Eating a plant-based diet can ward off chronic diseases

Plant foods that may help prevent cancer and other chronic diseases include artichokes, black pepper, cinnamon, garlic, lentils, olives, pumpkin, rosemary, thyme, and watercress, experts said.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 63 per cent of the deaths that occurred in 2008 were attributed to non-communicable chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, certain cancers, Type 2 diabetes and obesity - for which poor diets are contributing factors.

Research studies have long indicated that a high consumption of plant foods is associated with lower incidents of chronic disease.

In a new article published in Food Technology magazine, experts claim that antioxidants in plant foods counter free radicals that can cause chronic inflammation and damage cells.

Some plant compounds help control a gene linked to cardiovascular disease and plaque buildup in arteries and the genes and other cellular components responsible for forming and sustaining tumours.

Senior Writer/Editor Toni Tarver of the magazine explained in the article how recent discoveries in nutritional genomics have shown that plant-based diets are effective at warding off disease.

"All consumers should look at their diets as if food is the medicine necessary to maintain healthy, disease-free lives. Prevention is always better than a cure," William W Li, President and Medical Director of the Angiogenesis Foundation in Cambridge said in a statement.