title: Effects of long-term vegetarian diets on cardiovascular autonomic functions in healthy postmenopausal women.
abstract: The incidence of cardiovascular disease is higher in postmenopausal women than in premenopausal women. We hypothesized that long-term vegetarian diets might modulate cardiovascular autonomic functions measured by frequency-domain techniques in healthy postmenopausal women. A total of 35 healthy vegetarians (mean age +/- SEM 55.0 +/- 1.3 years) who had been vegetarians for > or =2 years and 35 omnivores (55.1 +/- 1.4 years) participated in this study. These subjects were all postmenopausal without hormone replacement therapy. Fluctuations in arterial blood pressure and heart rate variability were diffracted into low-frequency (0.04 to 0.15 Hz) and high-frequency (0.15 to 0.4 Hz) segments. Cardiovascular autonomic functions and baroreflex sensitivity were evaluated by specific frequency-domain measures. The vegetarians had statistically lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and lower serum total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, fasting blood sugar, and hemoglobin levels compared with the nonvegetarians. They also exhibited a significantly higher high-frequency power of heart rate variability and increased baroreflex sensitivity than did omnivores. No statistical differences were found in the low-frequency/high-frequency ratio or percentage of low frequency of heart rate variability between the 2 groups. In conclusion, in addition to the lower blood pressure and lipid concentrations in vegetarians, long-term vegetarian diets may facilitate vagal regulation of the heart and increase baroreflex sensitivity in healthy postmenopausal women, without increasing the sympathetic modulations of the cardiovascular system.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Buddhist Dalin Tzu Chi General Hospital, Chiayi, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chin-Hua
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.forename: Cheryl C H
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Chin-Lon
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Terry B J
authors.initials: TB
authors.lastname: Kuo
mesh_terms: D001341:Autonomic Nervous System / Q000502:physiology*; D017704:Baroreflex / Q000502:physiology; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D002320:Cardiovascular Physiological Phenomena; D014676:Diet, Vegetarian; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D017698:Postmenopause