence, given that it analyzes data from a variety of sources rather than being a study in itself. Overall, the article looks at an interesting point of view on how pharmaceuticals have a stake in supporting these type of studies related to dietary factors of heart disease.

Policy implications of shifting to a plant-based diet
While there may strong scientific evidence supporting a plant-based diet as a preventative measure, the enactment of policies and regulations to ensure the health of the public is a very controversial matter as outlined in this editorial. The article discusses how while there are studies demonstrating the protective factor within vegan and vegetarian diets, there is still uncertainty around what specific vegetables, nutrients provide these protective factors. In addition, the idea of creating policies around increasing the consumption of fruits and vegetables in lieu of animal products is more ambiguous compared to other public health matters such as smoking and alcohol. A strength of the article was that it discussed a lot of evidence from well-known RCT's such as the Women's Health Initiative. On the other hand, it cannot act as a strong piece of evidence on its own given that it simply analyzes and discusses evidence from other studies. The article effectively undermines the connection between a plant-based diet and a decrease in risk for heart disease as it presents the difficulties in making such recommendations to society.

Plant-based diets and the environment
This article hones in on the environmental and ethical implications that can coexist with adopting a plant-based diet to improve one's health. It mainly discusses how even though an individual on a plant-based diet reduces their environmental impact, many environmental organizations still don't recognize the role of dietary choices in terms of environmental damage. The motivation to look out for animal welfare, as well as the greater planet as a whole is also elaborated upon in further influencing individuals to replace animal products with plant-based foods. A strength of the article would be that it provides an overview of the various reasons why an individual would adopt a plant-based diet in addition to health benefits. Nonetheless, a weakness is that it doesn't really tie in how these various motivations influence the activity and mentality of researchers. This source indirectly pinpoints how there may be various underlying factors why a researcher may want to execute a study with findings in favor of a plant-based diet. In some cases, researchers could be motivated by their own personal agendas related to animal rights or environmentalism.

Public receptiveness to policies promoting plant-based diets
This study explored how a variety social and structural factors influence an individual to adopt any form of a plant-based diet. Participants from a variety of socioeconomic statuses and backgrounds answered question to determine if different action frameworks would make them change their diet related to animal welfare, the environment and public health. It found that individuals are willing to adopt this diet via different action frames depending on social and structural factors, while presenting individuals with only one action framework to consider has limited influence. Strengths of the study included that it enrolled a diverse amount of individuals, as well as enabling the comparison between different action frames as motivation to adopt a plant-based diet. However, the study is lacking in that it's vulnerable to various forms of bias given that participants simply answered questions in a survey. These findings add a more complex layer to the adoption of plant-based diets as a method of reducing heart disease risk considering that an individual's receptiveness may depend on their individual circumstances. It makes it difficult for plant-based diets to appear as an accessible way for the public at large to combat heart disease.