04 Jul 2023 --- Italian researchers found that vegetarian diets might have a positive impact on cardiometabolic health and hold the potential to protect from several diseases such as Type 2 diabetes, hypertension and obesity in comparison to meat-based diets. “Diets emphasizing the consumption of whole plant foods have also been associated with lower oxidative stress, inflammation, better endothelial function and increased insulin sensitivity,” Nicoletta Pellegrini, associate professor in Human Nutrition at the Department of Agricultural, Food, Environmental and Animal Sciences at the University of Udine, Italy, tells Nutrition Insight.