Vegetarianism and Ischemic Heart Disease in Older Chinese Women

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Abstract
Objective: This study compared the risk of ischemic heart disease among older vegetarian Chinese women with that of older non-vegetarian women. Methods: 90 vegetarian Chinese women over 70 years old in Hong Kong were screened for ischemic heart disease by electrocardiogram (ECG) and cardiovascular questionnaire. They were compared with 90 non-vegetarian women of similar age examined in a previous local survey. The effects of confounding factors were adjusted by stepwise logistic regression analysis. Results: The percentages of subjects with ischemic heart disease defined by symptoms and ECG or by ECG alone were significantly lower in vegetarian women (p pp<0.005). Conclusions: Vegetarian older Chinese women had lower risk of ischemic heart disease when compared with non-vegetarians. Apart from lower serum cholesterol levels, vegetarianism may have other protective factors against ischemic heart disease.